Thousand Oaks’ First Craft Brewery Boasts a Big Open Patio for Enjoying Beer in the Sun

Thousand Oaks is getting its first brewery with Stone Brewing Co. alum Mike Richmond signing on as the inaugural brewmaster. Named after the city’s 1,057 foot peak, Tarantula Hill Brewing Co. is housed in a former furniture store and occupies 22,000 square feet that includes an expansive patio. In addition to beer, the brewery opened in the first week of July serving wood-fired pizzas, scratch-made ice cream, and coffee from Newbury Park’s Ragamuffin Coffee.

The rustic-industrial space, which aims to be a family-friendly community hub, boats an open layout with a large dining area full of communal tables. The taproom is in plain view with floor-to-ceiling glass windows. There’s even separate counters for pizza, ice cream, and coffee.

The brewery currently has 25 guest beers on tap, including a collaboration with Mikkeller San Diego, while the house beers are brewing. The first beer to launch was the Thousand Oaks blonde ale. Up next is a West Coast-style IPA brewed with Citra and Mosaic hops.

Richmond plans to complete the lineup with hefeweizen, pale ales, stouts, and saisons. A smaller brewing system will be used for limited-run beers, which are planned for monthly canned releases. The beers will eventually be distributed to select restaurants and bars across the state, but for now they’re just trying to keep up with local demand. “We had 600 people in here last Friday,” says CEO Ali Zia.

Upcoming events include beer dinners with local chefs, as well as live music and comedy nights.

Tarantula Hill Brewing Co. is currently open Tuesday to Friday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Tarantula Hill Brewing Co. 244 Thousand Oaks Blvd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360.