Latest reviews from Ventura
| 80 /100 76 S. OAK ST “Nice looking bright industrial space. Large open area in the middle of the tap room with some tables around the edge. Friendly bar staff and a fairly large number of styles on at any one time. It leaned heavily to pale ales and stouts when I was in, but I get the sense they kind of do everything. I stopped in a few times and enjoyed most of the stuff I tried.“ |
| 58 /100 472 E MAIN ST “Smallish brewpub in the middle of town. Kind of an odd vibe to the place... there's a few older locals at the bar and tourists in the dining area. Smallish selection of not-terribly good beer. Amber, pale ale, stout, IPA... really feels like a taste of the late 1990s.“ |
| 78 /100 104 E THOMPSON BLVD “Super chill spot a bit out of the center of town. There's a couple of food trucks parked in the lot. There's a decent selection of stuff here and the staff were very friendly. There was an open mike the night I was in. The beer were well made and covered a pretty broad range of styles. Worth a stop.“ |
| 60 /100 585 E THOMPSON BLVD “This place is brand new so they only have 4 on tap. This place is an organic and gluten reduced brewery which is unique. Great location and building. I will give them another try in a few months when they should have more of a selection.“ |
| 90 /100 104 E THOMPSON BLVD “Don’t let the 101-adjacent location fool you, this place is all-chill. The beer is terrific, the bartenders are helpful and knowledgeable and the beer is the best in Ventura. Big fan.“ |
| 68 /100 104 E THOMPSON BLVD “Visited on a Thursday evening. It sits along a busy street in a semi-sketchy edge of downtown Ventura. It’s not a big space, either, even with the walled-in outside area. We stumbled onto some kind of amateur art exhibition, which was something out of a reality TV show. Again, like most new neighborhood brewers, you gotta line up at a counter and order. Decent lineup, decent beers, friendly people all around. Brewery #757.“ |
| 72 /100 1744 DONLON ST “Kind of an impromptu opportunity visit on a Thursday afternoon. I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a relatively upscale, glitzy, yet industrial setting, with welcoming seating both in and outdoors. New biz model ... go to the counter and order from a list of 9 beers or so. We had 1/2 pints of three, all of which were pretty good if indistinctive. I’d like to revisit. Brewery #756.“ |
| 74 /100 1744 DONLON ST “Next stop in Ventura on my way back to LA/OC. Actually quite close to Surf, but a little more off the freeway and back in an industrial/business park maze.
Pretty amble parking, a decent sized patio area, and an enormous, cavernous brewery and tasting room. Design is very modern with some classic feel to it (like the signage above the taps indicating what beers are on tap and pricing straight out of a drive-in movie theater). Ample seating and standing space throughout. They had a half dozen beers on tap during my visit. I opted for a flight of four. The only one I didn’t care for really was the "Standard". Nothing really blew me away, but all the others were fine. Their pale ale was the favorite. it’s a decent enough brewery and another fine addition to the circuit here in the Ventura/Santa Barbara area.“ |
| 84 /100 104 E THOMPSON BLVD “Stopped in just about as they opened on a Friday afternoon on my way to Southern California. It was POURING rain that day, so nobody taking advantage of the small patio area that is out front in the scenic parking lot. The tasting room is very modern in terms of the decor, which I quite liked, maybe a little bit of a surfer vibe too. Nice sized bar to sit at.
