BEHIND THE BOTTLE

BEHIND THE BREWS SIZZLING SABORES

Mexican American culture meets craft beer at two Santa Cruz breweries

BY LAURA SUTHERLAND PHOTOGRAPHY BY GENEVA RICO

In a garage or a backyard, five or ten gallons at a time, a brewery is born. Somebody starts experimenting with hops, malt and yeast and turns out a few gallons of beer that taste surprisingly good. They tinker some more, sampling the brew with their buddies, and compliments start to kick in.

“You should do this for real,” friends say, with both altruistic and selfish motives.

Buena Vista Brewing Company’s beginnings unfolded when tequila aficionado Phil Ornelas wanted to make his own agave spirits. He thought it would be smart to begin with beer in his learning-to-distill process, and brewed in his Hollister backyard, turning out five gallons at a time.

When Phil shared his home brew with brother Chuck, Chuck liked it so much that he wanted five gallons, too. Pretty soon Phil and Chuck designated Wednesday nights as brew nights and began to experiment more seriously.

A growing group of fans urged them to go bigger, and they searched around until they found a small industrial setup with a kombucha fermenter in Santa Cruz’s Old Sash Mill, which included just the kind of equipment they were looking for. They signed on in late 2019 with a plan to specialize in kegs and events. (l-to-r) Brewers Chuck Ornelas

“Our first event was a taco food (Buena Vista Brewing Co.) truck event where lots of people and Jerry Garcia (Hillside Brewing Co.) share a production were expected,” says Chuck. “But facility in Santa Cruz. COVID hit two weeks before it was scheduled and social gatherings completely stopped.

“It was clear that no one would be buying kegs for a while, and we had just signed a lease, so we had to make it work for the setting and the moment we were in.”

The brothers pivoted and bought a small canning machine, first writing the names on beer cans with Sharpie pens. But pick up a four-pack of their beer today and you’ll see color-blasted works of art that reflect their identity as Mexican Americans.

“A lot of our labels are inspired by how events are publicized in Mexico—using colorful posters on telephone poles with cool, bright, eyecatching graphics. And our beers focus on Mexican flavors,” says Chuck. “Of course, we always have a West Coast-style IPA with rotating hops, but we take our culture seriously and craft beers that highlight it.”

Take their Pelea de Gallos—it’s a French saison-style brew that uses

“Breaking into the commercial craft brewery industry was tough,” explains Chuck, “and we said, ‘Hey, we need to give others an opportunity, too.’

dried hibiscus leaves to add a slight tang and a deep ruby color to the beer, similar to the Mexican iced hibiscus drink agua de Jamaica. It’s one of Buena Vista Brewing’s most popular and refreshing beers and seems tailor made for hot summer days and nights. But like most brewers, the Ornelas brothers love to experiment, so they tried aging Pelea de Gallos in red wine barrels for a year and then bottled it, transforming it into something rich, complex and sophisticated. It’s the kind of beer you’d pull out for a special occasion. “A date night treat,” says Chuck.

Another crowd favorite, Jugo Para Adultos, has an artful mix of hops that makes it taste like oranges or mangos have been added. But if you want a brew with real mango, try Buena Vista’s Spicy Mango beer— juicy up front thanks to the addition of ripe mangos with a satisfying hit of heat on the back end. It’s double dry hopped and balanced with honey from Patti Bee Honey in Aromas to give it even more character. “We like to source locally when we can,” says Chuck.

Buena Vista creates custom beers, too. When popular downtown Santa Cruz barber shop Get Faded wanted to ensure that their clientele would really kick back and relax for a haircut or beard trim, they asked Phil and Chuck to create a special beer for that.

Get Faded owner Jose Moya notes, “We thought it would be really cool to offer a custom beer to our customers, especially since Santa Cruz is known for craft beer. We approached a few local breweries, but they were too busy. Buena Vista was new, and they were open to doing unusual small projects, so we worked together to create our hazy IPA Bien Faded.” You can sip on an ice-cold Bien Faded at the barbershop while you get your fade or taper, or buy it at the brewery or other establishments around the Monterey Bay.

