Much like what’s happened across the country, Santa Barbara’s craft brew scene exploded in recent years, as nearly 20 producers now operate from Carpinteria to Lompoc. With more on the way — most notably the Night Lizard Brewing Company, which is coming to 607 State Street sometime soon — how are beer lovers supposed to keep track of it all?
Harish Prather’s answer to this draughty dilemma is the Santa Barbara Ale Trail, a digital app and printed map that neatly organizes all of the breweries in Santa Barbara County and rewards repeat visitors. “I’m so excited about the craft brew scene in Santa Barbara, and this map is really just our way to encourage people to engage with community-oriented businesses,” said Prather of the free map and app. “It’s a one-stop place to see the latest beer list, upcoming events, the new releases, and other things that the beer world cares about.”
Prather, who came to town in 1999 to attend S.B. City College and worked for years in restaurants, came up with the idea while a graduate student at UCSB’s Bren School of Environmental Science & Management. He studied the carbon footprint of buying bottled beer in stores versus refilling growlers at nearby breweries, and he realized there was a vast difference when it came to transportation and packaging costs.