Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
I am reduced to talking about events far, far later in the year, knowing that those are probably OK, and here is a really good one…
It may be a small invite list but those are some fine outside if Los Angeles breweries, so I recommend marking this Smog City event down on your Aftermath calendar.
Usually on the drive southward and home from Paso Robles, I will stop in Santa Barbara for beer and a leg stretch. This time, since I am so far behind when it comes to my Ventura County beers, I decided to make a double stop in Ventura at Topa Topa Brewing and the nearby Fluid State Beer Garden.
On a corner of Main Street, you can see the design ethos of Fluid State with their wrap-around name on the building. This is a great spot with a well-curated tap list and some pizza by the slice that isn’t too fussy. I had the Dr. Pepperoni which had both sliced and chunked pepperoni on top. I love the wood used for the bar and tables with mermaid blue chairs at the bar. This is a perfect summer patio spot. I sampled Corralitos Hot Tip IPA and Central Coast’s Fresh Kicks Hazy IPA.
A nice brisk walk in the vicinity of the Mission brings you towards Topa Topa. It is a small-ish space with another nice (enclosed) patio. They were quite a few style options on tap but I was most excited to try the Sespe Pilsner and Dos Topas Mexican Lager. Both were really nice entrants into their respective categories.
I then made a third (unplanned) stop at Leashless Brewing which is just down the street from TT. They are organic, Belgian and when possible, gluten-reduced beers. Since it was near the end of my long beer weekend, I settled on 1618. A Belgian Red IPA. The menu is neatly split amongst Belgian standards and IPA’s and again, they have a lovely patio that faces a park to calm your nerves as you drink.