Validation Ale was opened July 2022 in the heart of the Funk Zone by two longtime Santa Barbara technology veterans, who also enlisted partners to run the gastropub menu. Validation has a unique concept, pitting two beers of similar styles (ie: “Light” or “Hoppy”) against each other, with the established beer, aka “Validated,” being challenged by the new “Vying” recipe. 

“If the challenger outsells the incumbent, it takes the place of Validated and we brew another new beer to try and outdo ourselves again,” said CEO and cofounder Brian Deignan. “Essentially, our tap list is controlled by the community that drinks our beer, and we’re constantly innovating and creating new beers based on our guests’ preference.”

The top seller is an “extremely crushable” Cold IPA called “Mo Frosty,” though it may be wise to start on the crisp Italian pilsner “Convalida” or the Golden Coffee Ale “Morning Gold,” which is served on smooth nitro and sports a chocolate-vanilla finish. Wanna turn it up to 9.2 percent? Then the current Hoppy challenger “Yanonali” is your piney, citrusy West Coast Double IPA.