Barrelhouse 101

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.