June 13, 2017 – There’s a reason why Monica Lopez Ramirez and her husband Anthony decided to hold the grand opening of their new wine and beer bar in San Juan Bautista on June 18, which also happens to be Father’s Day.
You see, she has always associated the number 18 with good things. Beginning with her birthday, which is February 18, this young lady has found the number to bring happiness and good fortune, so why not leverage that?
She and Anthony—who own an electrical company and alarm service in Salinas–were married on November 18, 27 years ago, when she was, unsurprisingly, 18 years old. The couple uses the number 18 on their kids’ jerseys, too.
“I am not superstitious!” claims Monica. “But a lot of great things happen on the 18th.” To wit, the signing of the lease on their new business location at 322 3rd Street in San Juan Bautista, which happened to take place on February 18, 2017.
This came shortly after the disappointment of having the building she had her heart set on fall through. “Oh, no! What to do now?!” she thought, crestfallen. Her dream of having a bar where both men and women could enjoy their favorite beverages together had suffered a severe setback. But then, she discovered this spot and it’s all for the best, because the location has a fabulous courtyard, which she’s very excited to set up for maximum enjoyment.
Naturally, the couple is calling their new wine and beer bar, 18th Barrel. While there are no plans to limit the number of selections of beer and wine to 18, you can expect to find a good array of local wines from in and around Monica’s birthplace of Hollister, and beers from Santa Cruz, Tulare and San Francisco.
Certainly, she would have preferred to locate the business on 18th street, instead of 3rd, but San Juan Bautista is just not that big.
Why San Juan Bautista?
“We are both born and raised in Hollister. San Juan Bautista is a small and lovely town that has always been part of our lives. It brings people from everywhere because of the mission,” she explains.
Why wine and beer in the same place? From her four years of working at Fortino Winery in Hollister, she noticed time after time that a couple would come into the tasting room and the woman would opt for wine tasting, while the man would express a preference for beer. She thought, “It would be great to have something for both! Somebody should create an environment where couples can both have a good time. Why not me?” And so she set her sights on making the dream come true. One of the first things she did was to pursue her study of beer, being as she’s a wine girl.
Currently, she’s immersed in an online course on beer, and she and Anthony just returned from a “Beer Camp” in San Francisco, where they were well-schooled in the creative chem lab of beer brewing. “I don’t really get those sour beers,” she confesses. “I’m having a hard time getting into them.” But she’s diving right in, regardless.
Is her husband a typical beer guy? “Not at all!” she says. “He’s a whiskey guy. But I worked on him for a few years. I kept trying to pair wine with food and now he absolutely loves reds.”
They’ve done most everything themselves, conscripting friends and family to build out the structure, create the wooden bars and install everything else. The handsome 18th Barrel sign was crafted by Central Coast Design in Salinas, who also did the sign for their electrical business there.
Being as their tagline is “Taste the best of both barrels,” the initial concept will be to serve beer and wine in flights. Outside in the courtyard, there will be tables, chairs and sailcloths, so people can enjoy the ample sunshine and live music.
Monica has her heart set on featuring a different region’s wine and beers each month, including Paso Robles and Murphy’s, another place near and dear to her heart. “We love it there so much!” she says. “We bought a small house there. It’s grown to include 24 tasting rooms now!”
Obviously, she believes there is strength in numbers, and is happy that Vertigo Coffee and Pizza is now offering wine and beer as well in downtown SJB. “The more the merrier!” she says.
For starters, 18th Barrel will offer wines from the following local brewers and wineries:
- Fortino Winery (Gilroy)
- Guerra Cellars (Hollister)
- Rexford Winery (Santa Cruz)
- Villa Vallecito (Murphys)
- Vino Vargas (Paso Robles)
Breweries:
- Discretion Brewing (Santa Cruz)
- Hermitage Brewing (San Jose)
- Kaweah Brewing Co (Tulare)
- Mission Trail Cider Company (Bradley)
Eventually, Monica hopes to install a pizza oven and make the courtyard a family friendly place to spend an afternoon. But that is a few months with 18 in them away.
Planned hours of operation are Wed & Thurs, 11am-5pm, Fri & Sat, 11am-8pm, and Sunday, 11am-5pm. www.18thbarrel.com
About the author
Laura Ness is a longtime wine journalist, columnist and judge who contributes regularly to Edible Monterey Bay, Spirited, WineOh.Tv, Los Gatos Magazine and Wine Industry Network, and a variety of consumer publications. Her passion is telling stories about the intriguing characters who inhabit the fascinating world of wine and food.
