Thousand Oaks’s First Craft Brewery Craft Beer Tarantula Hill Opens | Eater LA

Named after the city's 1,057-foot peak, Tarantula Hill Brewing Co. is housed in a former furniture store and occupies 22,000 square feet with an expansive patio; the rustic-industrial space aims to be a family-friendly community hub and features an open layout with a large dining area full of communal tables, a taproom in plain view behind floor-to-ceiling glass windows, and separate counters for pizza, ice cream, and coffee. Opened in the first week of July with Mike Richmond (Stone Brewing Co. alum) as inaugural brewmaster, the spot serves wood-fired pizzas, scratch-made ice cream, and coffee from Newbury Park’s Ragamuffin Coffee while the house beers are still brewing. The brewery currently offers 25 guest beers on tap, including a collaboration with Mikkeller San Diego, and launched with the Thousand Oaks blonde ale; next up is a West Coast–style IPA brewed with Citra and Mosaic hops, and Richmond plans to add hefeweizen, pale ales, stouts, and saisons, plus limited-run beers from a smaller system planned for monthly canned releases. Beers will eventually be distributed to select restaurants and bars across the state, but for now they’re focused on local demand — “We had 600 people in here last Friday,” says CEO Ali Zia — and upcoming events include beer dinners with local chefs as well as live music and comedy nights; current hours are Tuesday–Friday 3 p.m.–10 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m.–11 p.m. - Fiona Chandra