Hi BA's. I am heading to Santa Barbara, CA for a few days - wondering if anyone can point me in the direction of some good bottle shops or other outlets for great beer? Thanks!
Not sure about bottle shops, but you should definitely check out Firestone's Barrelworks and/or Figueroa Mountain (both are in Buellton).
Make a little time for Barrelworks. Definitely worth doing. Pouring as of 8.1.13 Lil' Opal Lil' Mikkel Vessel 8 Parabola 2012 Parabola 2013 Parabajava Sucaba 2013 Stickee Monkee Double DBA 2012 Double DBA 2013 Barrel 66 XVI Anniversary
In Santa Barbara: Although it is not a brewery, Eureka burger has one of the better tap selections around. If you want to make the 30min drive to Buellton: - Firestone Barrelworks, if for no other reason then to get ParabaJava and Passionfruit Sour Stout. (Although the general taproom is open everyday, Barrelworks is only open Fri/Sat/Sun) - Figueroa Mountain is worth the visit. Bottle Shops (not a lot of choices): - The Good Life in Solvang - Bin2860 in Los Olivos (they will have the selection you are looking for but the prices are high)
The Whole Foods on State street has a good selection of beers, as well as San Roque Liquors which is not far from the whole foods. Also Keg N' Bottle in Isla Vista has a huge selection, their prices can be a bit high for certain things, but they have been much more reasonable lately. I would also recommend Hollister Brewing in Goleta and The Brewhouse which is near downtown for brewpubs, and the Eureka burger is also good for beer selection as someone else mentioned. Telegraph Brewing Co. brewery is in Santa Barbara and may be worth checking out if you want to visit a brewery, I think they recently expanded.
The bottleshops mentioned above by henskejk are the best in SB area, but (depending on where you're coming from), only Whole Foods will have real rarities comparable to LA/SF. Hollister (Goleta, best brewery in the area) for sure, Barrelworks (Buellton, unbelievable stuff) for sure, Telegraph (Santa Barbara) if you like their stuff (I do, many don't). Firestone Taphouse (Buellton, straightforward but adjacent to their Barrelworks), Brewhouse (Santa Barbara, beers are inconsistent in my opinion but food is excellent) and Fig Mountain (Buellton or Santa Barbara, consistently solid but unexceptional) if you have time. I haven't been to Eureka Burger, nor am I familiar with the bottle shops mentioned by Justin Brown, so can't speak to those.
Eureka Burger on State St. recently has some amazing brews on tap. Last time I went I got a pint of Bruery's Humulus Lager. Pretty close to there is Santa Barbara Brewing Company.
I think everyone covered SB. I would definitely recommend Barrelworks as priority #1. No one mentioned Island Brewing in Carp, and I can see why. If you head south a bit we have Barrelhouse 101 (101 beers on tap) in Ventura as well as Surf Brewing. If you make the day trip to Ojai, check out Ojai Beverage Company. Great food and 20 rotating taps. If you must stay in SB, you can do no wrong with Eureka, Brewhouse, and Fig Mtn taproom. Skip SB brewing and Union Ale.
Does Barrelworks serve food or is there anywhere good to eat nearby? Hoping to stop by there for the first time on my way up to Big Sur (from San Diego) in a couple of weeks.
Barrelworks is adjacent to the Firestone taphouse in Buellton. You can't bring the food from the latter into the former. So eat just before or after -- Barrelworks should not be missed.
I am a former gaucho, and visit SB every summer the last 3 yrs, graduated 2004, the beer scene has grown, my idea of a good beer back then, was hit up Sam's to Go or Gio's for some SN Pale Ale, or Sam Adams Seasonals, Barrelworks is a cant miss stop, if you are a fan of barrel aged beers or strong ales, i don't think ive had a better experience in terms of one off's and BA beer a personal fave, although, a close one would be Avery Brewing during GABF week, a few years back. They broke out some of their rare heavy hitters from the barrels
