The latest installment of Brewbound’s A Round With – a weekly Insider-exclusive Q&A series with industry leaders – features J.C. Hill, founder and brewmaster of Alvarado Street Brewery in Salinas, California.
J.C. discusses what he’s learned in 10 years of brewing craft beer on California’s central coast and the “boringly civil” conversations he has with his business partner, his dad.
Here is the full Q&A:
Alvarado Street is celebrating a decade in business this year. What do you think is the secret to your sticking power?
J.C.: I’m super grateful we’ve made it 10 years. I’d have to say a combination of talented, zealous co-workers, occasionally good timing, and a bit of luck. Just following our instincts and focusing on quality. That’s a tough question, and I wish I knew the answer to guide us for the next 10 years.
You founded the brewery in partnership with your dad. What’s it like running a company with him?
J.C.: It’s been great working with my father over the years – without his guidance and leadership we’d probably still be in our original location (which would have been totally fine!).
He comes from an architecture and construction background, so when the opportunity to expand locations has presented itself over the years, he’s made it a fairly easy process by helping us navigate the red tape and reduce our soft and planning costs. And he’s designed some beautiful venues, of course.
We see eye to eye on most aspects of the business, which keeps things boringly civil around the dinner table.
In addition to the taproom at your production facility, Alvarado Street operates three full-service brewpubs throughout California’s central coast, each with unique identities. How did you develop these three concepts? Why is it important to offer distinct experiences to guests?
J.C.: Each brewpub’s concept has developed organically over the years, and each location will continue to evolve. That’s actually a top priority in the short term: continue to develop unique guest experiences at each location. We’ll do that through discipline in brewing styles as well as menu offerings, but still offer common elements of Alvarado Street so they have some semblance to one another. Letting the brewers and chefs at each spot do what they are best at, and support them doing it, is my task.
I’ve probably been a bit too restrictive since the pandemic in the effort of making things easier and more simplified, but at the end of the day, a homogenous experience at each location is the exact opposite of what we’re trying to accomplish. If you make the drive to Monterey County, we need to give you a compelling reason to visit all of our locations, not just tick one off the box to get the Alvarado experience.
Alvarado Street has been brewing Monterey Beer, an American lager with vintage-feeling branding, since 2018. Retro lagers are all the rage these days. How does it feel to be a frontrunner?
J.C.: That’s definitely a trend we can get behind! Sometimes there’s a bit of palate fatigue from all the excess hopping, fruiting and that whole aspect of what we do in craft, but a well made all-malt lager is something we’ve always strived for in our offerings.
It’s brewed out of necessity, really. It’s our selfish brewer beer, but can also cater to a wide audience.
What’s keeping you up at night?
J.C.: I sleep pretty well now that my kids are out of diapers.
Which recent release are you most excited about?
J.C.: I’d have to say our best-selling beer, Mai Tai PA. It’s as West Coast as it gets – very pale, moderately bitter, dry and brilliantly clear with some beautiful foam.
It’s a simple recipe but offers such a range of aroma and flavor by relying solely on Mosaic hops. Super proud of our team executing this beer we’ve made for over 10 years now.
What are the biggest opportunities for Alvarado Street in the back half of the year?
J.C.: We’re not chasing any new products or expanding with locations, so we’ll continue to dial in our internal operations, monitor and improve the quality of our core beers, and find some efficiencies that might be hiding. And prepare for the next round of projects which will likely include some capex into modernizing some of our brewing equipment.
What’s the best advice you’ve received in your career?
J.C.: I received some advice from my friend Adam Robbings of Reuben’s Brews early in our company history, where he basically said that to be viable in business for the long run, you have to grow revenue to some degree each year to offset rising costs. That’s certainly been a challenge for many of us over the past few years and has been on my mind as we hope to grow more slowly and sustainably in the near and long term.
Alvarado Street was also named a 2023 Brewbound Rising Star. Watch the video interview with J.C. following the award announcement here.