Sacramento Brewing Company

Sacramento Brewing Closed

2009-10-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

I'll keep this blog short. Just wanted to thank everyone for all their support over the last 15 years. Some amazing friends have been made and great times have been had at Sacramento Brewing. As of today, we have closed the doors for good.

PLEASE support your local breweries, the numbers are dwindling in Sacramento as we have lost three breweries in the last year alone and not for lack of quality. We have multiple Great American Beer Festival award winning breweries making world class beer right in your back yard, please think of them the next time you are buying beer at the grocery store or deciding where to have a pint.

Cheers,
Peter Hoey, Brewmaster
Sacramento Brewing Company

Collaborative Evil Wins Bronze at 2009 GABF

2009-09-29T15:54:00.000-07:00

Sacramento Brewing Company earned a bronze medal in the Belgian and French Style Ale Category for Collaborative Evil this year at the Great American Beer Festival!

Chris Macias from the Sacramento Bee blogged about it here and Dan (Stickie) at the Sac Rag has a nice article here as well.

This is the biggest beer competition in the world, below are just some of the quick stats.

2009 GABF Quick Stats
49,000	Attendess (includes brewers, volunteers, and tick holders)
3,308	Beers in the GABF Competition
3,000	Volunteers
2,100	Beers served in the hall
495	Breweries in the competition
457	Breweries in the festival hall
132	Judges from 10 countries
78	Categories judged + Pro-Am category
72	Beers entered into the Pro-Am Competition
51	Breweries attending for the first time

$3 PINTS and ALL YOU CAN EAT RIBS!

2009-09-07T10:29:00.000-07:00

STARTING TODAY (SEPTEMBER 7th)
Where: Sacramento Brewing Company
When: EVERY Monday and Tuesday Night (after 4:30)
What: $13 all you can eat ribs and $3 pints of Sac Brew beer

Starting MONDAY SEPTEMBER 7th we will be launching a new promotion here at Sac Brew. If you don't know already we have all you can eat St. Louis style ribs for $13 EVERY Monday and Tuesday night. We decided to sweeten that pot by offering $3 pints of Sac Brew beer EVERY Monday and Tuesday to go with our delicious, falling-off-the-bone ribs smothered in house made Red Horse Ale BBQ sauce.

Summer Brewers Dinner in Pictures

2009-09-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

Rick Sellers from pacificbrewnews.com was kind enough to take pictures at our brewers dinner last night. It was a great time with fantastic food, Chef Cres really outdid himself this time. Each dish was fresh, light and flavorful fitting the summer theme perfectly. Get a look at his creations here.

Cheers,
Peter

September Brewers Dinner

2009-08-17T11:22:00.000-07:00

SEPTEMBER 1st, 2009
Sacramento Brewing Company Brewers Dinner

Ahi Tuna Pizza
Grilled pizzas topped with ahi tuna and salmon roe
Abbey Extra

Chilled Lemon Cucumber Soup
Lemon cucumbers, fresh dill and yogurt soup
Brett Blond

Grilled Vegetable Salad
Summer vegetables and endive grilled and topped with balsamic reduction and manchego cheese
Celtic Amber

Ribs Two Ways
Red Horse Ale BBQ Sauce and Harisa Honey Glazed Baby Back Ribs
Red Horse Ale

Sorbet Trio
House made Watermelon, Canteloupe, and Honeydew Sorbet
Brussels Blond

Seating at 6:00, Dinner at 6:30. Price $40 plus tax and tip.

California Brewers Festival Results

2009-08-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

The results are in for the California Brewers Festival:

1st Place India Pale Ale - India Pale Ale
2nd Place Amber Ales - Red Horse Ale
3rd Place Strong Ales - Brussels Blond

AND India Pale Ale took 2nd Runner Up for Best of Show!

Complete results here.

$3 Beers and All You Can Eat Ribs!

2009-08-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

STARTING SEPTEMBER 7th
Where: Sacramento Brewing Company
When: EVERY Monday and Tuesday Night (after 4:30)
What: $13 all you can eat ribs and $3 pints of Sac Brew beer

Starting MONDAY SEPTEMBER 7th we will be launching a new promotion here at Sac Brew. If you don't know already we have all you can eat St. Louis style ribs for $13 EVERY Monday and Tuesday night. We decided to sweeten that pot by offering $3 pints of Sac Brew beer EVERY Monday and Tuesday to go with our delicious, falling-off-the-bone ribs smothered in house made Red Horse Ale BBQ sauce.

Collaborative Evil 2009

2009-08-07T21:28:00.000-07:00

Collaborate: to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor.

Collaborative Evil returns with more breweries and a bit of leeway. In 2008, three brewers decided to create a beer recipe and then brew it at their respective brewhouses. The beer a Strong Dark Belgian-inspired Ale brewed with Honey, and spices. Each brew had a unique ingredient distinguishing it from the others. This effort was intended to get the beers to the Great American Beer Festival in Denver so that they could be served at the same time under one roof. Two of the three beers managed to get there and be served to the public, the third alas was there but not able to be judged or served at the time of the festival. The founding brewers Zac Triemert of Lucky Bucket Brewing Co. La Vista, NE, Matt Van Wyk of Flossmoor Station, Flossmoor, IL and Todd Ashman of FiftyFifty Brewing, Truckee, CA.

In 2009, we’ve brought in six more breweries. The base style for this year is a Belgian-inspired Strong Pale. The larger group presented some interesting hurdles and this also proved to be what this collaboration is all about.

Working together but also working within the confines of each respective brewery. We have production breweries and brewpubs involved and some with tight schedules and others with lot’s of play in the brewing regimen. We asked each brewer to create a beer based on the style and then make it uniquely their own but within the parameters of the ‘Belgian-inspired Strong Pale’. This was important because it demonstrates what people think of when you mention a style. Because one of the things we focus on in Collaborative Evil is entering the respective beers in the Great American Beer Festival. Entry guidelines forbid entering the same beer so creating a theme and then allowing each brewer participating in Collaborative Evil to spin-off their own beer based on our base style. Tough but not impossible and the interpretations are very spread out and will be fun for GABF attendees to seek out on the festival floor.

The brewmasters are:

Valley Brewing, Stockton, CA, Steve Altimari
Sacramento Brewing, Sacramento, CA Peter Hoey
Fatheads Brewery and Grill, Cleveland, OH, Matt Cole
Flossmoor Station, Flossmoor, IL, Bryan Shimkos
Oakshire Brewing, Eugene, OR Matt Van Wyk
Silver Peak Brewing, Reno, NV Brandon Wright
Speakeasy Brewing Co., San Francisco, CA. John Gillooly
FiftyFifty Brewing, Truckee, CA, Todd Ashman
Lucky Bucket Brewing Co, La Vista, NE, Zac Triemert

Look for these beers on the festival floor at the 2009 GABF and at the breweries participating. Production breweries may have limited releases so check with your favorite for more details…

Beer Camp Tasting 8/15

2009-08-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

Sierra Beer Camp Tasting Saturday, August 15th Our friends Chris and Merideth from thebeergeek.com and Rick Sellers from DRAFT magazine and pacificbrewnews.com both had an opportunity to brew a small batch of specialty beer at “Beer Camp” hosted by Sierra Nevada. Come meet the brewers and try their creations during this very special tasting.

