Hops & Fog Brewing Co. Now Open in Pacific Grove

August 13, 2024 – Pacific Grove, where it was illegal to sell alcohol until 1969, has its first brewery.

Hops & Fog Brewing Co. debuted softly this weekend on Lighthouse Avenue, and as of today has swung its doors open to the public, just in time for a high-traffic Car Week.

If early returns are any indication, it feels like a welcome fit in a downtown district eager for an infusion of energy.

Co-owner/operators Mike Durrant and Ximena Waissbluth are both longtime P.G. residents, and Pagrovia-inspired accents—including marine murals by artist Hanif Wondir, vintage photos of Lovers Point and Lighthouse Avenue, and an artisan shelf composed of foraged sea glass—reinforce the local identity.

The working nano brewery’s three and a half barrel system stands along the west wall of the former Monterey Bay Laundry, opposite the sleek domed pizza oven in the kitchen. 

For now, a curated list of local craft beers from Hidden Hills Brewing and Blending, Other Brother Beer Company and Alvarado Street Brewing holds space until HnF’s debut recipes arrive with the official grand opening over Labor Day weekend. (A handful of Monterey County wines from the likes of Shale Canyon, De Tierra and Folktale and a few house-brewed NA seltzers and cream sodas are also available.)

Durrant draws from more than two decades of experience as a home brewer, and demonstrates versatility with the craft, ranging comfortably from double IPAs to Irish red ales to signature nut brown ales, the latter which took second place at the California State Fair. (Meanwhile, his Irish red grabbed third in the National Homebrew competition.) 

The introductory beer lineup—which Durrant hatches in cahoots with lead brewer and former Alvarado Street R&D pointman Cody Leano—is slated to include a Strawberry Fields sour, Saucy Otter nut brown ale, Good Old Haze IPA and Sugar and Spice mystery beer.

“We are going to turn over a lot of beers and we’re going to change the styles a lot,” Durrant says. “We’re not going to have eight flagships. Our goal is to brew a lot of beers, have a lot of fun and accomplish things in this small space. And give P.G. something fun.”

The food menu from chef Stephen Pacania is short but substantial. 

Bar bites provide nibbles like almonds smoked in house, caprese spears and spicy candied pecans. 

“Old-school” pies with a nice char from the oven starred on my visit, namely a melon-prosciutto pizza and a black truffle-sauced mushroom number. 

A pair of salads, a focaccia plate, grilled cheese sliders and a house muffuleta round out the current offerings.

Durrant pledges close connection with the kitchen on syncing beers with seasonal menus, and teaming with as many small-batch creators as possible, including Carmel Valley Creamery for cheese and charcuterie boards.

“Any new craft business in the area is someone we want to work with to create cool things,” he says.

Waissbluth’s experience as a Cal State Monterey Bay professor and former Surfrider Foundation Monterey chapter chief doesn’t shout “Brewpub manager!” from the lectern—but then again, part of the Surfrider gig was bringing people together, and she does identify one key way teaching translates.

“In the classroom, there’s a lot going on, and at times you need to zoom in on a student and figure out how you can get [them] to success, and then you gotta zoom back out, from one-on-one to the bird’s eye view,” she says. “I see a similar dynamic when you have a restaurant full of people and it’s very global—bigger picture—and then you have a table who has needs and you get to their success and then widen the lens again, and keep going back and forth.” 

Legions of locals have been following the property’s gradual transformation since way back in the dark days of peak COVID. 

The resulting relief in finally opening is audible in Waissbluth’s voice. 

“It was really motivating having so many people walk by—I mean, 100 a day—being excited, asking when we’re going to open,” she says. “It’s been so fun, and crazy, and intense—far beyond my greatest imaginings of what we were getting into.”

She adds that there wasn’t a grand blueprint they followed in assembling the project, but it came together organically.  

“We didn’t know what vision we had,” she says. “It sort of revealed itself.”

For his part, former chamber president and eternal Pacific Grove champion Moe Ammar—who also taught hospitality at Monterey Peninsula College for 13 years—observes a guiding light. 

“They understand Pacific Grove,” he says, citing Waissbluth’s time on the city’s recreation board. “They’re involved. It’s not just a business for them. I believe that strongly. They understand the small town mentality. 

“They’re listening, and they’re making history.”

Hops & Fog Brewing Co. is open noon-9pm Tuesday-Thursday, noon-10pm Friday, 11am-10pm Saturday, and 11am-7pm Sunday at 511 Lighthouse Ave. in Pacific Grove. (After this week, Mondays and Tuesdays the brewpub will be closed.) More at hopsandfog.beer.