Recommended Santa Barbara Breweries
As craft breweries continue to rise in popularity all around the country, Santa Barbara has something special to offer beer lovers of all varieties. Many local breweries boast unique offerings of seasonal beers, including hearty stouts, IPAs, brown ales, lagers, and traditional flavors brewed daily. If you want something else to accompany your beer to fill your belly, enjoy lunch or dinner at several locations that compliment their brews with lengthy menus and local cuisine, or enjoy one of Santa Barbara's growing number of local food trucks.
Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company
Located in the popular Funk Zone, "Fig" was founded by a father and son team with a passion for craft beer and has become one of the fastest growing breweries in America. Each bottle design features artwork depicting local Santa Ynez Valley landscape and every brew is named after local landmarks. You can sit inside their Funk Zone taproom and join the weekly trivia game night, or relax outside with your dog. Their list of specialty and cask beers are always rotating so there is something new to try, and if you get hungry the Lucky Penny restaurant around the corner delivers for free.
Third Window
Located in a restored old barn / feed mill originally built in 1904 by the Boykin family, Third Window has a classy, fun atmosphere. The name "Third Window" is a reflection of the values that drive the business: cultivation, passion, and purity. Every brew at Third Window is crafted from indigenous ingredients, from homegrown barley and native yeast to orange blossoms on the trees outside.
Funk Zone Brews
While in the Funk Zone, there are a variety of local spots to hit up. Lama Dog boasts 20 revolving craft beers on tap, 4 varieties of wine on tap in additional to their bottle shop full of brews from around the world. Topa Topa, a dog friendly and wildly popular Ventura brewery recently opened up a location in Santa Barbara. Meanwhile if you get hungry, you can get a fresh bite to eat at the Brass Bear Brewing & Bistro, a stylish location that offers a variety of quality craft beers, wine and cider.
Island Brew Co
Also known as "IBC," Island Brewing Company is a family-run, award winning microbrewery in Carpinteria. Nestled alongside Linden Ave, the main strip in Carpinteria, you can sip and enjoy a great view of the beach and the Channel Islands. The Avocado Honey Ale is a popular choice, especially since Carpinteria is the home of the Avocado Festival in October every year. For the hops lovers, the King Tide Double IPA is king for a reason.
brewLAB
For the more adventurous, while in Carpinteria you might also want to visit brewLAB, an artisanal nano-brewery that experiments with their flavors by making all their brews in small batches that are only available while they last. This experimental philosophy is meant to push the limits of flavor profiles, and means they do not carry any flagship flavors. In their first year of operation, Brew Lab served over 100 different beers! Be careful not to fall in love with any of their unique offerings, or you'll have to keep coming back every night until it's gone.
M Special
In Goleta, a popular and award winning variety of IPA's, Double India Pale Ale, American Lagers and more await you at M. Special where you will be greeted with a live edge bar top, said to be the longest bar in SB County, beautifully made from a single piece of fallen Monterey Pine from Big Sur. Many locals find themselves at M Special on the weekdays for happy hour with coworkers, trivia, food trucks and post workday unwind fun.
Draughtsmen Aleworks
Known for their fun, welcoming vibe, the Draughtsmen specialize in small batch beers and occasional experimental brews. You can check their online calendars to see what "Taproom Happenings" are going on during the week, from trivia to live music, in addition to seeing which local food trucks might be swinging by, from tacos to gourmet hot dogs.