Overlooking the Pacific ocean next door to Seabowl Bowling alley, and where the “Surf Spot Restaurant” used to be, sits the fairly new Pacifica Brewery. As the brainchild of husband and wife team Sylvain Montassier and Helen Nasser, Pacifica Brewery aims to bring Sylvain’s many years as a professional chef to the table (pun intended) and provide a more elevated dining experience while still remaining casual. Pair that with their brews and you have an excellent pair.
Now to say that I am excited about who they have as a head brewer is an understatement. When I found out that I was going to be talking with Kim Sturdavant, I immediately thought to myself that this is going to be an awesome interview. Kim, for those of you who do not know, gained his notoriety in the Bay Area during his time working for the now permanently closed Social Kitchen in San Francisco. There Kim created a brand new style of beer, the Brut IPA, a style whose popularity came and went as quickly as the San Francisco fog. Now, during our chat, we do talk about the Brut IPA but that is only a small part of our conversation.
What was amazing was sitting there and hearing Kim describe how he can take a recipe and expand on it by really exploiting flavors from different grains, hops, or any other adjuncts. One such example is one of their Hazy IPA’s that is available in a can called “Puffy the Hop Slayer.” This beer is brewed with puffed wheat and flaked rye so that a nice mellow roastiness comes out while balanced with the fruity notes from the hops. But what is nice is that they have a very diverse selection of styles to choose from, not just a bunch of IPA’s which in my opinion is very refreshing. Of course, you are going to have to see for yourselves by taking a trip down the coast to Pacifica Brewery.
Listen below: