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Brewing Up Authentic English Ales in Marina SHORTCUTS AT LARGE 68 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • H O L I D A Y 2 0 1 4 P eter Blackwell and his wife Rosemary visit their native England annual- ly. "And if you're an Englishman," Blackwell says, "you end up in a pub at some point." Living in California, the pair missed those brews—and thought U.S. watering holes were "dark and dingy." The English brands are better there, mostly because "the brewery is nearby, so the product is fresh," he says. Instead of moving back, they decided to bring a piece of the U.K. to the U.S. The couple first opened the Penny Farthing Tavern in Salinas and then the popular Mucky Duck in Monterey. It was there, "over a pint" that the idea to brew beer on the premises was hatched. "I thought we could use the space upstairs, with a gravity feed to the tap," Blackwell recalls. The notion grew and the Blackwells ultimately built a brewery in Marina. "We wanted a true representation of what you'd get in an English pub," he recalls. The newly formed English Ales made a deal with England's Hampshire Brewery to license recipes for four beers: 1066 Pale Ale, Black Prince Porter, Monk's Brown and Big Sur Golden. Soon after opening, it made sense to sell the suds on site, so the couple opened English Ales Pub Cafe next door. Key to beer production is uniformity. "We strive for consistency," Blackwell stresses. "This isn't wine; it can't vary. It has to be the same, every day." But, alas, stuff happens. Once, an English Ales brewer made a recipe misstep. "It was good, but incorrect. We called it Dumbass Ale and sold it in the pub." The brewery will finish 2014 having produced 2,400 barrels—74,400 gal- lons—of eight distinct brewski brands: the original four plus Fat Lip Amber, Corkscrew Ale, Dragon Slayer IPA and Monterey Bay Wheat. English Ales are available at more than 200 bars, restaurants and retail loca- tions throughout Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties and at the eponymous pub at 223A Reindollar Ave. in Marina. For more information, go to www.englishales- brewery.com. —Michael Chatfield Peter Blackwell hails from England and when he couldn't find a good pub in his adopted home of California, he tried to replicate one in Salinas, Monterey and finally, Marina. He had a brewery built for fresh, authentic brews such as 1066 Pale Ale, Black Prince Porter, and Fat Lip Amber. Photo: Kelli Uldall