I remember walking into the old Mercury Lounge during college at UCSB. I’d just turned 21 and this dimly lit, cavernous beer-and-wine bunker oozed an effortless vibe of mystery, originality, and possibility.
Walking into the space that is now Centennial Beer Hall, I was thankfully hit with the same excitement — and a modernized beer list to boot. Owner Ron Batdorf bought the historic location — which has been an Old Town Goleta watering hole since it was built in 1957, originally as Gus’s Cocktail Lounge — in April and spent four months remodeling the vintage vibe into a sleek style. He opened in August with 14 taps that focus on American craft breweries and artisanal producers.
“I really fell in love with craft beer while living in the Bay Area, where there are so many fantastic breweries and beer bars,” said Batdorf. “Going out to those beer bars really helped me to grow my knowledge and understanding of beer styles and flavors pretty quickly because of the vast selection of beers that were available at those spots.”