Right in the heart of State Street, Night Lizard Brewing Company in Santa Barbara is a family-owned and operated brewery that wears its environmental stewardship on its sleeves, or bottles, for that matter.
10% of their profits go to 2 organizations who do that work noted above: Explore Ecology and Heal the Bay. Ten percent! In the tasting room, since 2018, they have professors and pints nights, opportunities for the public to learn about environmental challenges along the central coast of California.
If you can’t support that kind of ethos, as a mountain biker, I don’t know (what is wrong with you!) what you can.
Many of the beers (and kombucha) are named after threatened species, yet another opportunity for people to learn a little while kicking back with a beverage. The folks behind the bar are easy-going, always willing to share the stories behind the names, and did I say, easy-going? The place is super chill, which sometimes matters more than the beer.
With Night Lizard, you get superb beer, too. The Island Fox Red is classic caramel but not too sweet, a double red ale that fits the bill. For me, though, the Live Forever DIPA is my go-to when I’m there. No doubt, it can stand up to any West Coast IPA/San Diego style IPA anywhere. Crafted as a compliment to Pliny the Elder, serving as inspiration, it’s a dandy of a beer!
The next time you’re in beautiful Santa Barbara, biking or not, stop in and have a pint, and/or grab some beers to go, and support Night Lizard in protecting the natural beauty in their little corner of the world. They have food available, if you need a bite. Live music is common, especially on the weekends.
https://nightlizardbrewingcompany.com/
To support independent writing about mountain biking and indie beer, as well as receive discounts to MTB-related businesses and breweries, use this link below to get the $10.20/year subscription rate. You’ll receive upwards of 75 newsletters in your email inbox throughout 2024, bringing it to about 14 cents for each email/musing/post: