Topa Topa Brewing Company — Restaurant in Ojai

Beer is good. Prices not so much. Bought one and a half pints of their regular ipa chief and it was essentially 20 bucks for 1.5 pints after tax and a buck tip on each. That's too much for 24 ounces of standard IPA. I'll grab a six pack next time and drink it at a beautiful trail destination and save myself the scene and cost. I wanted a half after ordering my pint and even though the sign said 4 and 8 for two sizes I was charged 6 for 8 oz of beer. When I asked I was told that a half was six but it's not on the sign. I asked about the sign and he said "taster", or whatever the word was, wasn't a half and half simply want on the sign. Six dollars is too much for 8oz of standard IPA and clarify portions in sign before charging undisclosed, and not advertised, sums. It's misleading. Not the bartenders fault I suppose though if it's not posted he should clarify. I would've ordered a full pint for the extra two bucks. He did seem like he was about to offer to make it a pint but I'm not cheap and that would have been a touch embarrassing. I didn't want to make a deal, though it's uncomfortable to be put in peculiar scenarios that could be avoided. It's a principal thing.

The crowd, on the weekends, also leaves something to be desired. Mostly tourist vibe but that's often the case in downtown Ojai on weekends. Obviously this is not Topa Topa's fault though it likely helps boost their prices. I'll give the benefit of the doubt with inflation and all. Plus, it seems like the food is good, so maybe I should go on a weekday and give that a crack. I'm a local and it's known that weekends are a good time to avoid the thoroughfare.

On weekends It's like the preppy kids in an 80s movie. Think Lamda Lamda Lamda vibes. Major Tri-Lams. Took a breather for a year or so since I had a less than courteous experience with tender last in a Topa Topa. Think...

I live in Ventura and this is my favorite brewery ( I love the one in Ventura too but this one is the perfect destination after riding the bike trail from Ventura to Ojai so I visit this one more often). Rotating beer selection, love to get a flight and try the new batches! The food at Sama Sama is amazing too. My one small criticism is the bike rack. It is obvious that a lot of thought went into the design and construction of the place and I appreciate it a lot but the bike rack is a little terrible. The metal part is too far away from the frame of the bike to lock up the frame, and most front wheels can be removed in seconds. Also, there is no way to stand up the bikes without a kickstand unless you lean/balance them together, and then they will usually fall down, putting very bad tension on the spokes of the wheels that are still surrounded by the metal bars. I'm still giving it five stars because I love it so much. I can lock my bike somewhere...

This place has solid beer (I got the saison in lieu of a Hefeweizen), a good looking menu including tots and chix+waffles (hipster Asian fusion will take over the world) and Brad behind the bar is a rare example of a veteran bar tender who seems genuinely laid back (and was actually very helpful). Ojai's bar culture is a weird, special thing that I hope this place ultimately enhances instead of replaces. The polished interior and national market aspirations are maybe a little worrying, but their use of (what I believe is) the same turquoise tile as the rest of Main Street at least demonstrates an intention in the right direction. I would love to see some collabs with Valley farmers in the future and there are too many local artists to have blank walls but I’m excited to see how they develop and will definitely be...