Alvarado Street Brewery’s upcoming Oktoberfest Celebration includes Renewed Focus on German Beer Styles
Owner and Brewmaster, J.C. Hill, recently completed a Master Brewer program from renowned Brewing School in Munich.
Alvarado Street Brewery has always dabbled in lager beer, brewing Pilsner since inception 10 years ago (and has been a year round release since 2020) and revitalizing the once defunct, heritage Monterey Beer brand in 2018. But the idea of certain lager styles was only based in theory for owner and Brewmaster, J.C. Hill.
“As an overly enthusiastic craft brewer in the U.S. – I had this romantic obsession with traditional European beer styles, but I had never actually been to the source and tried them in earnest.”
That changed when Hill and his family moved to Munich this past February, where he became a student at the Doemens Academy, a prestigious brewing school in Germany. Based in Bavarian, he was not only able to immerse himself in the world of German beer styles, but also received quite a bit of education on the subject, earning a Master Brewer certificate through Doemens and their joint venture with Chicago-based Siebel Institute, known as the World Brewing Academy.
“I was lucky to cross a lot off the list — Helles in Munich, Kolsch in Cologne, Pils in Prague, Trappist Ale in Belgium…I was fortunate to try a lot of classic styles in their freshest form and talk to the brewers that made them.”
Now, Hill is taking his learnings and applying them to Alvarado Street. But in baby steps — starting at the company’s smallest brewing operation in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Alvarado Street Brewery & Bistro. Here, the brewing philosophy will focus solely on traditional European-style lagers and ales, whereas before it was known for more R&D efforts for the company. Now, Hill says, the original Alvarado Street pub in Monterey will focus on progressive, experimental styles that Alvarado is better known for, aka beers centered around hops. The Salinas Production Brewery on Dayton St. will continue to churn out staples like Mai Tai, Monterey Beer, Cold Pressed, Pils & Howzit Punch.
Which, in Hill’s words, is perfect. “This switch in brewing focus between Carmel & Monterey will allow us to pursue all the German, Belgian & Czech beer styles we could ever make — and these are beers that we see coming back into favor from our customers, and as brewers we totally crave them!”
Thirsty yet? Some of Hill’s first German-inspired beers will be debuting at all Alvarado Street locations with their annual Oktoberfest event coming up on Saturday, September 21st. On tap, you’ll be able to try their annual Festbier (5.7% strong, pale lager), Oktoberfest Märzen (full bodied, golden lager), Schwarzbier (full bodied, dark lager), and an updated batch of their Bistro Hefeweizen (pale, smooth wheat ale). As always, they will be pouring Alvarado Pils & Monterey Beer.
Hungry? Chef Brian Parks, Culinary Director for Alvarado Street, has some German-inspired specials for the weekend lined up.
Menu Highlights Include:
1. Brotzeit - ('bread time') A Bavarian snack board with pickled veggies, pretzel, rye bread, creamy Obatzda cheese spread using Marzen lager and of course...SAUSAGE! We've teamed up with Chef Todd Fischer at the Meatery in Seaside, CA to bring a custom Knackwurst and Thuringer 'wurst' aka handmade sausage made with our Oktoberfest Märzen and Schwarzbier.
Thuringer - Pork & Veal sausage with subtle garlic, caraway, marjoram - great traditional pairing with märzen lager. Also considered to be the oldest sausage in the world.
Knackwurst - Sausage with Beef & Pork with garlic, and mellow spices which pairs wonderfully with dark lager.
2. Zwiebelrostbraten - (‘onion roast’) 8 oz steak smothered in dark, beer gravy with sauteed onions and served with Käsespätzle, the equivalent of Bavarian mac’ n’ cheese with crispy fried onions.
3. Bergschnitzel - (‘mountain schnitzel’) An Emmentaler-breaded and pan-fried, pounded pork cutlet served with roasted potatoes and fresh greens.
The dress code? None, but Hill encourages lederhosen and dirndl, traditional Bavarian garb, and assures that each year there’s “at least one more person” that dresses for the occasion. It’s more fun, and Alvarado Street is certainly a brand that holds the concept of fun in high regard.
Visit all three restaurant locations in Downtown Monterey (426 Alvarado St), Carmel-by-the-Sea (Carmel Plaza), and Downtown Salinas (301 Main St) and visit asb.beer for more information.