Where: 214 State Street, 845-8243 What: A brewery serving lunch and dinner inside and on their patio, with a wide variety of high-quality pub fare. The Dish: Union Ale Brewing Company opened its doors last year in Santa Barbara’s self-proclaimed Funk Zone on lower State Street by the train station. The notoriously difficult spot for restaurants has seemingly found a formula that works, with the focus on a quality selection of draft beers accompanied by fresh American-inspired cuisine. Union, which attracts diners, sports game watchers, and beer drinkers, adds a little sparkle to the traditional brew pub food—fries, sliders, and pizza—with the option of crispy sweet potato fries, up to nine sauces to dip them in, freshly baked daily special burger buns, and flatbread pizzas made from nine-grain wheat or white dough. A full bar, 24 beers on draft, All week happy hour, and a late-night menu are among the restaurant’s selling points. A wide variety of appetizers, the Bucket A' Wings comes with your choice of 10 to 52 pieces ($8-$37), and the SMOG flatbread pizza is a favorite, with sausage, mushroom, onion, and green bell pepper. The ginger tofu salad, pulled pork sandwich, and rack of smoked St. Louis pork ribs are popular, and much more exciting than your typical bar menu. UNION ALE BREWING CO. IS PROUD TO INTRODUCE OUR NEW HEAD BREWER, DAN REYES. DAN IS AN AWARD WINNING BREWER WITH OVER 25 YEARS OF BREWING EXPERIENCE. WE ARE HONORED TO HAVE HIM JOIN OUR TEAM, AND ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO HIS MASTER BREWS. Union Ale Brewing Company Future Brews: • Pinehopple IPA - 70 IBU, 6.5% ABV • Pinehopple Express Double IPA 120 IBU, 9% ABV • Double Malted Dutch Chocolate Stout 8.5% ABV • Apricot Ginger Pale Ale - 45 IBU, 6.5% ABV • Crack O' Jack Caffeinated, 10% ABV, Pumpkin Spiced Ale • Belgian Apple Crisp - 10% ABV Apple / Oatmeal Spiced Belgian Style Fruit Beer • Hopscotch Ale - 90 IBU, 8% ABV Hopped Scottish Ale • Vanilla Bean Oatmeal Stout - 9% ABV • Cranberry Blood Orange Imperial Wheat 7.5% ABV • Agave Lime Baja Lager - 5% ABV, Lime Peel Agave Fermented Pale Lager • Orange Blossom Honey Hefeweizen - 6% ABV • Brown Sugar Pecan Nut Brown Ale - 7% ABV • Hazelnut Bourbon Barrel Porter - 7% ABV • Coconut Mocha Imperial Stout - 9% ABV • Irish Caramel Cream Ice Stout - 25%+ ABV • Belgian Tripple Applejack Ice Ale - 25%+ ABV • Meyer Raspberry Wheat - 6.5% ABV • Swiss Alps Belgian Witbier - 15 IBU, 6.5% ABV Elderflower, Unfiltered Wheat Beer • And many, many more.... less