Crave – food & drink
Peter B’s Brewpub, Monterey’s original craft brewery, is a regular stop of mine when I’m in downtown Monterey, Calif. The brewpub offers a wide range of house styles, seasonal styles, barrel-aged beers and cask ales.
Like many talented brewmasters, Kevin Clark began his career in beer as a homebrewer. He joined Peter B’s as the assistant brewmaster and was promoted to brewmaster in 2011. Since then, he’s introduced an array of imaginative & tasty beers that delight tourists and keep locals coming back for more.
Peter B’s Brewpub beer flight
On a recent visit, we sampled a flight of five 4-ounce samplers ($6.50).
- The Broken Hand imperial IPA, weighing in at 80 IBUs, features a blend of Jarrylo and Azacca hops. This seasonal beer is a balanced, bitter IPA with a burst of tropical fruit. My drinking buddy, who is a huge IPA fan, really enjoyed this beer.
- Stout Resistance, a house style, is heavily (and I do mean heavily) roasted for a deep, dark espresso flavor. I love coffee and I love this beer.
- Royal Arches Pale Ale, a seasonal style, has a subtle aroma of soft ripe peach and apricot. At 40 IBUs, this dark golden ale is well-balanced and flavorful.
- Lynchburg Legacy, at 35 IBUs, was aged in Jack Daniels barrels for 4 months. It has an aroma of fig and the lingering flavor of Jack Daniels on the finish.
- Also at 35 IBUs, Inclusion Amber Ale was on the lighter side of ambers in body and in taste.
After sampling, I decided on a pint of Stout Resistance ($5.50)—my favorite of the flight (because, as you know, I like things on the dark side). I then met up with some friends on the patio and saw they were enjoying the stout as well.
With Kevin at the helm, Peter B’s has expanded and now includes a beer cellar featuring four brite tanks, adding 18,000 gallons of beer production per year and enough storage space to continue the brewing of small batch and seasonal selections.
Peter B’s also has a mug club and growlers. The brewpub is located at 2 Portola Plaza (behind Portola Hotel & Spa) in Monterey.
Fun fact: On Wednesdays from 5-6 p.m., guests drinking on the pet-friendly patio can also enjoy the live broadcast of KRML’s “Pub Talk” with beer travelers/beer geeks Chris Nelson and Merideth Canham-Nelson.
Peter B’s Stout Resistance & Monterey Bay calamari
