Everything was going swimmingly for Khris Astudillo. Not only did he have a storefront en route for his Serbesa Filipino Kitchen concept, but things were chugging along for its sister company, Paradise Hills Brewing Company (PHBC). The first beers from that operation had been tapped at Manhattan Bar and La Bella’s Pizza Garden in Chula Vista as well as La Mesa’s West Coast Smoke and Tap House, and a launch party at the Project Reo Collective in Paradise Hills raked in glowing feedback for those ales and lagers. A debut event was on the books for O’Brien’s Pub in Kearny Mesa and a combo meet-the-brewer and lumpia-and-beer-pairing event at the aforementioned West Coast. Both of those events were to occur in March of 2020…and both were postponed following the governor’s stay-at-home order, then cancelled altogether. Likewise, Serbesa and PHBC were put on hold, but Astudillo has no intentions to nix his culturally infused passion project.
“I was definitely disappointed to pause operations given all the momentum I had before the pandemic, but circumstances have allowed me to pause my projects rather than close down forever,” says Astudillo. “For that I am very thankful and hopeful that I will gain the same momentum when the time comes.”
The timeline for PHBC’s return is less certain, but Serbesa is on track to debut within upcoming National City food hall Market on 8th. That long-awaited 9,000-square-foot shared retail space will include numerous food vendors as well as a tasting room operated by Chula Vista-based Novo Brazil Brewing. Serbesa specializes in Filipino cuisine, with many of the dishes harkening back to Astudillo’s grandmother’s kitchen. The idea for the business and starting point for PHBC stem family conversations following the matriarch’s passing in 2012. Back then, Astudillo and his relatives were interested in opening a craft-beer bar called Cousins; someplace that had the close-knit, fun feel of a Filipino house party.
“We imagined a bar where everyone would just hang out, eat, drink and tell some stories,” says Astudillo. “Years passed and nothing happened, but finally in early 2018, I met up with my cousins and brother and I told them, ‘No more dreaming, it’s time to go for it. Are you in or out?’ I was going to do it with or without them.”
Due to various, legitimate reasons, all of them declined, leaving Astudillo to pursue the dream alone. Cousins reshaped into Serbesa, an eatery that would have a strong craft-beer component. The concept debuted to the public as a pop-up in North Park and was promising enough that Astudillo ended his ten-year career as a chemistry teacher to devote all his time to Serbesa, and soon, PHBC. For the latter, he enlisted the help of established professionals.
“I do not do any brewing for PHBC,” says Astudillo. “I thought about trying to learn it on my own, but ultimately I figured that, with so many friends in the industry, I would ask one of them to help me with my project because they would do it much better.”
In 2019, he turned to the team at North Park fixture, Home Brewing Co. Owner George Thornton and Head Brewer Jacob Bauch (who recently moved on to brew at Puesto Cerveceria in Mission Valley) took Astudillo’s ideas and fermented them into reality, brewing Serbesa IPA, a lager dubbed Manok and Baboy (chicken and pig in Tagalog), and a Calamansi IPA made with tart citrus fruit native to the Philippines. In making a second run with PHBC, the plan is to revive this contract-brewing arrangement, brewing additional styles—imperial stouts, sours, double and hazy IPAs—getting beers into several bars around the county while having it available at Serbesa.
While the future location in National City is the next chapter for Astudillo, future chapters resemble his story’s preface. “I started off with Cousins and that remains the ultimate goal, just with a different name—PHBC brewpub with Serbesa Filipino food in the kitchen,” he says. “I think PHBC can really do for Paradise Hills what Hamilton’s Tavern and Toronado did for South Park and North Park, respectively. I want to give Paradise Hills beer nerds something to brag about.”