Best Breweries in Santa Barbara

Pure Order Brewing Company is a Santa Barbara based brewery that specializes in German-style beers, including ales, porters and more. This family owned and operated endeavor produces beers for sale and offers onsite tastings. The name comes from the German Purity Order of 1516 which stated that only malt, hops, yeast and water may be used to brew beer. A 2,000 square foot warehouse has been converted into a brewery, complete with bar, tasting garden and hop yard. Hang outside, play a few lawn games and have a beer with your friends at this neighborhood beer joint. Located a short distance from downtown and the Funk Zone, there is free street parking out front.

People who like to have a whole lot of fun while they're drinking beer head to Island Brewing Company. This wide open tasting room and brewery in Carpinteria is a local watering hole, always packed to the gills on the weekends. Located near the train tracks and within view of the beach - not to mention across the street from The Spot, a tasty hamburger shack in operation since 1914 - Island couldn't be better positioned for a good time. The brewery churns out a craft beer lineup that is full of easy drinking favorites like Island Blonde, Paradise Pale Ale and Hopliner IPA. They also have a selection of stouts and bourbon barrel-aged ales.

Hidden away down a quiet street in Goleta is a beer passion project that you really should check out. Draughtsmen Aleworks is a microbrewery and taproom with spirit. The place is immaculate, the people are kind, and the patio is dog friendly. More importantly, the beer is good. They specialize in small batch beers with an approachable personality and taste, familiar ales, IPAs and the occasional experimental brew. Word on the street has it, there is even a gluten-reduced beer that actually tastes good. This place has an authentic sense of community, with a fun food truck and event calendar and a growing crowd of regulars. Draught Club memberships are available to serious beer drinkers, entitling them to discount beers and other perks.

Looking for a local cold brew? Head out to Goleta to try some of the area's best at M. Special Brewing Company. This brewery and bar serves up fresh drafts of their own beer crafted on site. Offering up lager, Saison, IPA and more... the menu changes with what's available (it's not uncommon for local favorites to sell out). Open every day from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., this is a great place to pull up a seat at their long wooden bar and catch the game on TV. Live music isn't uncommon and some kind of food - be it truck, catering or pop up - is available pretty much every night.

Got a thirst that water can't quench? If you're downtown, head into Third Window Brewing Co. for refreshments of the sudsy variety. Located in The Mill, a hip and happening mixed used center, this local brewery makes inventive beers you won't try anywhere else. You'll find farmhouse ales, seasonal lagers and abbey ales. Sip a Bierbara Belgian Golden made with grapes from Potek, the winery next door, or delve into HBCB & OMFUG, a triple with New Zealand hops and citrus and mango notes. This place has comfortable benches, lots of TVs showing sports and pop-up eats appear more often than not on the the weekends.

Hollister Brewing Company is a restaurant and brewpub located in the heart of Goleta, near the airport, Isla Vista and Old Town. They serve American classics here like burgers and fries, with a few surprises mixed in. And, of course, everything pairs well with their signature brews. If you enjoy what you drink here, why not take some home? Hollister Brewing Company sells half-gallon glass jugs, known as growlers, of their house-brewed beers to go. In fact, "good beer comes in growlers" is one of their mottos. Located in one of the area's larger shopping centers, there's ample free parking right in front.

For a boozy treat you can't find anywhere else, buzz over to The Apiary to sample ciders and meads made using apples, honey and herbs from Santa Barbara's farms, gardens and hillsides. This rustic tasting room in Carpinteria is all wood, whitewash and dried flowers... completely charming and instantly Instagrammable. There's a few bar stools, handwritten signs and a rotary "pizza phone" on the wall you can use to order delivery pie to pair with your beverages. Cute elements aside, the nine rotating taps pour small batch creations that are worth a visit. The Apiary is open only select hours Friday through Sunday, so plan your trip in advance!

The small, sleepy beach community of Carpinteria is just 10 minutes away from downtown Santa Barbara and home to a surprising number of breweries. brewLAB is probably the most unique of these, being not even a microbrewery but a nanobrewery, producing ultra-small batches of just a few gallons, sometimes only once. Founded by three passionate home brewers, brewLAB is a destination for adventurous beer enthusiasts. In their own words, "We brew what we want, not what we think people will drink. We don't have flagship beers, we rarely repeat recipes, and we're not afraid to break the boundaries of the industry's norm." It's open Thursday through Sunday and located conveniently next door to The Apiary, a local cider and mead tasting room.

Visit this Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. location in Santa Barbara's Funk Zone to try locally brewed, award-winning beers. Order a pint or sample a beer tasting. Or get a beer float! The draft list is ample, and there are long tables to accommodate groups. Red and white wines from local vineyards are also available. If you're hungry, you can order a pizza from the Lucky Penny nearby, or there are a number of other restaurants within easy walking distance. In addition to a spacious indoor bar, there's a great patio that's pet friendly. Figueroa Mountain gets pretty busy on weekend nights, so expect a line and bring your ID. Park on the street or in nearby city lots.

Topa Topa Brewing Co. is a Ventura-based brewery that recently opened a second taproom location in Santa Barbara. It took about .4 seconds to become a popular drinking destination because the beer is just that good. Head Brewer Casey Harris was Senior Brewer at Stone Brewing before coming onboard here. Named for the Topa Topa mountain range, this brand focuses on all things local. The best-selling Chief Peak IPA is named for the highest peak in nearby Ojai. Sixteen rotating taps ensures that every pour is always fresh. Topa Topa is located in the Funk Zone's Waterline project, a mixed use building that's also home to another beer bar, a winery, a few retail stations and a really great restaurant.