Solvang Brewing Company

Solvang Brewing CompanySolvang Brewing Company
Solvang Brewing CompanySolvang Brewing Company
Brewery, Bar, Eatery

1547 Mission Drive
Solvang, California, 93463
United States

(805) 688-2337 | map
solvangbrewing.com
BEER STATS
Average:
3.41
Beers:
21
Ratings:
89
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.18
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
26
pDev:
16.98%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by MisterKilderkin:
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Rated by MisterKilderkin from California

3.5/5  rDev +10.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5

May 25, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.64 by Lucnifter from California

Mar 01, 2022
Photo of BillRoth
Reviewed by BillRoth from Maryland

3.67/5  rDev +15.4%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.75
Nice little brewpub in heart of Solvang. Old school bar, tunes and plenty of booths and tables for eating as well as drinking. Dark wood, brick and moderately dark lighting. Conveys some Danish/ German gasthaus feel.
Lively conversation. People having fun.
Good port in a storm!
Feb 01, 2020
 
Rated: 3.21 by crobinso from Colorado

Dec 17, 2017
 
Rated: 3.1 by Nrod from Argentina

Nov 29, 2017
 
Rated: 2.78 by GaryColeman from California

Jul 21, 2017
 
Rated: 1.85 by crob3888 from California

Jul 05, 2017
 
Rated: 3.21 by metter98 from New York

May 26, 2016
 
Rated: 2.84 by Raziel313 from California

Mar 23, 2016
 
Rated: 3.43 by Teen-o from California

Sep 12, 2015
 
Rated: 3 by StoutSnob40 from California

Oct 21, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Bung from Michigan

Oct 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Totalpackage411 from California

Oct 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Rick778 from California

Sep 01, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by AleHunter805 from California

Jul 17, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by Skunkdrool from California

Jun 06, 2014
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Reviewed by RichIron883 from New York

2.89/5  rDev -9.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 2.75 | food: 3.75
Visited Solvang on our honeymoon and made a point to visit the brewery, have to say we were disappointed. The poor service and limited beer selection may have been due to the fact that is was 4th of July weekend and they were swamped. We enjoyed the food and it was a good value. The beer was alright, some of them better then others and as noted in another review a couple of them had odd finish. Maybe, we will venture that way again and give it another shot someday.
Dec 06, 2013
Photo of GeorgeH
Reviewed by GeorgeH from California

4.05/5  rDev +27.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4.5
I visited this place for the first time this past Saturday with my girlfriend. Very fun, energetic atmosphere. College football was on and there were lots of people watching and cheering. The bar area had a mix of locals and tourists (Solvang is very touristy). Our bartender was very friendly and attentive, and more than happy to pour samples of their beers. They were out of 3 beers that they normally have on tap that they had sent all they had to the Great American Beer Festival in Denver for the week, so we did miss out on some of their better stuff, I assume. Pricing we were told was between $5-$6/pint, but when we got the bill, everything we had was $6, so maybe just saying everything is $6 would be more accurate. That is a little pricey, even for South Santa Barbara County prices, but again, it is a tourist town, so I wasn't surprised. We had some carnitas nachos that were awesome, and well worth the price. We couldn't finish the whole plate. There was probably enough for 3-4 people, and for $9.95, you can't beat that. Overall, this was a great place, and we had lots of fun there. We will be back for sure next time we are in town.
Oct 14, 2013
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Reviewed by artdob from California

3.84/5  rDev +20.8%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.75
Good selection and variety of beer brewed on premise. We went for the stout which all enjoyed. Somewhat of a hybrid to me of what you would get if merging an oatmeal stout and a guinness style stout, nicely balanced with a hint of sweetness.

Prices were $5 for the on premise pints. Menu supplemented with decent selection of additional beers, wines, and spirits, though too bad they didn't offer the Bourbon from Ascendant Spirits just down the road in Buelton.
Aug 11, 2013
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Reviewed by colonelforbin from California

3.26/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 2.75 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5
Located in the Danish-style tourist town of Solvang, this brew pub fits right into the local landscape. Right off 101, so pretty easy to get to if you're traveling in the region.

Fairly long bar with somewhat low slung stools and a funky interior that is obviously influenced by the atmosphere of the rest of the town. Lots of wood and a fair bit of color. Service was fine, nothing out of the ordinary.

Beer quality was OK. Their IPA was nothing to write home about. Decent hop finish with a bit of a malty base. Witbier was OK, probably a better representation of the style than the IPA. Stout was pedestrian, nothing special.

Worth visiting if you're in the area, if only to take in the decor and charm of this type of place in this type of city. Don't go here expecting to have fantastic brews though, there are other places in the area for that.
May 21, 2013
Photo of TheMarkE
Reviewed by TheMarkE from California

2.48/5  rDev -22%
vibe: 3 | quality: 2 | service: 2 | selection: 3 | food: 3.25
A tourist place with decent food and fair beer. None of the beers I've had have been above average, and have a slightly funky taste. The better half tried several wines, all of which had turned to vinegar. Not much to recommend, especially when there are so many great brewpubs within a half hour's drive in any direction.
Jan 08, 2013
Photo of hiku7
Reviewed by hiku7 from California

2.14/5  rDev -32.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 1 | service: 3 | selection: 2
Nice location adjacent to downtown Solvang. Nice design and premises. Nice porch from which to enjoy a brew. So far, so good.