Updated List for IPApalooza

2009-07-13T21:44:00.000-07:00

The updated list for IPApalooza '09
Wendesday, July 22nd 2009 ALL DAY

Auburn Alehouse - Gold Digger IPA, Un-Obtanium Double IPA
Bear Republic - Racer 5, Racer X
Deschutes - Red Chair IPA
Fifty Fifty - Rockslide IPA
Firestone Walker - Union Jack & Double Jack
Flying Dog - Double Dog
Great Basin Brewing - Ichthyosaur IPA
Green Flash - Imperial IPA
Lagunitas - Hop Stoopid & IPA
Marin Brewing Company - IPA
Moonlight Brewing Company - Bombay by Boat IPA
Moylan's - Hopsickle (unfiltered!) & Moylander Double IPA
Rubicon - IPA
Russian River - Pliny the Elder & Blind Pig IPA
Sac Brew - IPA, Independence IPA, Half Pint Double IPA, & Abbey IPA
Sierra Nevada - Torpedo Extra IPA
Stone - Ruination & 13th Anniversary Ale
Valley Brew - Uberhoppy

Basic Brewing Sour Preview

2009-07-12T20:05:00.001-07:00

Last month I was interviewed at the the National Homebrewers' Conference by James and Steve at Basic Brewing. They run a website and podcast (video and audio podcasts) focused on making better beer at home so if you are a beginning or advanced homebrewer or just want to learn more about beer check out their site.

I decided to bring the first release from our sour beer project to the tasting. We named it Beersel after the city where our sour culture came from and this particular batch also had some tart cherries added to the barrel. The beer had spend 16 months aging in barrels with brettanomyces, lactobacillus and pediococus and this was the first sample available for public tasting. It has a nice sharp sourness with a plesant earthy and spicy character from the brett. Just a touch of acetic acid (vinegar) but not overwhelming and a mild cherry finish. I expect the beer to be available in mid August at the brewery.

You can see the video here. There is also a great interview with Brian Hunt of Moonlight Brewing at the end about brewing with out using hops as well as great advice for professional and homebrewers alike.

IPA Festival update

2009-07-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a partial list of the beers we will be pouring for our IPApalooza on Wednesday July 22nd:

All being served when we open at 11:30. Chef Cres will have plenty of great Mexican specials to pair with this hoppy selection!

Auburn Alehouse - Gold Digger IPA
Bear Republic - Racer 5
Bear Republic - Racer X
Deschutes - Red Chair IPA
Fifty Fifty - Rockslide IPA
Firestone Walker - Union Jack
Firestone Walker - Double Jack
Flying Dog - Double Dog
Green Flash - Imperial IPA
Lagunitas - Hop Stoopid
Lagunitas - IPA
Moylan's - Hopsickle (unfiltered!)
Rubicon - IPA
Russian River - Pliny the Elder
Russian River - Blind Pig IPA
Sac Brew - IPA
Sac Brew - Independence IPA
Sac Brew - Half Pint Double IPA
Sac Brew - Abbey IPA
Sierra Nevada - IPA
Stone - Ruination
Stone - 13th Anniversary Ale
Valley Brew - Uberhoppy

CASK ALES ON HANDPUMP:
Sac Brew IPA extra dry hopped with Columbus
Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA extra dry hopped with Centennial

Still a few more to be confirmed....stay tuned.

California State Fair Results

2009-06-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

We had another great showing at the California State Fair Commercial Beer Competition this year. Here is the list of hardware:

1st Place
Russian Imperial Stout
Celtic Amber (the THIRD year in a row this took gold in this category)

2nd Place
Sac-Squatch Scotch Ale
Luna de Miel
Abbey IPA
Old Pappy

3rd Place
Red Horse Ale

We entered 9 beers this year, so 7 our of 9 ain't bad at all!
The complete results listed by county can be found here.

The Deschutes Dinner

2009-06-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

Deschutes Brewing Beer Dinner
Saturday, July 11th, 2009 at 6:00

Halibut and Prawn Ceviche
with fresh flour chips

Mirror Pond Pale Ale

Black Bean, Chorizo and Black Butte Porter Soup
with sour cream and cilantro
Black Butte Porter

Empanadas filled with Chicken, Queso Fresco, and Chile Verde
served with potato croquettes stuffed with goat cheese
Red Chair IPA

Ice Cream Sandwich
Homemade cinnamon Obsidian Stout ice cream, chocolate chip cookies covered in chocolate ganash.
Obsidian Stout

$40 per person, limit 40 people. Tickets available at the bar.

