Shanty Shack Brewing — Restaurant in Santa Cruz

(Warning: young adults from Central Florida in for vacation) This is a VERY CHILL PLACE WITH BOTH AN INSIDE AREA and A SMALL OUTSIDE AREA including covered picnic benches. Scattered around the grounds were people on laptops, reading books, or just having conversations. THEY DON’T OFFER FLIGHTS which was a bummer, but their Nitro Brown Ale was well done. Flavorful and solid. I was excited to also see they BREWED A BLACKBERRY CINNAMON SODA. While the flavor was decent (not the best balance of its namesake ingredients) it also wasn’t as bubbly as I’d liked; it was more watery. Their IN-HOUSE KITCHEN FEATURED SAUSAGE CONCOCTIONS served in hot-dog style buns (which were rather blah), but the flavors inside were much better. The Aloha Sausage featured a great combo of pickly, herby, and creamy flavors (pickled jalapenos, lime, cilantro, onion, and a creamy teriyaki aoli) while the Beer’s Best Fried sausage featured a more familiar concoction of sauerkraut and...

The beers are on par with today’s micro brews. The current berry sour barrel aged is special, fruit sour profile. We were passing through town had to swing by. Canna cruz is right across the street so we could pick up some edibles while enjoying our brewskies. It was also tie dye Tuesday dollar or two off the brewskies. Great outside patio and stage. There was a DJ playing the jams but we didn’t stay long enough to fully appreciate his talent. This plas has a good vibe. The staff was friendly and helpful, allowing us to sample till we could lock in our choice. Hot dog stand in the street out front. They also have their own appetizers to choose from. Definitely...

Great spot to go for a great beer or two, some good music and often a rotating food truck for lunch or dinner. These folks make some really good beer onsite that you can enjoy pints of inside or on their patio at nice big tables. They also have to go for packs available and will let you mix and match a combo pack of your choice. Great gifts for beer drinking friends or for treating yourself. They have awesome music shows there also with a wide range of musical genres represented. Solid option for after a mountain bike ride given their location and how much space they have in the back to bring your bike...