Last April, entrepreneur Khris Astudillo shared his intentions to make a second go of his beermaking interest, Paradise Hills Brewing. Though chef-owner of his own Filipino restaurant Serbesa (Tagalog for “beer”), that National City spot isn’t zoned or equipped for brewing, so he had intended to do as he previously had by leaning on friend and contract-brewing partner George Thornton, the owner of brewery-equipped North Park homebrew-supply outlet, Home Brewing Co. During PHBC’s initial run, Thornton had brewed and kegged an initial batch of Astudillo’s Calamansi IPA, which was tapped at a handful of local beer bars leading up to a pair of debut events set to take place in March of 2020. Then came the pandemic, putting a halt to those events and normalcy.
Though disheartened, Astudillo refused to give up on PHBC. When conditions seemed right to resume his plans to launch his beer brand, he went back to Thornton. By then, the shop-keep’s situation had changed dramatically. In response to nearly non-existent demand for on-premise beer due to the pandemic, Thornton had downsized from his seven-barrel system to a one-barrel nano-sized setup, and, more significantly, announced that he was seeking a buyer for his dual-purpose business. Rather than shrug his shoulders and apologize, Thornton pointed Astudillo to another operation that might be able to help him out, Voodoo Child Brewing.
Voodoo Child is a recent arrival to the San Diego brewing scene that came to be when Savagewood Brewing owner Darrel Brown decided to relocate out-of-state. Rather than sell his five-year-old Scripps Ranch business outright, he partnered with the Voodoo Child team, leaving his brewery under their control for them to brew their beers as well as Savagewood’s on the facility’s three-barrel brewhouse. Despite brewing for a pair of brands, there was enough room in the production schedule to accommodate a third brand, providing Astudillo with a viable contract-brewing situation that will pave the way for the second coming of PHBC.
Just as he did the first time around, Astudillo is leading with PHBC’s Calamansi IPA, a West Coast number hopped with Citra, Simcoe and Columbus hops, plus its namesake fruit, a sour variety of citrus that’s native to the Philippines. The initial batch of that beer was tapped at Voodoo Child Brewing the last weekend of April. PHBC beers are currently available there as well as South Bay bars. Calamansi IPA will also be on tap at a Back in the South Bay celebration at National City’s Over the Tap , which will take place Thursday, May 12 from 5 to 8 p.m. and feature a Serbesa kitchen pop-up.
Next up on the brew schedule is another beer from PHBC’s first incarnation, Manok & Baboy, a Filipino-style lager inspired by Mexican-style lagers available in the Philippines. Named for his restaurant’s pig and chicken mascots, it is hopped with Cascade. After that will come a breakfast stout, the recipe for which is still in development.
In the short-term, Astudillo will be working to get his beer into more bars and add canning to the equation. Longer term, he hopes to obtain a Type 23 beer-manufacturing license from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control so he can establish his dream business, which will go by the name Serbesa Filipino Kitchen / PHBC Brewpub.
Speaking of names, when asked why his business references a San Diego neighborhood where neither his brewing facility or restaurant are located, Astudillo explains that, for now, it’s both honorific and aspirational. He says he wanted to pay homage to the neighborhood he grew up in and, once he has the necessary capital, build the aforementioned brewpub in Paradise Hills. For now, he simply hopes to put out quality beer that can make residents of his home region proud.
Voodoo Child Brewing is located at 9879 Hibert Street in Scripps Ranch