14 Best Santa Cruz Breweries in 2023 [+ Tap Houses]

Where else better to enjoy and learn more about beer than the birthplace of International Beer Day? 

Santa Cruz breweries have been slowly taking their place under the spotlight, and the whole county has been experiencing a craft brew renaissance. 

Microbreweries in Santa Cruz have been popping up on almost every corner, offering locals and visitors unique and thoughtfully-made brews, introducing the county in every pint. 

We created this list to help you curate the best brewery-hopping experience during your visit.

14 Best Santa Cruz Breweries You Must Try

The first Santa Cruz brewery opened in 1860, and during the 1980s, this laidback seaside town was home to some of the earliest California craft breweries. 

However, for some reason, the area experienced a silent period of over fifteen years, and it wasn’t until around the early 2000s that new breweries started opening. 

The rest, as they say, is history. Santa Cruz’s craft beer scene today comprises a tight-knit community of local brewers and even farmers working together to create great-tasting beers. 

1. Humble Sea Brewing Company

• Beers on tap: 16
• Untappd Rating: 4.1
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: Argentine-style empanadas and rotating food vendors
• Other drink offerings: cider
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

Humble Sea Brewing Co., as its name suggests, has quite a humble beginning. 

Since it was founded in 2015, its growth has been anything but one of the fastest-growing breweries in California, but it is now thriving. 

What started as a very underfunded endeavor by three childhood friends on a farm in Ben Lomond now has three locations, with the biggest one in Pacifica. 

They offer craft beer lovers kooky concoctions with names like “Ahoy Mate!”, “Boardwalk Dreamin” and “Mankini”.

From its humorous-named beers to its nautical-themed taprooms, Humble Sea wishes to provide a location where the community can gather and support ocean-based advocacies. 

Drop by and make sure to order the Humble See Helles, a 4.9% Munich-style Helles that won second best at the 2022 World Beer Cup.

2. Sante Adairius Rustic Ales

• Beers on tap: 11
• Untappd Rating: 4.26
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: Bookie’s Detroit-style pizza and chicken wings
• Other drink offerings: Wine, cider
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

Sante Adairius Rustic Ale (SARA), inspired by Belgian craft brewers, has a more traditional approach to craft beer making that focuses on flavors that are approachable and often familiar to beer enthusiasts. 

However, this is not to say that they don’t brew some of the most distinctive and unique beers in Santa Cruz because their Saision’s are considered some of the best in the world. 

Their first location in Capitola was a bit tucked away, but their Santa Cruz Portal location is more centrally located. 

It has a bigger space and even has an in-house Detroit-style pizzeria that patrons rave about, the Bookie’s Pizza. 

During your visit, order a glass or two of the Bernice Saison and pair it with Bookie’s latest pizza on the menu.

3. Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing

• Beers on tap: 17
• Untappd Rating: 3.52
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: A small list of creative bar snacks, appetizers, salads, and sandwiches
• Other drink offerings: Hard cider, hard fresco, hard kombucha, wine, N/A beverages
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

Environmentally conscious? Women’s advocate? Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing is not only the first organic brewery in Santa Cruz but also a testament that women can brew stunningly good beer.

Owner Emily Thomas started learning about craft beer making during college, spending her weekends taking pointers from her uncles. 

Since it was founded in 2005, SCMB has remained true to its commitment to using organic, locally-sourced ingredients and employing sustainable brewing processes without compromising beer quality. 

Expect a crowd during your visit because their dog-friendly beer garden draws dog lovers. 

This Santa Cruz brewery frequently holds events featuring local music artists, comics, and food vendors. 

Order a pint of their Giant DIPA, a nod to the Boardwalk’s 1924 Giant Dipper.  

4. Shanty Shack Brewing

• Beers on tap: 11
• Untappd Rating: 3.79
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: A small menu of pub snacks and hot sandwiches
• Other drink offerings: wine, cider, kombucha
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

What started as a hobby between two acquaintances turned into a friendship which led to the formation of a Community Supported Brewery, making bi-weekly door-to-door deliveries. 

This connection then paved the way to what is now known as Shanty Shack Brewing. 