They have a solid set of beers here, which is what really impressed me, since I usually expect every new brewery I go to will be meh (only half serious). Some good hoppy beers, a nice stout, barrel aged stout sample from the brewer was pretty nice as well. Doing good things with a variety of styles. Cool people hanging at the bar, friendly bartender and staff. Definitely recommend coming here. It’s also a short walk from the downtown Ventura spots like Anacapa or Barrel House 101.“ |
| 76 /100 4561 MARKET ST, STE A “(Visited 03/2015): Surf Brewery is located in a plaza on Market Street not too far off the 101. Parking is available in front of the brewery. The interior of the beige building opens to the bar area, with a few picnic tables on the left past the entrance, and the bar on the right side farther back. The brewery is visible behind the bar, and there is a large board listing the available beers. There is an open feel, with surfing-related decor. Surf Brewery has around 9 beers available. On my visit this included a Cream Ale, Wheat, Rye Pale, Porter and a few IPAs. The beers were all decent, and a flight is available (served on a surfboard of course). Service at the bar on a relatively slow weekday evening was good. The bartender was engaging and knowledgeable about the beers. The brewery does not serve food but they regularly feature a food truck. Overall this is a worthwhile brewery to visit in Ventura County.“ |
| 78 /100 Barrelhouse 101 (Restaurant) 545 E THOMPSON BLVD “Checked it out after a day at the Ventura beach. The place has a nice pub interieur, the service is fast, nice and still laidback - I have the feeling this is normal for California. I did not check on their beer knowledge, but it might be true that they don’t know too much: most places I’ve been to around here always commented my choices and you could talk to the waitresses about beer. 101 taps, they have a nice range with a little bit of everything - mostly Californians and IPAs though (just right for me as a California tourist). The food value is surprisingly good, the beer value is average for this region. They also have a bottle cellar, but these bottles can get quite expensive. Definitely a recommendation if you’re in Ventura!“ |
| 74 /100 5777 OLIVAS PARK DR, UNIT Q “Despite the fact that it’s not very far off the freeway, it took me awhile to get here because I trusted my GPS which took me some dumb way. Just exit Victoria and go from there. It’s also hard to figure out where exactly you need to go once you arrive at the address, but the tasting room is pretty close to the main road (Olivas Park Dr).
The tasting room itself is pretty nice for a business park brewery. Wooden decor and nautical decorations everywhere. Neat. There’s a number of small tables and a small bar as well. They had a pretty good selection during my stop, 9 beers, though one or two of them were on nitro as well as CO2. They do flights, but if you’re trying everything it’s a lot of beer. I bargained with them to do half-tasters of each of the beers, which they thought was really weird and admittedly it is. Overall beer quality was not great, though their Grapefruit IPA was pretty decent. Really good service, though. And the place is clean and nice to hang out in.“ |
| 78 /100 472 E MAIN ST “Pretty chill place. Elevator pop music playing, which cost them a point for ambiance. A few flat panel TVs. Beer is ok, nice that they also have guest taps (does that mean they know their beer is not awesome?). Happy hour 3-6 weekdays, $1 off house beers. I love seeing all the brewing equipment behind the bar. Worth a stop. Need to do food next time.“ |
| 78 /100 Barrelhouse 101 (Restaurant) 545 E THOMPSON BLVD “Third time here. Mondays are nice because they have happy hour all day ($1 off all beers with some appetizer specials). Comfortable. Music is probably too loud. Very chill on a Monday afternoon (busier Sunday afternoon). 100 beers on tap, tasters available. Hard to beat this kind of diversity!“ |
| 74 /100 5777 OLIVAS PARK DR, UNIT Q “Visited December 14, 2014.
I heard about this on my last trip up 101 while at brewLAB in Carpenteria. There was a guy there with a short bus parked out back that does brewery tours and he said that he had just come from Poseidon. This makes three breweries in Ventura now, with three more in the works (Sessions, Topa Topa, and another one that I can’t remember). This brewery is hidden all the way in the back of a long industrial business park No signs out front so check the map / GPS. Inside is a smallish tasting room with a couple of windows to the brewing area; one looking into the cooler where they serve from tanks and cold crash, and the other where the brewing and fermentation happens. The furniture is all wood. They have a small dog that runs around but I’m not sure if they allow other dogs. Naturally everything is nautical themed. Turns out that the owner/brewer is or was a sailor in the navy. They had about a dozen beers on during my visit. I tried a taster of all of them, for $2 a piece. Not really possible to finish 50 oz of beer but they didn’t seem to mind the fact that I only had about half of each taster. My three favorites were the grapefruit IPA, the Belgian IPA, and the pale ale. My least favorite was the porter or the marzen. They seem to rotate beers quite often, so they’re definitely good for ticks if you’re passing through. I’ll stop in again eventually when I check out some of the new breweries in the area as they open. Oh, and they’re next door to a coffee place so you can check that out if you’re into the whole cold pressed coffee thing.“ |
| 68 /100 472 E MAIN ST “Visited for lunch around 1.30pm on Thursday 01/05/14.
