Institution Ale Company

I really really enjoy their beer awesome 5 stars! What turns me off about this place is if you are not a regular or a local you kinda get brushed off as far as attitude and don’t embrace you as they should. I mean by the size of the place they should interact with anyone and everyone in a positive way. Only reason I don’t go as much and I know of other people that feel the same exact way.

Such a hidden gem here in Camarillo! Some really great beers, with a good selection of IPA’s. The ratched is one of my favorites — a rye porter that’s malty and a bit sweet. They’re involved with the community and always see the staff making friends with the guests. Grab a growler to take home and enjoy the deliciousness. Can’t wait to see their new tasting room soon.

Total pretentiousness disguised as beer drinkers!
It is Bs that they don’t fill up personal growlers. They claim it’s a quality control thing, but this is lie. They just want to sell their cheap brown glass bottles.
Their claim is that their bottles, that you can’t clean inside, are somehow more sanitary then a large mouth stainless steal container that can be easily cleaned with a bottle brush.
Don’t be fooled. They are a local brewery with macro brew greed.

I am so happy this place is expanding into a bigger area. The staff to the beer and look of the place is sooo kool. I love that this place is in Camarillo too.

My go to place for a tasty beer. I signed up for the newsletter and I can’t wait to see what is new and on tap. I like trying new beers and I have come across several new favorites. Looking forward to the new expanded location.

This is the best brewery in Ventura county! If you come to Ventura county looking for beer and don’t come to Institution Brewery then you did not plan your trip appropriately.

If you’re ever driving through Cam, I highly suggest grabbing a pint and taking a shit here. Triple ply toilet paper… Heaven. Thank me later.

they have the best beer in town! I go there every Friday after work and order the sedation! always fresh and tastes good! recommend them for all the beer people out there

I was very grateful for this little brewery hidden away in an unsuspecting place. Since there isn’t a ton of cool stuff going on in the area and very little in the way of breweries I thought this would be a mediocre microbrew, I was wrong. They have a solid selection of really good beers at good prices. The milk stout and rye IPAs were delicious.

Awesome brewery and dig that small out of the way location, its a little small but that just adds to the feel of the fresh mirco brewery. I recommend you try the tasters first to get a feel for what you want, top notch ale mates and love the pretzels I’m sold.

Of you aré looking for a good Restaurant and good beer don’t come here, BUT, if you are looking for great beer and Nottingham but good beer come here, and ir you dona believe me you can say anything you want to me, hope you enjoy it

The BEST brewery in Ventura County. I’ve been a fan since they opened up. Institution is approaching their two year anniversary and I’m still hooked. Even with the opening of several other breweries (Topa Topa, Poseidon) in Ventura, Institution still sits up at the top. Roger, Ryan and Shaun are brewing some of the best brews I’ve tasted and I drink a lot.
The only downside is the size of their tasting room. It can get packed and turn into a standing room only, but that will change soon. The second location is still in construction mode and is a lot larger space wise.
There is no food served here, but they do allow you to bring in outside food. So go ahead and bring something from home or call Toppers and have it delivered directly to the tasting room.
It’s also worth mentioning every Saturday is cask Saturday. They will always have a special cask on this day of something delicious. Absolutely worth visiting on Saturday or any day of the week.

My wife and I have fallen in love with this place. I’ve found myself having a new found fascination with darker beers and this place helped fulfill my little beer-​y dreams. The Restraint and Frantic hit just the spot, though the Peanut Butter and Scary Dairy are my go-​to when they’re in.
Each Saturday they’ve got a new cask on tap that makes the weekend trip worth it, so be sure to check it out!
The only downside (for us, at least) was the seating room is rather small, so expect to stand until a seat/​table opens up. But that’s not really that big of an issue… the beer and service itself has been fantastic each time we’ve been and we’ll definitely be back.

Three stars. First visit here. Was fortunate to get a seat, as seating is VERY limited. Probably a much more comfortable venue if you become a regular, kind of «click-​y» if you ask me. The first server was really up to introducing us to how it all works, second server, didn’t seem to care one way or another. Depressing.
If you’re into craft beers, IPA’s and such I’m sure you will like the assorted beers available, but if you’re going for ambiance, and an environment for good conversation, try another venue.

I had a teeny misunderstanding.
They were SUPER about correcting it and making me feel like a super-​duper valued customer.
Their beer is AMAZING. The Institution IPA is not to be missed!

This place just gets better and better. They are moving to a bigger location in the not so distant future. A must visit if you are into craft beers. The service is great, all the staff are always very friendly. Looking forward to their new location which will be conveniently located, just off the 101.

We love coming here! Great atmosphere, great beer, and of course love the mental institution theme. Channel Islands University is located on the old State Mental Hospital of Camarillo site, for those of you unaware.
We also live nearby and love having this awesome brewery/​taproom right in our neighborhood. Come on in and check them out! Their beers are very good.

This place serves incredibly delicious micro dark beers on tap. I had the chance to taste test 4 of them and 3 of 4 were at least a 9 of 10 in my book. The other was just too hoppy for my tastes but was still great.
The environment is very casual and friendly. Great vibes all around. The bar is tucked in a business complex so you have to pay some attention to find the place … but its a true gem in Camarillo. I feel blessed to have finally tried this place!

My husband and I stopped by Institution Ale Company while on a road trip so thank you to Unilocal for helping us find this place.
Located in an industrial part of town, I was almost skeptical as to whether or not this place was an actual tasting room! Only because the area just seemed so quiet and empty. But I mean I’m from San Diego where there are tons of microbreweries located in industrial areas.
The employees here were very friendly and helpful. Pretzels come with your beverages. $ 2 tasters. Growlers available for certain beers. It seemed as if they have seasonal beers and that they are frequently coming up with new concoctions and rotating their beer selections. The husband loved their popular cream ale and their stout. I enjoyed their Institution IPA… bitter…flavorful.great! I should have brought home a growler with me.
Will definitely stop by for a pint if we’re ever in the area but hopefully we’ll be able to just buy a case at our local BevMo soon!

The reviews are right on about this place. Very good beers. I tried tasters of jalapeño IPA, vice on cherries and restraint all were good. I also decided on a 16oz of their cask vanilla frantic. I enjoyed it very much. People were waiting for this one to come out and the employees could not fill the glasses fast enough.
Be warned it’s a small place with about 5 tables and 8 stools at the bar so you are lucky if you can get a seat. But the people that were standing around did not seem to mind they were happy talking and drinking their beer. Pretzels are served along with your beer and you can bring In your own snacks if you would like.
Located off of pleasant valley road in the industrial area behind Dawson Dr in Camarillo.
One more important fact there is only one restroom!