Soulcraft Brewing

 

A great place on the edge of Salida, facing Rt 50 so an easy pit-stop (if you're only having one) but I'd encourage an overnight. Great range of beers, from solid Pilsner, to great porter-stout offerings (including a fantastic coconut milk stout which was AWEsome), to traditional hoppy offerings which they are more known for... dig the vibe, totally chill, free of dogs and screaming children. Good relaxed conversations, mostly locals, really friendly service and owners; totally underrated place. These people are killing it.
STOP IN.

 

 

V-I'm a sucker for small-town breweries and this place is no exception. It is a larger space on the strip-mall side of Salida, i.e., Highway 50. Plenty of tables and a large bar offer seating inside and a large patio that faces the parking lot and street sits out front. When I visited on a random Saturday night in March, the place was mellow with a mix of locals and visitors.

Q-I tried three Soulcraft beers at the brewery and one other Soulcraft beer while in town. All were decent, but nothing knocked my socks off. The Helles was nice, drinkable and refreshing; the two IPAs I tried were pretty average; and the coconut milk stout was pretty impressive in small (sweet) doses.

Ser-The bartenders were friendly, prompt, and offered samples of beers I had questions about. Pours were well-done and in the correct glassware. The bartenders could also answer questions about the brewery and beers on offer.

Sel-Soulcraft does not offer any guest beers but the tap offerings did a decent job of covering the style spectrum. As is the norm these days, they had multiple hoppy offerings to go along with a smattering of other styles.

O-If you are looking for good beer in Salida, this place should be your jam. Its not on the level of Elevation, but would drink beer here before Amicas or Moonlight Pizza. Also, I didn't try the food truck, but they do seem to have food almost all the time.