Located right in the centre of Ventura we manged to bag a metred parking space right outside.
Medium sized venue, long and thin, there’s a small patio area out front with 4 tables, one of which we managed to bag.
Brewing coppers visible behind the bar.
The place was moderately buys, service good, food was great - I had the Scorcher burger (on Brorino’s reccomendation!). Just 4 house beers on tap during my visit which I took in a 4x4oz taster for $6. There was also one guest.
Decent enough venue. Food beats the beer but no horrors amongst the 4 beers I tried averaging at about 3.2.
“ |
| 74 /100 Barrelhouse 101 (Restaurant) 545 E THOMPSON BLVD “Visited September 14, 2014.
Once again I failed to get to Santa Barbara before 7 pm to visit New Order Brewing. What kind of brewery closes at 7pm? I understand that there isn’t much incentive to be open on a Sunday night but they close early on Fridays and Saturdays too. One of these days (Alice), one of these days. Anyway, this was the consolation prize. Not sure how I never stopped here because it’s RIGHT next to the freeway entrance and it’s a couple blocks from Anacapa. Better late than never I guess. First off they really do have 101 taps. They have about a dozen IPAs, several DIPAs, some pales, and some other hoppy stuff. All combined it makes up probably 20-25% of the tap list. I tried a Drakes beer that I hadn’t heard of before that wasn’t very good so I went with the Schneider Hopfenweise that may not have been all that fresh. Not bad but a little strange. Just based on the location and beer selection I’d give this about an 80 or so overall but parking was not easy and for some reason it took 20 minutes to get a cup of soup (that came out lukewarm). Beyond that everything was good. The soup wasn’t bad. They were going for the Mexican thing. They even had a side dish with some radish and lemon. The guy next to me at the bar had a burger with some crumbled cheese on it. I’d probably stop in again for a bite if Anacapa wasn’t open. Prices were kind of high. $4 for a small cup of soup and $9 for a "pint" of Hopfenweisse. Add in tax and my total pre-tip was $16 for a cup of soup and a beer. Hmm.“ |
| 76 /100 Barrelhouse 101 (Restaurant) 545 E THOMPSON BLVD “Pretty decent food at reasonable rpices for Ventura. 101 taps is no lie! I had a grilled chicken Cesar sandwich with a salad that was very good. Lots of local drafts as well as more well know ones.“ |
| 100 /100 Sams Saticoy Liquor & Delivery Service (Beer Store) 1500 LOS ANGELES AVE “Best Liquor store in Ventura County!!! Huge craft beer selection and they deliver!!!“ |
| 72 /100 Barrelhouse 101 (Restaurant) 545 E THOMPSON BLVD “Was the first person in the door, so hard to judge it. Pretty large and open place. Kind of reminded me of a place like the Yardhouse or T. Phillips. Service was good, but the bartender didn’t seem to know much about beer. They offer flights of 3 with adding special beers adding an extra buck on to the base price of $8. Prices on other beers can be a bit excessive ($8-$9 range for a pour). Selection was pretty good overall. Would probably come back here if I was hanging out in Ventura.“ |
| 66 /100 The Wine Castle (Beer Store) 4711 TELEPHONE RD “Located just off the freeway, so this is a pretty convenient location. In a large shopping center, plenty of parking. This is mostly a wine store, but there is a pretty sizable selection of beer, too. Pretty cramped setup. It’s certainly on the upper end of what I would consider acceptable in terms of pricing. Lots of central coast offerings (Island, Figueroa Mountain, Firestone, etc.). Not much in the way of service, but the guy working was friendly enough.“ |
| 66 /100 The Wine Castle (Beer Store) 4711 TELEPHONE RD “Visited November 3, 2013.
