Third Window Brewing’s mission is “dedicated to the cultivation of local ingredients, our community, and each other.” And they do cultivate their own local ingredients. The brewery is helmed by Kristopher Parker, whose family raises Wagyu cattle, feeding them sustainably on spent brewing grains and grape pomace from the family’s Santa Ynez Valley operations.
The result is an elevated smash burger: premium Wagyu beef pressed thin on a custom inch-thick steel plancha, paired with American cheese. The fries achieve that platonic ideal of crispy exterior and fluffy interior. And the kitchen’s ambitions extend far beyond burgers – Mondays see the team foraging Los Olivos coastal oak to fire their pizza oven, where house-milled patwin wheat becomes naturally leavened sourdough bases, while Saturdays feature Wagyu barbecue smoked for up to sixteen hours over white oak from the family ranch.
The menu thoughtfully includes salads that hold their own against the meat offerings, proving that even a brewery known for smashed burgers can excel at lighter fare.