Is Pacific Grove getting hipper? If so, the new “nanobrewery,” Hops & Fog, may have something to do with it. The new Pagrovian haunt at 511 Lighthouse Ave. opened in August with a modest selection of beers and wines along with a kitchen serving up pizzas and other light pub fare. As of Sept. 18, they’ve officially started pouring their own brews—the first being a light West Coast IPA appropriately called “First Batch!”
“It’s so energizing,” says co-owner Ximena Waissbluth. “It’s fun and it’s very cool to see so many people who were waiting for this to open.”
She and co-owner and brewmaster Mike Durrant started the process to open the brewpub back in 2019. The highly-anticipated business finally opened its doors during the Tiny Car Show in Pacific Grove on Aug. 14. It was an instant hit, drawing regular crowds since then.
“The community support has been incredible,” Durrant says.
Even at 4pm on a Wednesday afternoon, the tiny brewpub is already starting to see customers file in, but Durrant says they see anywhere between 100 and 140 visitors during their rush, typically between 4:30-7:30pm. “It’s been overwhelming and awesome,” he says. By 6pm, the bar is nearly full and people are sitting on the back patio enjoying the new brew.
More Hops & Fog brews will be joining the taps by this weekend. Next in the lineup is a hazy IPA, followed by a nut brown ale. Waissbluth says a sour may be joining them as well. Until now, the lineup on tap has been guest beers from other local breweries and wineries like Other Brother Beer Co. and Alvarado Street Brewing Co. Still, the lack of homebrewed beer hasn’t deterred their customer base, which includes locals in addition to visitors to downtown Pacific Grove.
“I feel that this town for the longest time has needed some kind of place where people can go from 6pm or later,” says Adrian Annigoni, who lived in Pacific Grove from 1998 until the late 2000s. While he’s sitting at the bar he adds, “This is something that’s going to promote people staying longer in establishments [in Pacific Grove]. It’s more staying power. It’s going to be the new wave of P.G.: music, food and later hours.”
Other locals agree that times have changed in Pacific Grove, and they are grateful for the new establishment. When asked if any neighbors have complained, Durrant responds that they’ve been great.
They are now focusing on how to continue the momentum through offering special events, specials and music. They will be modifying the hours for NFL season, opening on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3-9pm, Fridays and Saturdays from noon-10pm, and Sundays from 10am-7pm to capture the Sunday football crowd. Trivia nights will also be starting Thursday, Sept. 19. And the team is coming up with more ideas for demographic socials to be hosted on Wednesdays for caddies, teachers and nurses.
At the bar, locals and visitors are excited as they trade stories about what Pacific Grove was like before this opening. “I’m stoked you guys did this,” Annigoni says to Durrant.New Pacific Grove “nanobrewery” Hops & Fog pours their first in-house brew.
The first house-brew called "First Batch!" is poured and now available at Hops & Fog in Pacific Grove.
Written by: Sloan Campi
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