Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Deignan.
Hi Brian, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My wife and I have been living in Santa Barbara for 16 years, helping technology startups such as Zoom & AppFolio grow into successful publicly traded tech companies. A home brewer for over a decade and a frequent patron of breweries all across the country & abroad, opening a craft brewery restaurant in our hometown has been a long dream. About a year and a half ago, I left my tech career, and we opened Validation Ale.
The concept behind VA is unique, forcing a focus on innovation and brewing what the customers want. In our tech careers, we spent a fair amount of time on a concept called “market validation” that involves pitching a technology product before it’s coded in an effort to figure out exactly what the customer really wants before building it. We’ve brought this practice to our brewery, where beers are pit against another in the same category i.e.: Light or Hoppy, and the recipe that sells the most stays crowned “Validated.” This community data-driven approach has helped us continually hone the most popular beers and test out new ideas. The result is a very broad tap list with the standard Lagers and IPAs to more obscure options like a golden coffee ale and Bragget. Validation Ale has only been around 14 months, but we’ve been able to create over 60 unique beer recipes and 20 seltzer concoctions.
Today, we’re focused on high-quality beer & food, leaning into our wonderful Santa Barbara community with quite a bit of support for local charities, and guiding locals and tourists through a beer-tasting journey that is unexpected.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Has the road been smooth? Yes and no. Our first brews were actually done during construction – that wasn’t smooth – but the finished beer actually was! Running a small business is no joke, it’s tough, something comes up every day that needs attention, and often times there isn’t much support out there to help guide a new business owner. I’d say the most consistent challenge is unnecessary bureaucracy from local government. That said, our goal is to be like a duck; even if we’re scrambling to stay afloat, we should remain calm and cool on the surface. To our customers, we want to be a destination that feels comfortable, genuine, and fun.
As you know, we’re big fans of Validation Ale. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
In addition to being community data-driven in our recipe development and our focus on upsetting the status quo with our approach in food, beer, service, etc… I’m proud of our ability to be something for everyone. Some will say that an effort to be something to everyone will dilute an offering, and while that can be true, it’s our belief is that with a conscious approach and hard work, pleasing a very diverse set of folks is completely achievable.
For example, our craft beer options are broad, anyone that drinks beer (light, dark, hoppy, spicy, etc….) will find something they love. I’ve been to a ton of breweries, and that is somewhat unique but not unheard of. What helps us stand apart is that we have a gluten-free beer, Hard Seltzer made in-house with real fruit, non-alcoholic cocktails, local Wine, local Hard Kombucha, local Hard Cider, and even local sparkling Mead on tap. The food is no different with our Salmon Zoodle & amazing salads for those looking to eat healthy and a unique Smash Burger & Philly style Tri-Tip sandwich for those going the satiated route.
Any given day at Validation Ale, you’ll find a mix of customers. Retirees, young families, tourists, locals, etc… are all welcome here.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Drinking beer. Just kidding.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.validationale.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/validationale/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/validationale
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/validation-ale-santa-barbara
- Other: https://www.google.com/maps/@34.4150639,-119.6901878,3a,75y,63.86h,91.29t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipNhj_QjEvG7MsiJ7e3O6jb_8PZ-7m0JQE7X6nYH!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipNhj_QjEvG7MsiJ7e3O6jb_8PZ-7m0JQE7X6nYH%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya150.44606-ro0-fo100!7i8286!8i4143?entry=ttu
Image Credits
Silas Fallstich Erin Feinblatt
