Rear View Beer: Cerveceria la Cruda
A short-lived Gaslamp Quarter brewpub was square one for a brewer who went on to garner scads of awards, plus local and world renown
San Diego’s brewing industry and overall beer scene didn’t spontaneously occur. It was forged over decades by thousands of entrepreneurs, craftspeople, employees and fans. And key to it all have been the brewing companies that have added their own unique spirit, personalities, motifs, influences and, of course, ales and lagers to the equation. In our Rear View Beer series, we take a moment to look back and honor brewing operations that are no longer with us; companies both large and small that leant their passion, ideals and liquid wares to the local scene before exiting it. And we’re doing so with the support of California State University San Marcos’ Brewchive, which has been actively preserving the history and artifacts of San Diego County’s craft-beer community since 2017.
Today we remember Cerveceria la Cruda with the business’ former Assistant Brewer Tomme Arthur.
Downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter has seen many a business come and go. The hospitality venues there turnover regularly, some after mere months the historic, high-risk-high-reward district. In 1996, long before America’s Finest City was home to scores of craft breweries, a brewpub called Cerveceria la Cruda opened its doors on Island Avenue across from the Horton Grand Hotel. An ambitious concept that included a cigar lounge and night club, it was the brainchild of owner and head brewer Troy Hojel, who made the most of two vital resources: a brewing system originating from Pacific Beach Brewhouse and a rookie assistant brewer named Tomme Arthur. The latter would go on to accomplish a great deal within the brewing industry, earning worldwide renown among his contemporaries while racking up multiple awards for his beers. But his first trip to the medal stand came at this short-lived space, which shuttered after 11 months, but not before striking gold at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF).
At what point in your career did you work at Cerveceria la Cruda?
It was my very first brewing job. I was originally hired as an assistant brewer, and I learned the craft of brewing from Troy. In this way, it was not my job to bring initiatives forth but solely to put my head down and work incredibly hard. I was there from the start to the finish and learned by being a beer rat. Everything from tap-line installations to standards of cleanliness that I had never seen before – I was a sponge and soaked it all up.
How did your experience at Cerveceria la Cruda impact you as a brewer?
Honestly, the 11 months that I was lucky enough to work there gave me so much knowledge and inspiration. It became the launching point for my career and carried me to the places I have been today. As a startup, I learned what it means to bootstrap and how decisions can be costly and disastrous. I carry so many memories from the space that frame my daily decision-making tree. It’s quite insane to think about the on-the-job learning feet-to-the-fire stuff I gleaned.
What are some of your greatest accomplishments from your time at the brewery?
I was lucky enough to be the only assistant brewer in the history of the company. (Dead pan sarcasm here.) But seriously, Cerveceria la Cruda earned a gold medal at GABF for our Makanudo Porter. It was only the third San Diego brewery to medal at that event (the largest professional brewing competition in the country), following in the footsteps of Pacific Beach Brewhouse and Pizza Port Solana Beach.
Which of Cerveceria la Cruda’s beers do you miss the most?
The two that come to mind are the porter and the extra special bitter. For me the ESB was quite delicious and not classic at all; more like a red IPA.
Who played influential roles during your time there?
Obviously, I have to start with Troy since he hired me. I shudder to think where I might have landed if he didn’t give me that chance. I was a 23-year-old nobody at that point. We were early adopters of White Labs, so Chris White and the White Labs family. And lastly, this is where I got the chance to meet Skip Virgilio (former head brewer for Pacific Beach Brewhouse and founding owner and brewmaster at AleSmith Brewing)for the first time, as he had brewed some beers for the opening of the brewery.
How has it been since you’ve moved on from Cerveceria la Cruda?
Since the doors were shuttered to Cervecerias la Cruda, I have put in the work and consistently worked at improving my craft. As a result, I’ve done a few cool things. I spent nine years as the head brewer at Pizza Port’s Solana Beach brewpub. Tom Nickel and I co-founded the San Diego Strong Ale Festival in 1997 with Pizza Port’s support. And in 2006 we launched The Lost Abbey, where we’ve been making beers “for sinners and saints alike” ever since.
What advice would you share with someone looking to follow open a brewery?
If you want to join a passionate industry filled with amazing people, then by all means, please join us. However, it’s rough out there right now, so you best have an amazing business plan, deeper pockets than you can imagine and the fortitude to keep going. While there is always a beer waiting for you at the end of the day, it’s no fun to drink alone, so you’re gonna need customers…lots of them.
From the Brewchive
Brewery Name: Cerveceria la Cruda
Business Address: 324 Island Avenue in Downtown San Diego
ABC License Type & Issuance: 23, January 1996
Business Opening: April 1996
Business Closure Date(s): March 1997
Awards: Makanudo Porter, GABF, gold in Robust Porter category (1996)