Our Story

Beer. It’s What We Do.

You tend to do what you love in life. Or at least that’s been a motto that Brian Oliver, Poseidon’s co-proprietor and head brewer, has made a point to live by. As far back as 2007, when he was stationed in Iraq, he discovered craft beer—and that he loved it. So in his downtime, he researched homebrewing…and got the hankering to pursue it himself.

From Launch to Legit

No surprise, making a batch didn’t seem too hard a feat for this Navy-trained underwater construction diver. Right after returning to Ventura County, California, Brian took up the hobby along with his wife, Vinita, who also had an appreciation for high-quality beers.

Together the couple sampled their brews with friends and neighbors, noticing the compliments, good times, and real sense of community their hobby created. It was inspiring, so much so that Brian, now at the tail end of his 23-year Navy career and feeling confident about his craft, took a leap and launched Poseidon Brewing Co., along with Vinita’s help.

Bona fide Beer—and a Buildin’

Brewery immersion courses. Loads of planning and paperwork. Navigating challenges. A brand buildout. Renovating the perfect location. The tasks seemed endless.

But in six months’ time, the two had pulled it off, opening the brewery doors to a long line of thirsty beer lovers in Summer 2014. Soon after, the 500-square-foot brewery started pouring at local events and popping up on tap at restaurants and bars throughout the Ventura County area.

Our Newest Ventura Taproom

A testimony to its award-winning California craft beer, Poseidon Brewing Co. persevered in spite of many pandemic-related hurdles. In fact, in Summer 2021, Brian and Vinita expanded the brewery into a remodeled, adjacent space. Guests dig the high ceilings of the taproom, its light, open feel, and the industrial edge to its renowned diving décor. Simply put: It’s a spacious, friendly place for folks to hang, drink beer, catch occasional bands, and enjoy regular events.

Between this new taproom and its smaller spaces available for private events, there’s 3,700 square feet of stunning taproom space. Visiting food trucks make finding a tasty snack or meal easy. But don’t just take our word for it. Come on in, meet the crew, order a pint, or grab beer to go. One sip and you’ll get it—we really do love what we brew. We hope you do, too!

Meet the Crew

Co-Owner, AKA Inspector General

Nick Name: Olly

Favorite Poseidon Beer—and why?
All of them! For different reasons and seasons of course. But, if I had to choose just one it would be Bullet Holes & Duct Tape Barleywine; she’s just a beautiful beast of a beer! I really enjoy this beer when it’s young, aggressive, and really edgy. However, BH&DT ages extremely well too. We have cracked open 4 year old cans and have been amazed with the complexity and flavor the beer had developed! Brewing a great barleywine is challenging as it pushes standard brewing boundaries to the limit and taxes the brew system and crew. So in kind we have decided to push BH&DT to new limits via barrel aging. A fresh batch of BH&DT is on a journey in freshly dumped 8 year old Elijah Craig bourbon barrels straight from Kentucky. I can’t wait to hear the sea stories from her epic odyssey!

My marvelous motto for life:
Discipline = Freedom

In my spare time, you’ll usually find me…
Spare time! What does that even mean? Well, in my ‘spare time’ you will find me trying to make every second count by: reading, researching, getting in workouts, seldom playing guitar (making noise mostly – it’s embarrassing), occasional hikes and walks, just to name a few spare time activities. However, my favorite would have to be catching up with friends over a cold pint of craft beer!

Favorite cause:
My favorite cause is to always accomplish the mission and take care of the team: Mission First and Teammates Always. Looking through the lens of recent history, the covid pandemic presented us with unprecedented challenges to navigate and we met them head on. When the survival of Poseidon was on the line we dug in and pivoted operationally on several fronts to keep the beer flowing and the doors open and our team intact. Failure is never an option and I’m proud to say we accomplished the mission at hand; we never closed our doors and not one Poseidon crew member was laid off during the pandemic. Whatsmore, we also exceeded our production goals! Shout out to all our loyal patrons who supported us during the pandemic as we couldn’t have done it without your support. Truly humbling to say the least.
Poseidon’s mission statement is simple and concise:

In our enduring pursuit of excellence we strive to: create value, lead by example, and cultivate community, one delicious pint of beer at a time with outstanding customer service.

If you owned your own ship, what would you name it?
Aquaholic or Endurance; I’m torn….

Who is your favorite nautical, maritime or sea character—real or fictitious—and why?
Poseidon would be an obvious choice but I’m going with Santiago from Erenst Himmingway’s book “The Old Man and the Sea”. Santiago symbolizes courage, grit and perseverance- which are perhaps most important of the traits required to live the life given.