In the third full week of April 2015, Alvarado Street Brewery released three fresh batches of beer. They always offer a rotating collection of house-made brews, but we thought we’d open up the curtain and give you a peek into details on two the latest ones, to give you an idea of the kind of thought and care that goes into each creation.

Minesweeper IPA: Minesweeper was Alvarado Street Brewery’s very first IPA released, and this will be the 9th or 10th batch since their opening. It recently won a Silver Medal in the American IPA division at the 2015 L.A. International Beer Competition! Nothing is done to minimize the beautiful hop haze that you might notice in the glass - the cloudiness of this beer is something they’re proud of, as it contributes to added hop flavor, aroma, and lends a rich, coating mouthfeel, leaving the glass caked in hop oils and foam. The hops they use for Minesweeper are Simcoe and Citra - both contribute intense, orangey citrus and pineapple notes that carry through in the flavor. Not the most bitter IPA - like most of Alvarado Street’s hoppy beers, they like to keep it approachable and aroma heavy.

Duane's World IPA: Duane's World is an IPA that relies on the use of a unique New Zealand hop variety called Nelson Sauvin. This hop is one of Head Brewer J.C. Hill’s personal favorites, and in this beer it’s combine with Citra for an intense tropical character - lots of lychee, gooseberry, and passion fruit. The name comes from the owner of the local homebrew shop, Duane, who sourced some Nelson for Alvarado Street Brewery last summer so they could make this beer. This is the third version, and the first time they’ve had it back in about 6-8 months.

The Monterey County Film Commission is pleased to announce that Chelsea Amarillas, a student at CSUMB, was the winner of the 2015 Monterey County Film Commission's Director Emeritus Richard Tyler Film Student Scholarship Award.

Amarillas, who is originally from Modesto and now lives in Marina, is a senior in the Cinematic Arts & Technology Department at CSUMB. She'll use the $2,000 award to help cover costs for her final thesis project, A Father’s Love. She describes the story as a dark and enchanting tale that illustrates the importance of family. Filming will be begin in the fall, and she has begun looking for locations in Monterey County, including a Victorian-style house.

For more information on the scholarship fund and Chelsea Amarillas, please click here or phone MCFC at 831-646-0910.

Employees of Bay Physical Therapy and the Law Office of Kenneth Kroopf have formed a team to walk in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life on May 16, 2015 at Monterey Fairgrounds. The team, called “Tumor Humor” is walking in honor of a friend who was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and has been driving to San Francisco every day from Salinas for chemotherapy treatment to prolong his life. This team wants a cure for cancer!

Please help Tumor Humor raise money for the American Cancer Society. No donation is too small. You can make a monetary donation online here, or team leader Jamie Oler of Bay PT is happy to pick up a check or in-kind donation such as a gift cards to be given to cancer survivors, a small gift to be raffled, or balloons. All donations are appreciated.

For more information, please phone Bay Physical Therapy at 831-375-5909. When the event is over, the team will be posting a thank you on their website naming all of the people and companies that helped.

Welcome to Lighthouse District in the News, an occasional post featuring recent news articles on Monterey's Lighthouse District. Please click the links below to read the full articles.

Espresso Love: Local Baristas Talk About What Makes a Good Shot, and What Makes a Great Barista, Too [Bright Coffee]
by Nic Coury
Monterey County Weekly, 04/09/15

New York Singer-Songwriter Milton Makes His Monterey Debut at L'Roy Lighthouse Smokehouse
by Adam Joseph
Monterey County Weekly, 04/09/15

The City of Monterey has announced that construction to revitalize the Monterey Conference Center is scheduled to begin in late November 2015. The renovation will infuse up to $45 million in physical and technological improvements into the building. The first floor of the revitalized center is scheduled to be re-opened by late summer 2016, and the grand opening of the entire center is expected in early 2017.

Conference Center staff is working with groups who are booked into the facility during construction to provide alternative locations for conferences and events. A temporary pavilion will accommodate many groups. Adjacent hotels, the Portola Hotel & Spa and the Monterey Marriott, do not expect to be affected by the remodel and are open for business.

The Conference Center renovation will create more flexible meeting space, more usable pre-function space, advanced technology, and the ability to host multiple meetings simultaneously in a silver LEED-certified building with a contemporary exterior that evokes the Monterey style. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP is providing architecture, interiors, and engineering for the renovation.

Set on the spectacular coast of central California, the Monterey Conference Center is located in the heart of Old Monterey. The Monterey Conference Center opened April 30, 1977 and quickly became an important economic engine for the growth of the hospitality and tourism industries in the City of Monterey and Monterey County. The Monterey City Council authorized renovation of the Conference Center in 2013 based on a study by experts in the field. The project will be financed by a bond.