The problem is the beer. Most of the beers I tasted had off flavors. Particularly a kind of smoky phenolic taste. A few were way undercarbonated. The pale ale and IPA were tolerable, but everything else wasn't. I hope this was a temporary problem and that it will improve.

I went in excited and left very disappointed. Fortunately, I went to Firestone's taproom down the road and had some very good beer before departing the area.
Jan 07, 2012
Photo of charlzm
Reviewed by charlzm from California

2.63/5  rDev -17.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 1 | service: 3 | selection: 4
Visited on Saturday, November 5th in the early afternoon.

The atmosphere of this brewpub is old-world meets dive bar. Lots of families, bicycling enthusiasts, a few older couples and a good contingent of college-age kids. A quick glance around the room revealed almost no-one drinking beer. I should have paid attention to that warning sign and left...

We were seated immediately and given friendly though relatively sparse service by a young guy with bad hair. My buddy and I had just eaten at Firestone down the road and so only ordered the eight beer sampler. The menu offered the usual burgers, pizzas, salads and sandwiches.

You can read my beer reviews if you want a more detailed telling of the tale, but all of their beer is bad. Bad as in sour, imbalanced, poorly executed, etc...

Between my friend and I, we finished about half of each taster glass.

We asked for the check, paid and left without much drama.

Avoid this place if you like craft beer or until they step up their brewing game.
Nov 08, 2011
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Reviewed by DoubleJ from Wisconsin

2.93/5  rDev -7.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 2 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3
We had to do something in Solvang. When much of the town closes down early, that really restricts the options of where to visit. There are a lot of wine bars, but I didn't come to drink wine. Luckily, Slovang Brewing is easy to spot on the main street.

Lots of space around the bar area. While you can see the city outside, it did have a cavernous/enclosed feeling. Lots of stone around the place, if I had closed my eyes I could imagine Vikings walking in for a drink. A few TV's scattered around. There's a outdoor patio as well.

It took some time before we were finally served, and at times it seemed like I wouldn't get a chance to order a second beer. Not as quick as I like, but it was friendly.

6 house beers to choose from with good descriptions; raspberry beer, kristalweizen, schwarzbier, pale ale, India Dark Ale, and something else I don't remember exactly. Also a few guest beers on-tap too, such as Rogue's Hazelnut Brown. The schwarz was awful, though the IDA was more than decent. What doesn't help is that the beers were served with almost no head, giving me the illusion that my two dark beers looked more like cola. Pints go for $5.

I thought it would be a quick trip, but my brother was tempted by Danish meatballs, so we decided to have dinner. I ordered the sausage platter, which came with two types of mustard and a fondue dip. The sausages were decent, the dips were good, the smashed potatoes seemed thin and airy.

If it weren't for my ticking mentality, I would probably pass on a second visit to Solvang Brewing and stuff myself with aebelskiver instead. Maybe the rest of the lineup is closer in quality to Helheim than Midnight Lager, but that discovery will have to wait.
Sep 22, 2011
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Reviewed by fsimcox from Louisiana

3.58/5  rDev +12.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3
Was in Solvang last weekend for wine tasting, and decided to stop in here. Went to the bar, very nice appearance, with lots of wood. I had a seat at the bar, and ordered a burger, and the Blond. My wife had the Wheat.

The food was good, normal bar far, of course because I had the burger. Many other folks seated around the bar area, all seemed to be enjoying themselves.

The Blond was OK, but nothing to write home about. The Wheat was very citrus focused. Reminded me of Widmer.

Overall, a nice place to grab a bit to eat, and have a beer.
Feb 18, 2011
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Reviewed by bradybeer from California

3.78/5  rDev +18.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Located in the "Danish" town of Solvang this brewpub opened in the heart of the shopping and dinning area of town.

The viking room is where the bar is located and has a lodge feel to it with a great deal of wood. When we visited they had the following house beers on tap. An American Wheat, Blonde, Oatmeal Stout, and IPA. Guest taps included Speakeasy Untouchable, Rogue Nutbrown Ale, and a Lost Abby.

Their wheat beer was thin and didn't inspire me to have another one. Their Blonde was served, no joke, in a salt rimmed glass with a lime wedge. One word bad. Their Oatmeal Stout was very good and their IPA passable.

Where this brewpub shines more than most that I have been to is their food. Inexpensive, large servings, and very good. We had their black and blue burger with bacon and blue cheese and it was tasty. We also tried the Danish Reuben which was outstanding.

We really enjoyed this brewpub and will visit again on our next trip down south.
Dec 31, 2010
Solvang Brewing Company in Solvang, CA
Brewery rating: 3.41 out of 5 with 89 ratings