Friday 6th of April 2012 11:13:51 AM

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On a corner on the main drag of Santa Barbara, State Street, Santa Barbara Brewing has a bright front seating area with some tall as well as some shorter wooden tables and chairs near the large store front windows. Further back is a dark wooden bar with tall wooden chairs separated by a low wooden partition from more tall wooden tables and chairs. Behind the bar are four tall and narrow steel serving tanks next to an ornate wood-fronted cooler where chilled glasses are kept.

The floor is made from very large square rough concrete tiles. Two long walls of used brick provide a backdrop to the rather deep front room which sports 10 high definition TVs with sports (but without sound). The high ceiling is black with open joists and ceiling fans. Behind the main seating area at the far end of this large room are the copper brew kettle and mash tun (directly open to the main space, i.e., separated by just a low railing and with no glass), and there are rows of stacked empty kegs in front of several fermentation tanks on the loft above. A “lounge” area extends in the back with pool tables and a large dark bar area.

There were nine house-made beers on our visit, covering the customary range of styles for a brewpub. The IPA we tried was quite respectable.

Friday 24th of December 2010 09:11:55 PM

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Their Blonde is actually pretty good. Very fresh and drinkable. The rest of their offerings, red, wheat, stout, ipa, etc, are all very typical examples of basic styles. A few guest taps (hoegarden, chimay, something else). And a few macro bottles. Nothing too far out of the mainstream. Nothing really special or worth a special trip here. However, good service, decent food menu, good location, and a great place to relax after walking around the Santa Barbara strip.