Located in a large shopping center on a main street. There is a Ross and a Starbucks in the same shopping center in case you drive by and not see the sign (like I did). The selection isn’t bad but it’s expensive as all hell. No way I was going to pay $15 for a Rodenbach Grand Cru. They have a lot of the big names in California present like Anchor, Sierra, Stone, Firestone, Drakes, Green Flash, and now also Knee Deep, Figueroa Mountain, and Heretic. The clerk was nice and asked twice if I needed any help. I didn’t have the heart to tell him his prices suck ass and I won’t be spending any money there. At least parking is easy, even if getting back to the freeway isn’t entirely obvious.“ |
| 66 /100 4561 MARKET ST, STE A “Nice little set-up with picnic tables and a homebrew shop. They serve their beers on tap in a variety of pour sizes and there was a tasty food truck outside when I visited. Heavy surf theme inside with nice vintage boards and a lot of surf history related items for the local area. Beers are okay for the most part but they seem to have a good base to build from. Worth a stop if you’re in the area.“ |
| 68 /100 Mandell’s (Beer Store) 3915 TELEGRAPH RD “Standard liquor store with easy to find micros, mainly central California stuff and brews from some other west coast breweries. Nothing to go out of your way for. Prices are quite reasonable.“ |
| 72 /100 Barrelhouse 101 (Restaurant) 545 E THOMPSON BLVD “Have been a few times and just getting around to reviewing it. As the name suggests there are 101 beers on tap, mostly IPAs and pale ales, and some Belgians as well. There are a handful of stouts,porters and sours, but nothing too out of the ordinary. The servers are very attentive, but their beer knowledge is non-existent. Fun place and good food.“ |
| 82 /100 472 E MAIN ST “Great beer. Selection is slim, but they have all the classics and usually have a guest tap. This is an intimate place, not designed to handle masses of swillers.“ |
| 76 /100 4561 MARKET ST, STE A “Last stop on the conference beer tour of Ventura. Definitely a step up from Anacapa in both production and quality. Owner and employees were clearly interested in the product and loved talking about beer. Running about 7 taps while we were there, most of those available in bombers as well. I liked the bar facing all that stainless steel in their production room.“ |
| 66 /100 472 E MAIN ST “First stop on a conference organized beer tour. Decent enough place in what appears to be downtown Ventura. Pretty small operation with no bottling and 6 of their beers running. Beers were by and large pretty average, but the service was good and the place had a decent vibe.“ |
| 76 /100 Barrelhouse 101 (Restaurant) 545 E THOMPSON BLVD “Stopped in yesterday to talk work with a colleague over beer. It has that chainy Yardhouse-esqe feel to it, but there is plenty of room to spread out. 101 beers on tap, arranged by style on the menu and all numbered. Our server had no clue about beer and was happy when you ordered by number rather than name. Some pretty good locals on tap, as well as a smattering of beers from around the country and world. Nothing Earth shattering, but you are going to find something to enjoy. Prices a bit on the high side.“ |
| 64 /100 The Wine Castle (Beer Store) 4711 TELEPHONE RD “Better selection than Mandell’s, but higher prices as well. Nothing really special here either, but a decent selection of shelf locals and imports.“ |
| 56 /100 Mandell’s (Beer Store) 3915 TELEGRAPH RD “Pretty small, standard liquor store feel. Decent selection of locals and easy to find Belgians. Nothing special. Process are better than the competition“ |
| 70 /100 4561 MARKET ST, STE A “Business park location in Ventura. Nice large tasting room space with a homebrew store attached. Service was just okay and the prices were pretty high for samples. Eight taps plus a cask (nothing on cask when we were there). Beers were just okay for the most part, but their double IPA was pretty good.“ |
| 72 /100 4561 MARKET ST, STE A “Yesterday (12/21/12) was my first time here.
