There’s only a few things more relaxing than a refreshing beer at beautiful sunset. At the MadeWest Brewing Company Taproom in Ventura, I got to enjoy one of the best IPAs I’ve ever tasted while overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I always like to try the local craft beer whenever I visit a new destination and I heard that MadeWest was a must visit for beer lovers. The brewery has two taprooms in Ventura where you can try a number of locally crafted brews. The scenic one on the pier is found on the second floor of “The Beach House” restaurant.
MadeWest was started in 2016 by two lifelong friends and local Ventura natives, Mike Morrison and Seth Gibson, who wanted to share quality craft beer with their hometown. Morrison spent 8 years brewing beer at home before deciding to partner with Gibson to make it their full time jobs. The brewery has a great selection of beers on tap ranging from dark to light to hoppy and smooth. My boyfriend and I both opted for the “Sea of Clouds” IPA, which we were very happy with. It was a hazy double IPA with tropical flair and notes of ripe mango and peach gummy rings. As mentioned, it was probably one of the best beers I’ve ever had. I wanted to buy a six pack to take back home to LA, but unfortunately, only a limited supply of “Sea of Clouds” was released for sale in cans and it sold our super fast. Their other IPAs have actually won awards (including a bronze medal at the 2018 World Beer Cup) and MadeWest’s IPAs are actually Aaron Paul’s (from “Breaking Bad”) favorite beer.
While most breweries are located in huge warehouse-like spaces, MadeWest stands out because of its location overlooking the Ventura Pier. There are a good amount of seats on its wooden deck with long tables and high chairs. Every seat outdoors provided an amazing panoramic view. It was very fitting that we had the “Sea of Clouds” DIPA while being under a sea of clouds!
If you’re in the area, I would highly recommend checking out this brewing company. Great beer with great views, does it get any better than this?
MadeWest Brewing Company
INFO
Address: 668 E Harbor Blvd, Ventura, CA 93001
Hours of Operation: Sun-Thu 11 AM-8 PM, Fri,Sat 11 AM-9 PM
Parking: Available in the parking structure at Harbor Boulevard and California Street beside the pier. They validate for up to 2 hours. If not validated, parking rates apply at $2 per hour or $10 all day.
Website
DEEELIZIOUS TIPS
- Even though it’s outdoors, MadeWest isn’t the ideal place for dogs
- Seats are first come, first serve and can be snatched up quick with limited seating due to COVID-19
- You’re required to purchase a $5 meal voucher with your order of drinks (1 voucher during your time there, not 1 per drink). You redeem this voucher at the restaurant downstairs
- They have cool MadeWest merch that you can also purchase to show your love for local craft beer!
