Suddenly, like a beer that’s been shaken and cracked, Salinas’ craft beer scene has experienced a mini explosion.
The new Alvarado Street Brewery tasting room-production facility on Dayton Street has packed them in since opening last month, coming in sync with its two-year anniversary. (The birthday proceedings also included the debut of its downtown Monterey beer garden, with its lounge seating, fire pits, picnic benches, crowler machine, range of draft beers and stylish metal pint glasses.)
The Salinas tasting space answers pent-up demand for legion workers in the area who had to trek miles for good brew.
The place enjoys soaring warehouse ceilings, views of the shiny (and massive) brewing machinery, a beautiful tin and recycled wood aesthetic, a stately bar in front of more than a dozen taps. It provides capacity to widen their house brew selection in both Monterey and Salinas to as many as 15 instead of the previous offerings, which maxed out at six.
The new production machinery will focus on beloved staples like the Mai Tai and Minesweeper, freeing up the Monterey brewing space for more small-batch experimentation. Sour and barrel-aged programs are already underway as well.
By the end of the month, Oldtown Salinas welcomes Farmers Union Pour House into the fold, with a long bar, 24 craft beers and 16 different local-leaning wines set against a backdrop of flat-screen TVs and brick walls.
Thirtysomething Oldtown residents and local wine/craft beer fanatics Colin and Lauren Hattersley named it after the long-ago tenant – circa 1895 – that the couple discovered by way of a photo from the Monterey County Historical Society.
No kitchen is included in the renovation plans, though the Pour House will serve charcuterie and cheese. The idea there is to help generate connectivity with neighboring places by encouraging patrons to bring in outside grub.
It will join a crawl-worthy group of Main Street beer spots, including Monterey Coast Brewing, XL Public House and Dubber’s.
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