Homebrew Store In Seaside

There's a new kid on the block here on the Monterey bay and he wants to help you brew better beer.
Duane Shima opened a homebrew store in Seaside called  Bottoms Up Homebrew Supply in September of 2011, serving the homebrewing community of South Monterey Bay. I drove down to have a look and meet the owner for a brief chat.

Duane Shima

Duane Shima comes across as an unassuming man with a polite but excited attitude about his new homebrew supply business. Located just off the busy main street in Seaside, this small but well stocked retailer is an oasis for the local homebrewers that prefer to shop where they live rather then make the 40 minute drive to Santa Cruz for their brewing needs.

Focusing on selling to the local homebrewing community in Monterey, Duane is putting off any ideas of on-line sales for now. He's interested in serving those living and brewing on the bay and is a big part of the committee that is trying to organize a homebrew club for the area. He said that about forty people showed up to the last gathering held at Post No Bills beer bar in Sand City. They shared homebrew, discussed how to organize and managed to narrow down the list of suggested names for their new club to five.

Placing emphasis on ingredients he can access at a good price in order to pass on the savings to his customers, Duane is phasing out his remaining stock of organic ingredients. He says, "It's not easy to get all of the ingredients you need to make good beer when trying to brew organic. Sometimes the hops aren't available or specialty grains. This limits what beers you can brew while staying true to the style."


He's a good brewer himself, sharing a couple of samples of his recent efforts. A light and refreshing wheat beer, somewhat sweet and pink from incorporating the local prickly pear fruit. And a very good example of a hoppy double IPA.  He says he enjoys the hoppy ales but has to consider his wife's preference for the dark and wheat styles and brews accordingly.

831.899.BREW(2739)contact@bottomsuphomebrew.com Mon: Closed Tue-Fri: 10-6 Sat-Sun: 10-5

If you're in the area, I would highly recommend checking this place out. It could just save you a some time, time you could spend brewing instead of driving.