Alvarado Street Brewery: Production Tasting Room

Tired of the downtown restaurant scene? Enjoy being surrounded by tank after tank after tank of fermenting beer? Want to enjoy the quiet serenity of the outskirts of town, knew deep in packing companies and away from the hustle and bustle of busy streets and fast food ‘diarrhetics?’ Make the drive to the boondocks of Salinas and enjoy a friendly experience with similar minded locals. Keep in mind, this brewery may as well be a speakeasy since it’s hidden so well. Listen to your GPS and look for the sign.If you’ve ever had Alvarado beer, then there’s nothing else I can say to impress upon you to have another. It’s that damn good. From hoppy drenched IPA’s to beer smoothies/pastry sours to incredible stouts and everything in between. Their restrooms feature the best beer feng shui decorating, featuring the same design as their much beloved Mai Tai PA. The beertenders are always cool AF and friendly. And while the brewery keeps growing, there’s still quite a bit of space for good occupancy. For those curious, there’s a good amount of swag to choose from should you want to take home some merchandise, as well as to go beer. Food trucks are available most evenings around dinner time.

Peter is amazing! He was an extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and kind representation of Alvarado Street Brewery. I already adored the product, but Peter made the experience 100x better! Open atmosphere, down to earth energy, and amazing selection of draft beers and to-go cans.

Food was good but the service wasn't great. It's a cute place. I'd definitely try it again.

Super chill spot to grab a delicious beer. They also have cool merch you can purchase.

I have to admit I didn't come here for the beer initially. I saw in MC Weekly that on Fridays they host the Showoff BBQ truck, so we showed up to sample that. They took a long time to hand make our order so I had time to check the place out. This is the brewing facility for all of the Alvarado Street locations so form follows function. The day I visited was a typical winter's day and the place was pretty chilly. So the first note is to keep an eye on the weather and dress accordingly. The place was full and busy, but the staff was quick and efficient. The prices were good but, most importantly, the beer was GOOD. Granted, I only had one, but it was a Porter and that's a hard beer to make right. So, dress for the weather, be nice to the bartenders and enjoy some GOOD beer (and good BBQ, if it's Friday).