There were 8 taps, 5 of which I hadnt tried. You can order flights in sets of 4, 6, or 8. Prices were a bit steep for flights as I think I paid $14 for a 6 samples. The beer ranges from crappy to good. The ones that stood out were the hoppy ones, so try those. I didnt order it but the pils was pretty good when I had it at 38 Degrees. Service was a bit slow but they were busy as it was a Friday night and Christmas Eve is this Monday, so everyone was out. There was a food truck outside that I didnt check out as I wasnt hungry, but food is available. They also have a homebrew shop and some bottled beer in the fridge for takeaway. Neat place and I’ll stop in again sometime when heading to/from the bay area or to/from homebrew fest at Casitas. Oh, and the 50’s diner table was pretty sweet as was the sampler tray that was shaped like a surf board.“ |
| 74 /100 Mandell’s (Beer Store) 3915 TELEGRAPH RD “This place is a must for good beer. It has a much better selection of good beers than Bevmo.“ |
| 70 /100 472 E MAIN ST “I stopped here on a rainy Friday evening on my way to SF beer week a couple years ago. The building was clean and nice, quiet, and the brewing equipment is behind the bar. I sat at the bar and ordered a set of samples, which was 5 house beers. I tried the:
C Street Wheat Ale (3.3) Mirage Rye Pale Ale (3.6) Mission Nut Brown Ale (3.2) Santa Rosa Red (3.75) Two Trees Double IPA (3.6) The food however was quite good. I ordered The Scorcher burger with chipotle mayo, pepper jack cheese, and fried/breaded jalapenos on top of a 1/2 lb(ish) patty. The mayo was so good I asked for a little on the side to dip my fries into. The bill came to about $15 after tax. The service was very nice but despite the ratio of customers to servers I still ended up flagging the girl down a couple times. I think if I stop in again it would be for the food although it sounds like (according to their website) they have a lot of rotating beers but they only have 5 on at a time.“ |
| 48 /100 The Wine Castle (Beer Store) 4711 TELEPHONE RD “Decent strip mall bottle shop if you are in the area and need a decent variety of brews. But it is jammed and their microbrews are not very complete with for example only three Alesmiths on the shelf when I visited.“ |
| 78 /100 472 E MAIN ST “Nice little brewpub in downtown Ventura, just down the street from City Hall. Small patio, somewhat narrow, but long, inside with a very large bar area. The woman who served me at the bar was very friendly and helpful. The house beers were quite decent, and some local guest taps (Surf and Figueroa Mountain) were on as well. Decent prices. Didn’t eat.“ |
| 84 /100 4561 MARKET ST, STE A “Nice place with a great staff and some pretty damn good beer. The sampler served on a surfboard is cool. Enjoyable place.“ |
| 86 /100 4561 MARKET ST, STE A “Nice little brewery and tap room. Also have a Homebrew store. Good selection of beer, and it is all tasty. Would definitely frequent this place if I live here.“ |
| 66 /100 The Wine Castle (Beer Store) 4711 TELEPHONE RD “A buddy of mine needed to stop by the ATM, and as we pulled near, I saw this little shop nearby, so I ran in for a look-see. Really cramped quarters upon entering. Narrow aisles run the length of the store. The right wall of the place is dedicated to beer. A nice cooler section filled with a good number of CA-offerings. Decent amount of bombers, and the Belgian section was above average. From what I saw of the prices, they seemed reasonable for the area. Nice little shop that were I staying in the area, I would get my bottle-fix for sure.“ |
| 74 /100 4561 MARKET ST, STE A “Drove up to Ventura for the afternoon and this place was a must-stop. Very unassuming from the outside, as it is located in an office-park area. Walking inside, they have a nice little homebrew shop to the right. As I am not a homebrewer myself, I will not review this portion of the shop. The rest of the place is dedicated to the taproom. A good number of tables fill the rest of the space, along with a decent bar that could seat about 15-20 people. The decor is a little bland, but they definitely stick well with the surfer theme. They don’t serve any food, but they offered some light snacks. I did see some locals bring in some food from outside, and it looked like that was encouraged by the staff, so that’s a nice feature. They had most of their lineup on tap (all except the Wit), including a cask of their Black IPA. I tried a couple of their standard brews, the Vienna Lager and their Nitro-Porter. The bartendress was very friendly and helpful. A couple of the guys I was with, got their flight of 4 brews, and all that they tried they enjoyed. Prices are decent, and the beer was good from what I had. I would revisit for sure if in the area.“ |