Meanwhile, in mid-2020 a few dozen miles to the south at the Marina landfill, craft beer lover Jerry Garcia heard that co-worker Ulysses Fregoso was brewing really good beer in his garage just for fun, in small batches. They didn’t know each other, but when Garcia finally tasted Fregoso’s beer, he introduced himself and said, “I want to see how you do this!”

“I showed up at his house at 7:30am that Sunday and showed up every Sunday after that to brew. When Ulysses heard about Buena Vista Brewing Co. through social media, we called them up and asked to work for free in exchange for experience.”

Garcia interned for six months at Buena Vista while he and Fregoso kept up the home brewing, and eventually the owners asked if they’d like to start their own brand.

“Breaking into the commercial craft brewery industry was tough,” explains Chuck, “and we said, ‘Hey, we need to give others an opportunity, too.’ When Jerry and Ulysses approached us we were happy to help and told them we would share the space and help them get started.” Six months later in April 2021, Garcia and Fregoso brewed their first official Hillside Brewing Co. beer at the Old Sash Mill site— Midnite Peel—a crowd-pleasing black beer brewed with deeply toasted malts, orange peels and Citra hops. A few months later Fregoso’s brother Gabriel joined the team and now the three of them run the show.

Hillside’s beers showcase the owners’ identity as Mexican Americans, too. In their Hasta La Muerte—a dark stout—it’s hard to miss the south-of-the-border flavors that condition it, like the Mexican chocolate Abuelita flavor with its barely there breath of cinnamon and mazapan, a marzipan-like Latin treat that replaces almonds with peanuts.

Hillside’s labels are also important. “Every beer has a different story and it relates to our culture as Mexican American brewers,” says Garcia. “We have a three-panel cartoon called Hillside Stories on the back of every can that has something personal to it. Latin Gent’z, our kolsch-style lager, is named for the car club that Ulysses used to belong to.” Its label depicts a classic car show with lowrider sedans and tricked out trucks. Buena Vista and Hillside beers are available at the brewery—open for pickup only—but there are also plenty of shops, restaurants and pubs in Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties that carry their beers, everywhere from Las Lomas Market to Brews at the Beach at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Keep an eye out for their tap takeovers on social media, too, at places like the Red Room in Santa Cruz, Slice Project in Watsonville, Mad Pursuit Brewing Co. in Hollister, Fourth Street Tap House in Gonzales and 101 Wine Press in Prunedale.

Both breweries have flagship beers that are constant, but “there is always R and D happening and our beers are always evolving,” says Chuck. The other constant that underscores everything they do is their respect for culture, community and paying it forward. And they make terrific beer.

While the breweries don’t have a tasting room, they frequently take over the taps at local restaurants.

Santa Cruz-based writer Laura Sutherland covers culinary, craft beer, wine and family travel for numerous publications and websites. A packing light fanatic, she always keeps a pen and a fork (and a mini roll of duct tape) handy wherever she wanders. LauraSutherland.net, @WanderandTaste, @TalkBubblytoMe

Mexican American Brewers Make Their Mark

Take two California trademarks—a large Mexican American population and a reputation as a craft brewing powerhouse—and it’s only a matter of time until the two converge. Lucky for us, the emerging Mexican American craft beer movement has a strong presence in the Monterey Bay area.

In addition to crafting classic IPAs and Mexico-inspired lagers, these brewers put a cultural twist on beer, adding flavors from their childhoods, like horchata, passion fruit and even nopal cactus.

Buena Vista and Hillside Breweries hold down the fort in craft beer-crazy Santa Cruz County, with brewmaster Jorge Vasquez of Watsonville’s Slough Brewing Collective adding his Latin spin to its beers. In Monterey County, Old Town Salinas has become the epicenter of Mexican American craft brewing, with two breweries opening there so far this year.

At La Cantina Brewing Co., Horacio Davila has created a gathering place with a cool industrial vibe where he celebrates his heritage with beers like Guava Fresca and Tamarindo.

A few doors down Main Street at Brew-N-Krew Ale House, owner Marlene Garcia’s motto “Making Dope Beer Con Cultura” is seen in neon on the back wall of the glittery pub and in beers like No Es Tampico—hoppy with hints of mango, pineapple and peaches.

We’re pretty certain this trend is just the beginning. — LS