Spent Grain Brewing

You cannot miss this spot, the host, the beer and the vibe.

I love beer. Every road trip I take, I do my due diligence and look for new breweries I haven’t yet experienced. Checking my Untappd app, I saw Spent Grain in Atascadero. Driving from Prunedale to SLO, I made it a point to add their address as a point in my GPS.

Upon arriving, I parked in the rear due to not a lot of available street parking. I walked to the street side front and looked for the brewery. Couldn’t find it. After double checking Google for the address, I looked again to no avail. Dumbfounded, I went to Google once again and delved deeper.

Upon reading the Google reviews, I found that the brewery was very much a speakeasy, if breweries can be defined as such. And why not?

The Google reviews me ruined texting for an appointment. Oh shit! I hadn’t made one! Well, can’t hurt to ask, right? So I sent a text message(available right there in their Google page) explaining my situation and lack of a reservation. Chris, the owner and brewmaster, replied quickly, and instructed me to meet him around back by the glass doors.

I met him at an unmarked entrance that required a security code for entry. He greeted me warmly and walked me down a long non-distinct hallway. We walked through a door that had the address of the brewery.

Now, I have been to 500+ breweries across the US. As I stated previously, I love beer. I love breweries as well. Big or small, it doesn’t matter. Every one has something unique to offer. Chris has built an intimate brewery experience. The entire brewery may be sixteen by sixteen feet. Drinking at the three seat bar makes you feel like a part of the brewing process. Sneeze(please don’t) and all the equipment will need to be re sanitized. You’re really that close. There are 6 to 8 brewing barrels in along the back wall. I’m no expert on size, but I would guess they were between 50 and 100 gallons, which means a lot of small batch brewing. That leaves a lot of opportunity for experimentation and rotation.

The walls are adorned with plenty of swag from a simple t-shirt and truckers hat to top of the line, $100 flannels.

Chris is incredibly friendly. Considering that the brewery may have a maximum occupancy of 5 to 10 beer lovers at a time, one has to be a good conversationalist, and he definitely is.

Chris has almost two decade of experience under his belt, having opened Dunbar Brewing in 2008 in Santa Margarita.

Chris’ beer is great. He let me try a few IPA’a before settling on a pint. He also filled a crowler of his Double IPA Slingin’ Tinnies for me to go straight from the barrel.

Just the idea of a brewery that runs on word of mouth, speakeasy type vibes is fantastic. I’ve been raving about the venue and beer to my friends back home and plan on making a return trip soon, this time making a reservation ahead of time.

Chris was a fantastic host and had a great selection of beers available. The galaxy-dominant pale ale and the barley wine were absolutely fantastic. An must visit for anyone who enjoys the art of brewing.

Thank you for a great evening at Spent Grain Chris.I really enjoyed Bodacious and Strata Da Da Da.Both IPA’s we’re well crafted!We enjoyed meeting your friend Brian also.?

This is a Speakeasy Brewery. Text them at 805-464-7172 to get in

Great brewery, brewer, and beer ? open daily

Absolutely wonderful experience all around. All the beers were outstanding- you can tell Chris knows what he's doing when it comes to brewing. And the space was so unique and welcoming. Can't wait to come back to try what's new on tap. If you're nervous to call/text Chris to visit, don't be! It was super easy, and he had availability to let me in immediately.

Call or text the number posted on Google. This is a teeny tiny brewing operation with no storefront. Every beer style we tried was NAILED. Really interesting stuff. High quality beer.

This is like a speakeasy brewery. Small without a storefront. In order to get in you need to call or text him. As only so many people can fit in. Great beer. He even has a hard seltzer for those that may not want beer. Highly recommend.