If Ventura isn’t one of the leading California beer cities, well I don’t know what to say, Topa Topa / MadeWest / Ventura Brewing Co. / Bright Spark / Fluid State. And coming….
…follow on the ‘Gram to see their progress.
Ring it Up
Double 1st Visit – Bright Spark & Topa Topa HQ
The Thanksgiving break was the perfect time to make a drive up to Ventura to visit new Bright Spark Brewing and since I was there, the nearby Colt HQ of Topa Topa Brewing.
Bright Spark is the classic industrial park locale. They had (4) beers on tap from them and (3) guest taps as well. Pale, red, IPA and porter on the menu, all that is missing is an amber for truly old school vibes.
Twilight Porter was the beertenders fav and was mine as well with the pale coming in second from the taster tray with the IPA your typical new brewery hoppy beer.
Quite a big amount of seating but from barstools to larger tables, to couches the place is airy and warm with games on one side of the L shaped space. The furniture seemed a bit better than the usual as well.
They have pizza and small bites as well as some cool and unusual salads like the one that I had with golden coconut dressing and pomegranate.
Topa Topa HQ is a beautiful, bucolic garden spot for a beer that even has a little free library. Just needs hop or malt fields to complete the picture.
There are 13 beers on tap with 2 Single hop beers and a Patagonia test beer too. There is a built in crowler machine. Lots of video and non-video games in a blank-ish event space. They even TT soccer jerseys.
This Colt Street space is an oasis for beer, dogs, kids and nature. Just a wonderful location inside and out.
A Spark
Looks like Ventura is getting more beer if that is possible. Welcome Bright Spark Brewing!
I do like the logo. Nice and cheerful. I also have a guess as to the brewer so I figure the beers will be quite solid from the jump.
Keep an eye out for opening dates.
1st Visit – Poseidon Brewing & Transmission Brewing
Ventura is a booming beer town and I finally got to one (Poseidon) that has been around since 2013 and will be celebrating their seventh anniversary in a brand new, expanded taproom, Covid permitting, this summer. I like their branding from logo design to their nautical beer names. I tried a representative sampling with a hazy IPA, a Red IPA, an Irish Red and an Imperial Oatmeal Stout. The Irish Red was the favored choice. The hazy was a little session-y for something 7%, the Oatmeal Stout was OK but the water profile seemed too salty to me and the Red IPA which I was really hoping would be good had a soapy quality to it.
Next up is a brewery stumbled upon by accident in the main part of Ventura, Transmission Brewing is near a couple auto shops but shares a patio with a Toppers Pizza in a really nice, new building, the beers are automotive themed and include a couple of hard seltzers on their menu board. I picked up their DYNA West Coast IPA and found it to be ….
When herd immunity rises, I do want to return to try food and a sampler tray.
April 2019 Food GPS posts
In case you forgot to check out the fantastic food coverage on the Food GPS website, then you may have not seen the beer coverage either.
Here is your handy link spot to read what I covered in Brew & You in April….
April 4th – Ventura Beer Tour, Ventura Light from MadeWest + Smog City 4 20 Celebration.
April 18th– Bite Sized Beer News, Ginger Saison + #LABW11.
Ventura Beer – Photos – Part 2
Here are some more taproom and brewery shots from my recent jaunt north.
Ventura Beer – Words
Now that you have seen some photos, here are my impressions of the beers and the trip north to Ventura from Los Angeles.
The weekend trip was split between Ventura and then breweries on the way back to Los Angeles. After pizza and a beer at the wonderful Fluid State on Main Street it was time to walk the streets.
Topa Topa is at the far edge of the Downtown area near the Patagonia compound and this trip was much like the last. I love the little space and the beers were solid. In fact, my favorite beer of the trip was their dark lager, Dozer Line. It had a snap to it and a mix of malt tastes with a little spice touch that maybe only I noticed. The Tux Nitro Milk Stout was a beauty even in a taster glass. It was good to learn that they are canning now too with distribution to Los Angeles part of the plan.
Second up was Ventura Coast Brewing. On a corner of Santa Clara, this is a lovely space separated out into outdoor patio and indoor spaces. While the servers had a skosh bit of attitude and were a bit free in their banter in front of customers, the space was still welcoming. Dominated by white with a splash of indoor plant greenery and a “barrel room” to reserve for parties. The beers sampled were a little disappointing. Alphabet DIPA was strong but the hops were a bit muddled. The Saazbier was nice and bright but the finish was a little metallic. Their Mexican amber, Cinco de Quatro was fine and probably my overall favorite but it didn’t have the pizazz of the earlier Topa Topa beer.
On the next day, first stop was MadeWest. It was a bit déjà vu with Ventura Coast. White building with big pieces of wall art. There were empty cans aplenty waiting for their Standard beer. A great big image of a can on one wall and a really cool menu board. The taster tray had one dud. A Red IPA that was bland but the Brut IPA, effervescent was bone dry and really champagne like but with a big fruity taste. The Short Lived Hazy IPA with Fieldwork was excellent as well. I was impressed enough that I bought a 4-pack of their Ventura Light to compare with the other beers that I tasted.
Next up was Oxnard and Casa Agria. They had been on my list for years. My high expectations left me a little disappointed here. There was no taster flight which is not good for acid averse people like myself. I ended up with three half pours and though the Tres Casas honey meets sour was my 2nd favorite beer of the trip the Gose was a touch too acidic for me though blessedly free of fruit. The Saison de la Casa was supposed to be a balance but it was way sour for what I expected. The tap room was weirdly mixed with old-school video games and barrels. Conflicting ideas to me.
I would write about the quick stop at Institution Ales in Camarillo but I think I need to do a full regular visit there to get a better handle on the beers they make.
Ventura Beer – Photos – Part 1
I made a trip slightly north with fellow beer afficionado Richard to catch up (as best we could) on the beers of Camarillo, Oxnard and primarily Ventura. Here are some of the photos:
Ventura 101
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.
Two from MadeWest
I was beer shopping and finding quite a few new Artifex beers in the coolers when I thought I saw some beers that were upside down. My eyes were deceiving me though. Artifex’s logo is similar in font to Ventura’s MadeWest.
I ended up with a pale and IPA and now is the time to render a verdict. Which can would I buy again?
Pale Ale – Pours a clear and dark yellow. Aroma is very herbal and grassy. Nice dank bite with a spritz of carbonation at the start that rounds into a lovely peach note. That bitterness sticks to the side of the mouth long after the sip is over. Right at the end is a wheat toast note. The combination is nice if stronger than expected for a Pale Ale.
IPA – Pours an orange color. Aroma has a touch of citrus but somewhat mellow. Picking up grapefruit here in the flavor, it is predominant. More silky than the Pale Ale. Less dynamic in certain ways too.
I think the peach notes puts the Pale over the top. Or maybe I don’t cotton to hop 07270.