The Anacapa Brewing Company: Restaurant and Brewery in Ventura, California

Situated in a 120-year-old brick building, the Anacapa Brewing Company is a great place to hang out and share a few beers with friends, or to bring your family for a delicious and inexpensive meal. The Anacapa is run by owner and general manager Danny Saldana. He's worked at the Anacapa since it opened in 2000, then bought it outright in May of 2007.

Danny is the friendliest restaurateur I've ever met; any day of the week you'll find him at the Anacapa, mingling, talking and laughing with customers who've become his friends. The Anacapa is open daily at 11:30 AM, except for Mondays when it opens at 5 PM. Located right on Main Street in downtown Ventura, the Anacapa is in the heart of all the coolest and most fun places to be, and is walking distance from Ventura Beach.

Enjoy a Hand Crafted Ale at The Anacapa Brewing Company

The Anacapa Brewing Company's specialty is that it offers up freshly made "hand-crafted" ales and lagers produced in 12 stainless steel tanks right on the premises. Head Brewer Adam Ball makes up various hard brewed beer concoctions throughout the year, which change with the season. On the "beer board" you may find brews with names such as Seaward Blonde Ale, Riptide Imperial Red Ale, Oktoberfest and Bock, just to name a few of many.

As of March of 2008, brews called Firkins have been added to the beer menu. Two examples of those are Whiskey Oak Aged Porter and Vanilla Oak Russian Imperial Stout. (Even if you're not a beer drinker, you've gotta love those names!) If you can't decide what to get, you can order a Sampler consisting of 4 ounce portions of that day's beers and ales.

The Anacapa's prices are good too. Join Mug Club Tuesday, and get discounted beer all night. On Thirsty Thursday, a 64 ounce pitcher of their house ale is just $11, and during Happy Hour, Tuesday through Friday from 4 PM to 6 PM and Friday and Saturday 10 PM till closing, pints are just $3.25. Sign up for their on line newsletter at www.anacapabrewing.com and get a pint for a buck!

Great Food at The Anacapa Brewing Company

Besides their freshly brewed beer, the Anacapa has great food. From fresh salads, signature sandwiches and gourmet pizza to Pretzel Fried Chicken, Joe Daddy's Jumpin' Jambalaya, and Oaxaca Mole Tri Tip, just about all the food is homemade. At different times throughout the year, Danny closes the restaurant for a five course Brew Master Dinner, which the Anacapa's chef pairs with five different freshly brewed ales. Check the newsletter for the date of the next dinner. I can personally attest to the Two Story Brew House Burger, the gourmet pizza, and the Vegetarian Muffaletta- grilled veggies, mozzarella and smoked Gouda cheese on fresh baked Ciabatta bread. Yum! We ate there A LOT while we were in Ventura!

The Anacapa Brewing Company Features Local Artist's Work

Downtown Ventura is a haven for artists to express their creativity, and the Anacapa is a busy and popular meeting place in downtown Ventura. As such, the Anacapa is happy to display the artwork of the area's local artists. Natalie Sieman, a bartender at the Anacapa, is instrumental in searching out local talent and bringing in their work to display on the Anacapa's walls. The Anacapa changes the art every six weeks to give exposure to every artist.

In keeping with the theme of the love of art and culture, the Ventura Artwalk is a free weekend art event that occurs in Ventura twice a year, in which people can walk downtown Ventura and view local artist's work at over 80 venues in the area. Encompassing 10 blocks, the Artwalk features the art of several local artists, live music, family activities and even provides free shuttle service to provide everyone the ability to see it all.

To my dismay, our vacation in Ventura ended and we missed seeing the Artwalk by about a week, but anyone in the Ventura area should mark the weekend of October 18th and 19th on their calenders. That's when Ventura will have their Harvest Artwalk Weekend, and pay tribute to it's local artists all over again.

If you decide to make Ventura a fall vacation destination, try to go during the Harvest Artwalk Weekend. Be sure to stop by the Anacapa Brewing Company for a freshly brewed beer and a great meal, and say hi to Danny and barkeep Natalie. Don't forget to tell them that Janet and Debbie from Massachusetts sent you!