Alvarado Street Brewery took gold at the 2026 World Beer Cup for its Howzit Punch, a fruited sour ale that has been a staple at the Monterey County brewery since 2020.
Now in its 30th year, the prestigious global competition referred to as the “Olympics of Beer” awarded 353 medals to 273 producers worldwide. Drawing on the expertise of 255 judges from 50 countries, 8,166 entries, representing 1,644 breweries were blind-tested to come up with the 2026 winners.
This is the second year in a row that Howzit Punch has took gold. When asked what makes the beer a winner, Alvarado Street Brewery’s Director of Marketing Brock Bill did not hesitate.
“Howzit Punch is just a super fun beer to drink,” Bill said. “It’s built around a bright POG profile with passionfruit, orange, and guava, but the real focus is balance. Big, juicy, aromatics up front, tons of tropical fruit, then a clean, refreshing finish that keeps you coming back for another sip. That consistency is tough with fruited sours. That’s what’s helped it stand out year after year.”
Bill said the beer they submitted from the brewery, which is crafted locally in Salinas, was straight off the canning line.
“No special treatment, just the same beer people are drinking every day,” Bill said.
Alvarado Street Brewery has five locations across Monterey Bay. It’s main brewery and tasting room on Dayton Street in Salinas where most of Alvarado Street Brewery’s beer is produced. Alvarado Street Brewery & Bistro located in the Carmel Plaza, which showcases some of the brewery’s more experimental and German-forward beers.
Its scenic location with an Art Deco interior in downtown Salinas, was last year rebranded Alvarado Street Brewery Taproom, a fresh, laid-back evolution of the space that puts beer front and center while doubling down on being a welcoming hub for the local community.
Located in the heart of downtown Monterey, the brewery’s very first spot is known simply as “the pub” and features an expansive dining room and back patio. Beer lovers can also find them at the Cardinale Stadium in Marina where they have a large beer garden.
“We’re continuing to push across a wide range of styles, from really dialed lagers to more experimental releases, and just trying to keep things fresh for people across all of our locations and direct sales,” Bill said.
Another thing to keep an eye out for from this groundbreaking brewery: an expansion into Castroville.
Bill said the brewery is in the process of building a new brewery “from the ground up,” in the town known for being the “Artichoke Capital of the World.”
“It’s something we’ve been working toward for a while and it gives us more room to grow in a thoughtful way,” Bill said. “More flexibility on the production side, more opportunity to experiment, but still staying focused on quality first.”
This article originally appeared on Salinas Californian: Alvarado Street Brewery’s ‘Howzit Punch’ wins gold again
Reporting by Roseann Cattani, Salinas Californian / Salinas Californian
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