The Bruery is Coming...

2009-06-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

The Bruery from Orange County, CA is starting distribution in Sacramento this month and we want to give them a proper welcome! Monday June 15th we will be featuring the beers of The Bruery and welcoming owner and brewer Patrick Rue to our restaurant.

We will start pouring tasting flights and glasses at 4:00 and Patrick Rue will join us at 6:00 to meet and greet our local homebrewers and beer aficianados.

We will be pouring:
Orchard White
White Zin
Virgin Papier
Batch No. 1 - Levud's
Black Orchard
Hottenroth Berliner Weisse

Bottles of Saison Rue, Saison de Lente and White Orchard will be available for purchase as well.

The first 30 sample flights that are ordered will come with a beautiful Rastal crystal tulip glass with The Bruery logo etched on the front. You do not want to miss these!

Chouffe Tasting

2009-06-03T16:55:00.000-07:00

We will be pouring the beers of d'Achouffe on Wendesday June 10th starting at about 2:00 and going till close.

La Chouffe
Mc Chouffe
Houbblon Doubblen IPA

Tasting flights, full glasses as well as logo glassware as well for you to keep. As usual Chef Cres will put together some great food specials that night. Hope to see you there!!

AVBC Tasting

2009-05-20T16:53:00.001-07:00

Anderson Valley Brewing joins us tonight (5/20) for a special tasting of Boont Amber, Hop Ottin' IPA, Imperial IPA, Oatmeal Stout AND 2007 Brother David's Triple. 4 ounce samples of each, a full pint of your choosing and a logo AVBC to keep all for $14.

Food specials for the tasting include:

Brother David Triple steamed Mussels with garlic & parsley served over homefries. $6 (Suggested pairing: Triple)

Two chorizo potato and serrano pepper tacos with fresh pico de gallo and cilantro on a corn tortilla. $5 (Suggested pairing: IPA or Imperial IPA)

Hope to see you later tonight!

KCRA A-List Results

2009-05-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who voted for Sac Brew on the KCRA A-List, with your support we took 1st place for the second year in a row! See the full results for the KCRA A-List here.

To celebrate we will be offering $14 prime rib dinners on Friday and Saturday nights! Come on in, have a great meal and try some of our new brewers specials like Half Pint IPA and Luna de Miel.

Mother's Day Brunch

2009-05-06T21:27:00.001-07:00

Join us at Sacramento Brewing Company for a fantastic Mother's Day brunch featuring all our normal brunch favorites like eggs benedict & biscuits and gravy plus hand carved Prime Rib, made to order omelette station, fajita bar and Poached Salmon.

Only $24.99 for all you can eat plus unlimited Mimosas, Champagne, and Sac Brew Beer. $19.99 if you want the food but not the unlimited drinks.

Seating starts at 9:30am and last brunch seating at 2:00pm.

Reservations strongly recommended.

Events this Week

2009-05-03T15:39:00.001-07:00

Luna De Miel Release Party
Tuesday, May 5th
We will release Luna de Miel, our amber Mexican lager, on Cinco De Mayo this year. This beer was originally brewed to celebrate Brewmaster Peter Hoey's wedding and when translated means "Honeymoon."

We will have mexican food specials to go with the beer and Chef Crescencio's signature lobster rellanos which are part of our daily menu now!
So far chevechie and empanadas are on the menu.

Allagash Tasting
Wednesday, May 6th
We will be tasting some great beers from Allagash Brewing (Portland, ME) that rarely make it out to the Sacramento area. We will be pouring:

White: A Belgian-inspired white ale
Curioux: A Triple aged in bourbon barrels
Four: A quadruple style ale
Black: A Belgian-inspired stout

$10 gets you an Allagash logo chalice (to keep) full of White and then 4 ounce samples of Curioux, Four and Black.

