Three Smart Strategies on Display at Alvarado Street Brewery (Monterey, CA)

Traveling through California provides opportunities to experience beer at its absolute peak, especially if you love hops. One-thousand breweries competing in the state has led to a natural selection of sorts, reducing the reliance on one-off can releases over time and encouraging more focus on community building. This maturation is a healthy evolution for those who have longer time horizons and the vision to create long lasting relationships, versus trying to appease the “what have you done for me lately” beast. One of these breweries who I’ve enjoyed following from afar is Alvarado Street Brewery. A family wedding turned vacation led me to dinner at their original Brewpub in Monterey, CA and while I was excited to sniff around at what they were up to, I did not expect the beer cruncher to be awakened on his vacation. There were so many interesting strategies on display that I had to deep dive into my three favorites for you.

1. The World’s Game ⚽️

Batting first on the Alvardo Street Brewery menu was the Ichiro Suzuki of lead-off beers. I don’t think they could have possibly won me over any faster than they did with Land & Sea, a 5.0% Nelson-hopped Xtra Pale Ale, branded in collaboration with their local United Soccer League club, Monterey Bay FC. The name pays tribute to the painter Patrick McComas who famously called Monterey the "greatest meeting of land and water in the world."

Beyond the obvious benefit of aligning with a local sports team and it’s fanbase which may only somewhat overlap with local beer fans, there’s an even bigger opportunity to be aware of. As Sports Business Journal put it, “the 2024-2026