The name “Alaro” is derived from the surname Ballestero dating back to medieval Spain when one, Ramon Ballesteros was lord of the castle of Alaro and it’s an honor to pay homage to our ancestral name.
The entire Alaro team brings simple & flavorful ideas that include working with small farmers and producers to get the best ingredients possible.
Ray Ballestero
Lord of the Castle
Ray developed an early passion for brewing just as the microbrewing phenomenon really started gaining momentum in the early 1990s
With a love a handcrafted beer and a background in health & science, brewing became his perfect hobby.
An award-winning homebrewer and a Recognized BJCP Beer Judge, Ray has always strived to create elegant & balanced beers.
Ray has consumed brewing literature, taught brewing classes, was President of the GCBA and traveled the country and parts of the world in search of great beer experiences. It seems only fitting that he and his wife came to create a brewpub experience with a passion for excellence.
A California native and longtime Sacramento resident, Ray has worked in Nutritional Medicine in Sacramento for almost 30 years and he and his wife, Annette founded a Fair-Trade company to create opportunity for marginalized artisans in over 50 countries. His life journey has offered him unique insight to believe in core values like human rights, equality & compassion. Ray is grateful to have worked professionally to help others and truly believes that we should always render better service than expected of us.
Annette Ballestero
Lady of the Castle
Annette has a historic restaurant background, being one of the founders of River City Brewing Co., one of the first breweries in Sacramento
Along with Rubicon, she is honored as a true pioneer and her highly refined attention to detail and goal to create a personalized experience for each customer is what sets Alaro apart from the rest.
With a goal to create a holistic dining experience through taste, aroma & sight built with the idea of customer service, Annette has created an amazing & beautiful space unlike any other brewpub.
Annette has also spent 14 years curating ethically produced, Fair Trade artisan handcrafts from around the world and has a keen eye for art, design and beauty. Annette brings this Fair-Trade layer to Alaro in the form of décor, ceramicware, uniforms, merchandise, coffee, sugar, honey & sodas. All curated with concern for the social, economic and environmental well-being of the marginalized small producers we source them from. Annette believes this not only enhances the overall customer experience but brings attention to improved social and environmental standards, sustainability and a living wage that ethical sourcing can accomplish.
Chris Keeton
Head BRewer / Wort Alchemist
Chris Keeton, a true love story beginning with the iconic Rubicon Brewing Company. Chris is our keepsake of the Rubicon and continues his passion and legacy for brewing great beer.
At a young age, he found himself working his way up in kitchens and when gifted a home brewing kit from his then fiance Lauren, realized he had a penchant for the art of brewing and chose to work hard to hone those skills. After getting married and making the move from Albuquerque to Sacramento, he found his home as a brewer at the Rubicon under the revered guidance of Scott Cramlet. After two years at the Rubicon, he furthered his training by attending the UCDavis Master Brewers Program in 2015 while continuing as the Pub Brewer at the Rubicon.
Chris learned of the closing of the Rubicon at the same point finding out he was to become a new father. Today, his new addition is our new addition and our new Cali Pale Ale, “The Bennett”.
While continuing to create his own recipes, he always had a special place for the Rubicon’s Irish Stout on nitro. You can experience some of this in his “La Luna Oatmeal Stout” served with that iconic nitro pour.
Chris brews beer to be enjoyed and worth coming back for.
David Santana
Head Chef
Chef David Santana is a Sacramento native. A Jesuit High School graduate who attended both San Jose State University & California State University Sacramento studying Computer Engineering before realizing his true love was cooking.
This is when he shifted gears and enrolled at American River College & University and obtained his degree in Hospitality Management while working with many great and passionate instructors, several of which he still maintains strong bonds with.
He was fortunate that his first professional cooking gig was at the well-respected Waterboy Restaurant working under one of Sacramento’s premier chefs, Rick Mahan. For the next 7 years, David continued to work at both The Waterboy and One Speed Pizza, Rick Mahan’s other restaurant. This is where he mastered his skills and learned all that goes into running a high-end commercial kitchen.
As an avid home brewer, the opportunity to become Chef at a Brewery with an elevated food program was a dream come true. Chef Santana has been with team Alaro since inception.
