Align Brewing enjoyed a nice little following as one of the longest-tenured occupants of Miramar’s artisan colony, the Miralani Makers District. Many of those who frequented the beermaking establishment were of the die-hard variety dating back to the business’ original identity as Pacific Brewing. That operation debuted in 2014 and closed after a high-profile falling out between its pair of owners. One departed while Andrew Heino remained to revamp the company as Align. He opened his solo venture in 2017, maintaining a fanbase without much marketing or pizzazz. He enjoyed his customers and they enjoyed his beers until the summer of 2019 when Heino moved to Hawaii, handing off the business to its current operator, Guillermo Nasser, a consulting scientist and process engineer for the medical-device, pharmaceutical and diagnostic industries.
The business remained open to the public until March of last year, when the pandemic struck and California Governor Gavin Newsom‘s initial order forced the business to close. Nasser made good use of the time, cleaning the equipment and optimizing the brewery from a production standpoint while officially transitioning the business over from Heino and working almost single-handedly to get Align open in some form that will comply with state COVID-19 regulations. There were numerous times where he didn’t think he’d achieve that goal, but last month he did it, throwing open the doors and offering a handful of customer-favorite beers.
Three weeks ago, we didn’t think we’d make it out, but much to the surprise of the regulars here who thought we were done, that we’d croaked, we’re still here and coming back stronger than ever to be quite honest. The day we opened was an amazing day. We saw people we hadn’t seen in a year. They were right there to show up and support us and we are very grateful for them.”
Guillermo Nassir, Owner & Brewer, Align Brewing
Nasser is a newcomer to the brewing industry, but he’s no stranger to the San Diego scene. He’s a homebrewer of more than 10 years, graduate of UC San Diego Extension’s Brewing Certificate Program and self-described “lurker” on several private industry-specific Facebook groups. So, he knows the players…and he’s getting to know the game, including the service aspect. Nasser has a background in the service industry and enjoys his time tending to customers in the tasting room, but it’s his background in biochemistry and biology and marked interest in cell culture that serve him best in his role as a brewer.
“The science and engineering behind beer is what really interests me. Brewing is a way to play scientist, but with the greater satisfaction of doing it from the consumable side,” says Nasser. Originally, he secured a space in the Miralani Makers District to house another business called Collective Culture Brands. That interest will produce various fermented and cultured consumables, ranging from kimchis, krauts, yogurts, kombucha, water kefir and pickled items. ”Opening a brewery wasn’t even on the radar, but I got to know Andrew while I was starting to set up Collective Culture, we became friends and when he proposed an offer for his business I jumped on it.”
Heino remains a shareholder and assists on a consulting basis, but Nasser is in the trenches day-to-day. While most of the beers he’s produced so far have been original Align recipes with some minor changes, he is excited to introduce some of his beers that are all his own. He will debut a new IPA this week, followed by a brown ale, a Mexican-style lager and a SMASH (single malt and single hop) ale brewed as part of the national SMASH for the Stache charity initiative raising money to support brain cancer research. Even though he’s just starting out, Nasser hopes to participate in a broad array of charity efforts that make a difference in San Diego. But for now, he’s focused on getting his business in order so it can best accomplish such goals.
Nasser is finishing work on an online store where customers can purchase 16-ounce crowlers and 64-ounce growlers of Align’s beers. He is also on the lookout for another brewery owner who would be interested in going in together to hire a delivery driver. For now, obtaining Align beers requires a trip to the tasting room, which is open 4 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays, 4 to 9 p.m. on Fridays and 2 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays.
Align Brewing is located at 8680 Miralani Drive in Miramar