The Old Monterey Business Association would like to congratulate the 29 Old Monterey businesses that won Monterey County Weekly’s Best of Monterey County Readers’ Poll 2015. Click the links to read what the Weekly’s writers and editors had to say about each business.

​Alvarado Street Brewery and Grill
Best Beer
Best New Restaurant
Best New Business

Ambrosia India Bistro
Best Indian Restaurant

Bagel Bakery
Best Bagel

Bay Bikes
Best Bike Store

Britannia Arms
Best Place for Karaoke

Bull and Bear Whiskey Bar and Taphouse
Best Singles Bar

Chipotle Mexican Food
Best Take-Out Food
Best Burrito

Cibo Restaurant
Best Club for Jazz

Crown and Anchor
Best Neighborhood Bar
Best Pub

Federico’s Shoe Service
Best Shoe Repair

...Read More

The New Monterey Business Association would like to congratulate the 14 Lighthouse District businesses and non-profits that won Monterey County Weekly’s Best of Monterey County Readers’ Poll 2015. Click the links below to read what the Weekly’s writers and editors had to say about each business.

Bon Ton L’Roy’s Lighthouse Smokehouse
Best Tribute to Mitch Hedberg

Bulldog British Pub
Best Bar for Darts

CVS Pharmacy
Best Pharmacy

Creative Visions Tattoo and Body Piercing
Best Tattoo Parlor

Crystal Fish
Best Japanese/Sushi Restaurant

Gianni’s Pizza
Best Pizza
Best Family Restaurant

Goodwill
Best Secondhand Clothing Store

Hula’s Island Grill
Best Happy Hour
Best Small Plates

International Market and Deli
Best Ethnic Market

Monterey Bay Aquarium
Best Place to Take Visitors
Best Place to...Read More

The City of Monterey Historic Preservation Commission unanimously approved plans by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Foothill Partners, Inc. to revitalize the historic Cooper-Molera Adobe property, located on a three-acre site in the heart of Old Monterey.

The proposal would allow the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the non-profit organization that owns the property, and Foothill Partners, Inc., a retail developer, to create a unique “shared use” historic site at Cooper-Molera. The public-private partnership will establish a creative funding model which will preserve this historic site. The historic adobe residences and gardens will function as a museum within the Monterey State Historic Park, while compatible commercial uses would open the site to new audiences and provide new sources of revenue to ensure its long term viability. Foothill Partners and the National Trust expect to invest approximately $6 million in the revitalization of the property.

Museum operations at the property, currently managed by California State Parks under agreement with the National Trust, will be carried out directly by the Trust in the future. The National Trust will continue and expand popular educational and interpretive uses such as for school programs, Christmas in the Adobes, and the July 4th Living History program in continuing collaboration with California State Parks, the Monterey State Historic Park Association, and other local partners. At the same time, the historic Spear Warehouse and its courtyard would become a new restaurant, with other new commercial retail programming to be introduced in adjacent structures along Polk Street.

The historic barn complex at the south end of the property—padlocked for years due to seismic concerns—will be seismically retrofitted and rehabilitated as an event center, allowing the property, after many years of inactivity, to again be used for weddings, public performances, dance recitals, and other active programming.

Cooper-Molera Adobe has been operated by California State Parks under an agreement with the National Trust since the 1980s. That agreement ends in 2016, and California State Parks has indicated that renewal of this arrangement is not likely given the fiscal challenges faced by the state parks department.

Cooper-Molera Adobe, built in the late 1820s, was the home of J.B.R. Cooper and his wife Encarnación Vallejo. J.B.R. Cooper was an immigrant American ship captain and trader who settled in Monterey; Encarnación Vallejo was a member of one of the most prominent and powerful families in Mexican California. She was the sister of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, who helped shape the transition of Alta California from a province of Mexico to the U.S. State of California. The Coopers and their descendants (including Andrew Molera, who helped transform American agricultural practice) helped to lay the foundation for modern California....Read More

Children ages 6-8 are invited to explore what makes Monterey special by spending a week at the local children's museum! Campers will play and experiment with unique hands-on exhibits, discover new friendships, and explore hidden treasures in our community. Each day offers a new adventure focused on learning through play.

MYM Members $235/child, Non-members $250/child.

Call to register (831) 649-6444.

Session 1: June 8-12, 9:00-4:00pm
Session 2: June 22-26, 9:00-4:00pm
Session 3: July 13-17, 9:00-4:00pm