The Cruisery brewery has revamped the former Santa Barbara Brewing Co. space at State and Haley streets. 
Beach cruisers hang from the ceiling at The Cruisery. 
Vintage bikes and gear adorn the walls. 
The Fig & Haley cocktail offers a smoky vanilla pipe tobacco scent and lingering flavor of sweet fig-infused bourbon. 
The Cruisery serves as a hangout spot. 
The inside of The Cruisery. 
The menus feature fare and flair. 
Beers from left to right, Meyer Place or Yours, Mojo Weizen, Red Asphalt, Murphy’s Brown and Fly SBA. 
Beers from left to right, Meyer Place or Yours, Mojo Weizen, Red Asphalt, Murphy’s Brown and Fly SBA. 
The Pineapple Express cocktail is made with charred pineapple and served with a lit oregano joint. 
The Pineapple Express cocktail features the essence of marijuana while tasting refreshing tropical flavors. 
The Pineapple Express cocktail 
The Pineapple Express cocktail.
With the looks of things, lower State Street is getting a much-needed facelift with new mom-and-pop ventures taking over the once forgotten — and purposely avoided — area of downtown. Which begs the question: New year, new State Street?
There has been a slow revival, specifically on Haley Street, since the trendy Mosto Crudo and Oat Bakery eateries opened their doors across the street from the former old dog of the neighborhood, Santa Barbara Brewing Co.
The thing about being an old dog in an even older neighborhood is that if you stay the same, you’d better be the best that ever was and still be able to claim top billing or risk being put out of business. So it was for Brew Co., as it came to be known, even after winning awards in its earlier days at the Great American Beer Festival.
As the craft brewery craze has increased, so, too, have the competition and the need to be unique.
Aron Ashland, owner of Wine Therapy and now The Cruisery, set inside the newly revamped Brew Co. space, has done just that, adding décor that is synonymous with the classic Santa Barbara style — hanging beach cruisers from the ceiling and adorning brightened-up areas with vintage bike gear.
While the basic structure of the brewery layout is the same, the game at hand has changed quite a bit.
Before calling it quits, former Brew Co. owners Wayne and Michelle Trella hired Dave “Zambo” Zamborski, formerly of BJ’s, and Karl Strauss as well as San Francisco’s 21st Amendment and Speakeasy Brewing.
Zamborski may have transformed Brew Co.’s beer program, but it wasn’t enough to turn the tides of the institutional brewery. However, the talent behind the tanks remains as Zamborski now resides as head brewer for The Cruisery — this time with no boundaries — and is sure to make his mark with a winning weekly, rotating beer menu.
“There are no restrictions on what Zamborski can or can’t do,” general manager James Baugh said.
I found a few beers worthy of a weekly visit: Meyer Place or Yours, Murphy’s Brown and session stout Fly SBA.
The Meyer Place or Yours is a refreshing Belgian wheat that leaves a lemon aftertaste, perfect for these early warm spring days, while the satisfying brown ale and stout are sure to satisfy when the clouds come back again.
One should be warned, though, that the stout is far from the traditional mouth feel and drinks more like a porter. However, while this roasted chocolate session stout may be light on the palate, it’s rich in chicory cocoa flavor.
If the craft brew craze isn’t your thing, it also has a cocktail program worth checking out that was created by Baugh. He is formerly of Kimpton Hotels, including the local Canary Hotel.
Expect the craft cocktail menu to be in heavy rotation as well reflecting a seasonal flair with fresh juices, housemade syrups, and soon IPA syrups and shandies.
One of the few mainstays on the cocktail menu that I’ll be sipping this summer is the Pineapple Express, a charred pineapple and tequila concoction garnished with an oregano joint that is lit when served.
And if the drink menus, myriad flat-screen TVs and tasty food menu aren’t reason enough for you to visit, keep an eye out for their arcade-style “adult playground” opening in the rear of the building this spring.
The Cruisery may not be reinventing the wheel on the corner of Haley Street, but it seems to be spinning the old brewery digs in the right direction.
— Tara Jones Haaf leads Eat This, Shoot That! and welcomes reader tips and ideas for future columns. She can be reached at tara@eatthisshootthat.com. Click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are her own.