Ventura Coast Brewing taps into Ventura's craft-beer scene

After months of display in a sun-baked window, the "beer is in your future" signs at Ventura Coast Brewing Co. in downtown Ventura are finally coming true.

The microbrewery will open its doors to the public from noon to 11 p.m. Saturday with five selections on tap: an IPA, a session IPA, a blonde ale, an amber ale and a porter. The latter will also be available on nitrogen for a creamier texture.

"We're starting with approachable beers that will bring in people who maybe haven't gotten into craft beers yet," said founder Kyle Thille, a Santa Paula native who graduated from Ventura High School and was studying mechanical engineering and computer science at UC Davis when he was bitten by the home-brewing bug.

At Ventura Coast Brewing, Thille and a small group of investors are joined by head brewer Dan White, who was lead brewer at Smog City Brewing Co. in Torrance before moving to Ventura. White plans to gradually expand the offerings to include brews made with spices and local citrus.

Located within walking distance of the existing Anacapa Brewing Co. and Topa Topa Brewing Co. and of the future Leashless Brewing, the new brewery is in a 6,000-square-foot building that opened as a grocery store in the late 1930s. More recently, it has been home to a Goodwill thrift store and the combination bakery/wine bar/restaurants My Florist and blu orkid.

Nearly half of the building is now devoted to the tap room, which includes high communal tables, low wooden benches built by the father of a friend, and a private "barrel room" tucked behind a pair of sliding metal barn doors. The latter features stacks of now-empty barrels that will one day be used for the brewery's barrel-aged beers, Thille said.

The tap room is flanked on one side by a roll-up door that opens onto a sheltered patio and on the other by a window that looks onto the brewery's six 30-barrel fermenters. The 15-barrel brewhouse is largely hidden from view.

Getting some of the equipment into the building wasn't easy. In April, a crane was used to lower several pieces into place through a skylight. Pointing to the top of one fermentation tank this week, Thille noted there is less than an inch of space between it and the ceiling.

Navigating the challenges of permits and construction was made easier by the support of the region's existing breweries, Thille said. In that spirit, Ventura Coast Brewing Co. has loaned the use of its brewhouse to the team from Oxnard-based Casa Agria Specialty Ales, who also make some of their beers at The LAB Brewing Co. at Twisted Oak Tavern in Agoura Hills.

"Some people might say, 'Another brewery?!?' But to me it feels like we're on some cool beer frontier. It's not about volume or making 12 different IPAs; it's about the different styles and innovations that we all encourage each other to come up with."

Ventura Coast Brewing Co. will open with service of tasters, flights and pints. Growlers will be available after the opening-weekend rush. Hours will be from noon to 9 p.m. weekdays and from noon to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The website is scheduled to go live later this month. Until then, get updates via the business' Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/vcbcbeer (76 S. Oak St., 805-667-8640).

In Moorpark, Carli's Bistro closed on Oct. 9, after slightly more than seven years of serving gyros, pastrami Reubens and tri-tip sandwiches at a former home on the city's historic High Street.

Owner Lias Harchaoui announced the closure via photocopied notes attached to the wrought-iron fence, the two front doors and the building's many windows. The note reads, "Dear friends, Carli's is permanently closed at this location. Thanks for your patronage all these years."

In a post to the personal version of Carli's Bistro Facebook page, Harchaoui said the restaurant "will be relocating due to repairs to the building to keep it from collapsing that are not being done by" the commercial real estate company in charge of the property. He repeated the complaint during a phone call with The Star on Tuesday.

The business's phone number is disconnected. Its sign and street numbers have been removed from the front of the bright yellow building, and the patio, dining room and kitchen have been cleared of equipment and furnishings.

According to a post on LoopNet, an online real estate marketplace, the property currently is available for purchase at nearly $1 million. The listing indicates that the property includes "three individual buildings leased to restaurant, hair salon & bakery/catering service." The broker representing the property was not available at deadline (313 E. High St.)

Just down the street, "for lease" signs have gone up at the former Secret Garden restaurant site, vacant since former owner and executive chef Michel Bardavid sold the business late last year. A peek in the windows this week revealed that the saw horses, sheets of plywood and mounds of blue tarp seen in the dining room early this summer ... are still there. A call to the phone number on the signs was not immediately returned (255 E. High St.).

In Simi Valley, Market Broiler is temporarily closed while it undergoes a remodeling project that extends to its name, logo and menu. The site is expected to reopen in early November as MB Grille. The renovated restaurant will feature "new farm-to-fork menu items," 16 beers on tap, an upgraded wine list, craft cocktails, made-in-house desserts and a "refreshed interior" with new paint and lighting, according to an email sent to patrons. Market Broiler is part of a six-location chain that launched in California in 1989 (1161 Simi Town Center Way, 805-210-7640, https://www.marketbroiler.com).

But the closure is permanent for one of Simi Valley's four Del Taco locations. Although the chain's website still listed it as "open" on Tuesday,, the Del Taco at 1408 E. Los Angeles Ave. and Executive Way closed sometime last week.

Fencing has been installed around the building, making it impossible to read the farewell sign on the door without a pair of binoculars or a zoom lens — which I happened to have when I stopped by this week. The note reads, "We at Del Taco have appreciated our loyal customers at this location for the past 17 years." It also directs customers to "our other two closest locations for your Del Taco cravings," listing the restaurants at "First Street & 118 Fwy" (aka 1098 Enchanted Way) and 2990 Cochran St. The city also has a Del Taco in the Simi Valley Promenade, 5197 E. Los Angeles Ave. (https://www.deltaco.com).

Another fast-food restaurant chain is rumored to be taking over the shuttered location. An attempt to contact representatives of that chain was not immediately successful.

Lisa McKinnon is a staff writer for The Star. She also oversees the social media account 805foodie on Twitter and Instagram and the Facebook page VCS Eats. Please send email to lisa.mckinnon@vcstar.com.