Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and Third Window Brewing Co. Join Forces to Celebrate 100 Years of Conservation

Third Window Brewing Co. has always focused on incorporating local ingredients into their expansive variety of brews and ranch-to-table cuisine, so a collaboration with the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is a natural fit, in all senses of the word. 

The beloved brewery has teamed up with the Garden, which celebrates 100 years of conservation this year, to create a special Centennial series of seasonal small-batch beers crafted with native plants from the Garden. 

“I think projects like this just align with our terroir and beer perspective really well,” said Kris Parker, CEO and founder of Third Window Brewing Co. 

Parker and I sat down to chat and sample their first release, the Saison Printemps 2026, which is now available in aesthetically pleasing bottles at both their Carpinteria and Santa Barbara locations. Third Window has been a regular presence at The Beer Garden, the Botanic Garden’s signature fundraising event each March, where local breweries and restaurants provide bites and drinks to accompany the Garden’s 5.5 miles of beautiful paths.

“We’ve never missed a festival,” Parker said, as he cracked open the Saison Printemps 2026, which features the Garden’s logo and information about the Centennial. The Brewery and Garden’s partnership allows them to extend the message inherent in both of their organizations: the importance of conserving native plants and habitats for the well-being of our world. 

Not only is preserving indigenous plants imperative for the environment, it’s also paramount for Parker when it comes to producing delicious food and drink.

Third Window’s famous smashed cheeseburgers are made with 100 percent Fess Parker Ranch Wagyu, which has been raised on the family ranch for the past four generations. The sourdough in their soft pretzels, pizzas, and more sings with the smokiness from foraged Los Olivos coastal oak and the delightful tang of Michellene Parker’s sourdough starter, as well as tender flour milled from homegrown wheat. The produce comes from local farms or their own backyard, and we haven’t even started talking about the beer. Let’s just say, as the grandson of famed winemaker Fess Parker, the apple doesn’t fall from the tree in terms of attention to terroir and commitment to cultivating products that evoke a sense of place.

“We always try to get better,” Parker explained. “We’re growing our own barley and wheat.”

As we clinked glasses and tried the refreshing springtime brew, I couldn’t help but smell and swirl as if it were a wine; this delicious creation bloomed with a variety of garden-fresh tasting notes. Parker’s passion for Saison and creativity as a brewer was present in every sip. 

“Saison’s fun because you can do whatever you want,” Parker said with a smile. He may make it sound simple, but winning gold at the Great American Beer Festival takes some serious effort. As part of his process for this series, he looks at what’s in season and what’s new at the Botanic Garden to create a one-of-a-kind beverage. This year’s Saison Printemps, is a seasonal farmhouse ale with hummingbird sage, lemon thyme, and lemon zest. Notes of elderflower from the Garden and pink peppercorn from Fess Parker Ranch make this sipper an elegant and multi-sensory experience. 

To engage even more of the senses, pair it with a prosciutto pizza topped with house tomato sauce, fresh and dry mozzarella, and arugula tossed in a zippy lemon vinaigrette; Michellenein’s sourdough crust is truly a wonder of our S.B. culinary world. Of course, any of their fare would be a lovely match; it’s common knowledge that once you’ve tried it, the classic smashburger is hard to pass up.

Looking ahead, we can expect a new Mixed Culture Wild Ale, highlighting the diversity and bounty of each season, to be released in June, September, and December. Each bottle provides a fun way to stay up to date with seasonal and hyperlocal produce and get in touch with native flora. 

Always humble, Parker subtly mentioned that this year is also Third Window’s 10tenth birthday. Every day at Third Window feels like a party, but this milestone provides even more reason to share in the goodness of the land and celebrate the innovation in our community with something cold, delicious, and that could only be made in S.B. 

“We’re proud to partner with the Garden in its Centennial year and help raise a glass to the next 100 years of conservation,” Parker said. 

For more information, see thirdwindowbrewing.com and sbbotanicgarden.org.