This laidback nano brewery’s atmosphere is highlighted by a beer garden with trellised hops, fruit trees, and an herb garden. 

This part of the brewery has a casual backyard vibe that draws in artists, music lovers, and craft beer enthusiasts. 

It must be the live music, the fun crowd, or just the genius creative brewmasters, but the star of the show is their Fruit Train DIPA with Passion Fruit and Guava which will give you tropical island vibes.

5. Discretion Brewing

• Beers on tap: 16
• Untappd Rating: 3.69
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: Italian food, including appetizers, pizzas, salads, and pasta
• Other drink offerings: Wine, Cider, N/A beverages
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

Discretion Brewing operates in such a way that future generations will have a greater chance of enjoying craft beers. 

It’s the first Santa Cruz brewery that invested in using solar power, and the ingredients they use in brewing are sourced locally to support sustainable farming. 

This family-owned company has deeply embedded roots in the principle that coming together and working as a team brings out great results. 

It’s also a fact that beer brings people together. 

With that in mind, Discretion’s beer garden usually has live music, so you can relax with a beer in hand with music in the background and meet with friends or make new ones.

6. New Bohemia Brewing Company

• Beers on tap: 7
• Untappd Rating: 3.66
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: American-style smoked meats and sides and German classics like soft pretzels and sausages
• Other drink offerings: wine, N/A beverages
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

Located just steps away from the beach, New Bohemia Brewing Company (NuBo) offers locals and visiting craft beer enthusiasts German and Czech-style brews inspired by the brewing tradition of Bohemia and Bavaria.

While most microbreweries in Santa Cruz experiment with aggressive beer styles like stouts and IPAs, this Santa Cruz brewery focuses on lagers using traditional Czech-style brewing methods and going as far as sourcing their house yeast from Ceske Budejovice. 

Their signature Pilsner Soquel is NuBo’s owner’s take on the light lager they enjoyed during their time in Central Europe. 

This is one of the few Santa Cruz breweries that serve food from an on-site kitchen that you can enjoy while out with your friends at a cozy beer garden.

7. Woodhouse Blending and Brewing

• Beers on tap: 14
• Untappd Rating: 3.83
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: Brazilian appetizers, sandwiches, salads, and grilled meats
• Other drink offerings: Cider, N/A beverages
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

Entering Woodhouse Blending and Brewing, you will notice its open-concept interior with an exposed wooden beam ceiling and an overall cozy atmosphere that feels intimate yet spacious at the same time. 

This well-thought-out space was designed and created by artists to become a place where creatives can gather and celebrate over craft beers made in small batches.

This Santa Cruz brewing company hosts live music events featuring local artists from various genres, so you’ll get a different crowd during your visits. 

Sampa Kitchen, a Brazilian food pop-up, is a staple here where you can order a pairing with several IPAs they have on tap.

8. Greater Purpose Brewing Company

• Beers on tap: 5
• Untappd Rating: 3.77
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: rotating food truck vendors
• Other drink offerings: N/A beverages
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

Greater Purpose Brewing Company is a Greater Purpose Community Church project focusing on the community and making a change through purposeful actions. 

This Santa Cruz brew pub takes ‘every pour counts’ to a whole new level donating the majority of their profits to charities and nonprofits geared toward creating safe spaces for everyone. 

Whether you’re dining inside or out in their beer garden, expect to meet a variety of people coming together and just having a great time eating good food and drinking great-tasting craft beers. 

9. Seabright Brewery at Seabright Social

• Untappd Rating: 3.46
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: Pub classics including salads, appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, and a kids’ menu
• Other drink offerings: Full bar, cider, kombucha, N/A beverages
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

You can’t feature the best breweries in Santa Cruz without mentioning the county’s longest-running brewpub. 

Even though the brewery and restaurant were sold to new owners in 2020, much of the brewery’s popular beers were retained. 

Renovations were made to their now expansive dog-friendly patio where most people like to hang out. 

It’s the perfect place for a relaxing afternoon out in the sun, where you can enjoy good food and choose from a wide selection of beers. 

