After nearly a quarter-century of brewing beers, serving burgers, and showcasing bands, the original owners of the Brewhouse are selling their beloved restaurant and brewery on West Montecito Street in Santa Barbara. The new owners — both longtime customers raised on the Mesa, one a current employee — plan to bring renewed energy and much-needed investment to the establishment, which is the oldest brewery in town.
“It’s going to be a different life suddenly to not be thinking about the Brewhouse constantly,” said current co-owner Pete Johnson, who joined as the restaurant’s brewmaster soon after Gary Jacobson and Barbara Long founded it in 1998. “I’m 67 and I’m the youngest of the three of us. The place could use a little more support. Hopefully the new guys are gonna keep it pretty much the same, keep it a cool place, and fix up a few things that have been neglected for a while.”
Buying the brewpub are Grant Danely and Joal Clayton, who both grew up just miles away and have been going to the restaurant since it opened.