By the way, they also offer food for our four-legged friends too.

10. English Ales

• Beers on tap: 9
• Untappd Rating: 3.36
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: Pub fare including appetizers, salads, and sandwiches
• Other drink offerings: Wine, champagne
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

If you haven’t been to the UK but have always wanted an English pub experience, English Ales Brewery might be your ticket. 

This brew pub in Santa Cruz specializes in English-style beers paired with pub grub of a more British persuasion. 

Entering their location in Marina, right by the beach, you’d just as easily feel at home as if you’re in your neighborhood bar ordering the usual from the barkeep. 

Locals love to gather here for their Mug Club Night, where they can get their 20oz proper pints of beer for just $5 after you buy the mug.

They also have a brewpub in Monterey that is easily accessible off Highway 1.

11. Steel Bonnet Brewing Company

• Beers on tap: 8
• Untappd Rating: 3.67
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: rotating food truck vendors
• Other drink offerings: N/A
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

Steel Bonnet Brewing Company is Scotts Valley’s first brewery, located about 11 minutes north of Santa Cruz. 

Family-owned and operated by Scotland natives Donald and Sue Cramb, Steel Bonnet offers American and British-style Ales in their taproom with Scottish hospitality reminiscent of many of the pubs in their native land. 

Since its opening in 2015, this nano-brewery has been experiencing rapid growth and is currently running a 15-barrel brewhouse allowing them to expand its craft beer offerings. 

Try their Hop the Heck IPA, a balance between a West Coast IPA and an English IPA, which is much like their founders.

12. Beer Thirty Bottle Shop and Pour House

• Beers on tap: 30
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: American cuisine featuring sandwiches, fried food, and a salad bar
• Other drink offerings: hard kombucha, seltzer, cider
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

Beer Thirty Bottle Shop and Pour House is not a brewery, but it is a tap house that offers 30 rotating taps and at least 300 bottle and can selections. 

This tap house carefully curates its list of beers, so this is a great option if you are not the pub-hopping type. 

You’ll find the finest craft beers Santa Cruz has to offer and top beer selections from other breweries across the country. 

Carpo’s restaurant is just next door, with a special window attached to the beer garden if you are craving some food to go with your beer.

13. Lupulo Craft Beer House

• Beers on tap: 17
• Untappd Rating: 4.1
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: Spanish, Mexican, and Mediterranean small plates, tacos, and sandwiches
• Other drink offerings: sparkling water, soda, kombucha, iced tea, N/A beer, wine
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

Lupulo is another tap house in Santa Cruz county where you can sample a wide variety of domestic and international craft beers in one location. 

This laid-back spot offers Spanish & Mexican-influenced bar fare using fresh and seasonal ingredients they source as close as right across the street at the downtown Santa Cruz farmers market. 

They move through kegs quickly, so if you happen to drop by and see a beer or selection of beers you like on tap, it’s probably best you try it right then and there. 

Also, their food selections are created with sharing in mind, which makes this a great spot to meet up with your beer-loving friends.

14. West End Tap and Kitchen

• Beers on tap: 20
• Untappd Rating: 3.33
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: Modern American cuisine featuring shared plates and starters, salads, flatbreads, sandwiches, and full entrees
• Other drink offerings: full bar, coffee, hot tea, fountain soda, N/A beverages
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

West End Tap and Kitchen is an eatery off Highway 1 that showcases the best of local craft beers in the Santa Cruz area. 

They put a fresh take on pub food, drawing families and groups who like to gather over great beer and restaurant-style food.

A perfect marriage of suds and grub make this the type of place where you can order a glass of your favorite beer and enjoy it leisurely as you bite your way through your meal. 

Santa Cruz Breweries Map

Wrap-up: Best Breweries in Santa Cruz, CA 

It’s difficult to pinpoint which is the best amongst this list of Santa Cruz breweries as their numbers are growing by the day.

One thing is for sure, each brewery has its unique and thoughtful approach to brewing craft beer and sharing it with its community. 

Whether you’re a local or stopping by on a road trip from San Francisco, Santa Cruz is a must-visit for beer fans anywhere.