2009-04-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

Spring Brewers Dinner
May 2nd, 2009

Spring Vegetable Minestrone
Abbey Extra

Braised Pork Belly with Roasted Beets
Red Horse

Insalta Mista with Red Wine Vinaigrette
Abbey IPA

Pumpkin Risotto with Fresh scallops
Firestone Walker Pale 31

Tiramisu with espresso sauce
Imperial Stout

Seating at 6:00, Dinner at 6:30
$50 per person

i am a craft brewer.

2009-04-23T21:00:00.001-07:00

Thought I would share this video with those of you who are not immersed in the beer community that might have missed it. Greg Koch of Stone Brewing put it together for the keynote address at this years Craft Brewers Conference.

i am a craft brewer.

http://vimeo.com/4298464

Sierra Nevada Tasting Update

2009-04-14T19:02:00.000-07:00

So Chef Cres and I have been working on some tasty treats for our Sierra Nevada Tasting on Wednesday April 22nd. We will have our normal tasting flight of the featured brewery and keep the glass promotion and will have a special menu starting at 5:00.

Salmon Tartare Crostini - Sashimi grade salmon tossed in sesame seed oil, soy sauce and wasabi on sourdough toast.
Pairing suggestion: Sierra Summerfest Lager

Roasted Beet Salad - House roasted beets, goat cheese, and crystal wheat carbonated citrus wedges tossed in a citrus tarrogon vinegrette.
Pairing Suggestion: Sierra Crystal Wheat Ale

Steak Crostini - Thin sliced steak with a sourcream horseraddish sauce and chives.
Pairing suggestion: Sierra India Pale Ale or 2009 Sierra Bigfoot Barleywine

All designed to be ala carte, three crostinis to a plate to encourage sampling and pairing with the featured beers.

Cheers!

Two New Beers

2009-04-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

Just tapped today:

Sierra Nevada Brewing - Brown Saison
Nice, spicy notes with mild caramel flavor and pleasant bitter finish.

Russian River Brewing - Pliny the Elder
Double IPA. If you've not had it, get down ASAP. Last keg sold out early on the day after we tapped it.

Easter Brunch

2009-04-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

Join us at Sacramento Brewing Company for a fantastic Easter Brunch featuring all our normal brunch favorites plus hand carved Prime Rib and Poached Salmon.

Only $24.99 for all you can eat plus unlimited Mimosas, Champagne, and Sac Brew Beer. $19.99 if you want the food but not the unlimited drinks.

Seating starts at 9:30am and last seating at 2:30pm.

Reservations strongly recommended.

Sierra Nevada Tasting

2009-04-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

Sierra Nevada joins us for a special night of world class beer!

April 22nd we will be pouring:

Summerfest
Crystal Wheat Ale
Pale Ale
Brown Saison
India Pale Ale
2004 Bigfoot
2008 Bigfoot
And a special Cask Conditioned Ale TBA

4 ounce sample of each, 1 full pint (snifter for barleywines), and a logo sierra glass to keep all for $18.

We will have a special menu starting at 5:00pm that night designed to pair with and cooked with these special beers. Stay tuned here for previews!

Beer Update

2009-03-30T11:44:00.000-07:00

New Beer on tap TODAY!

Dogfish Head Aprihop: An IPA brewed with apricots.

(Replaces Deschutes Hop Henge Imperial IPA)

New Beer Update

2009-03-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

Unibroue Maudite & Rubicon Rex IPA are out.

New this week:
Port Brewing - Way Heavy
A "wee heavy" scotch ale brewed at the San Clemente Pizza Port location. Big caramel flavor with a sweet malty finish.

Comming Soon:

Stone Brewing - Smoked Porter
Deschutes - Mirror Pond and Black Butte Porter
Green Flash - Hop Head Red
Greenhouse - Pale Ale and Brown Ale
Rubicon Brewing - *CASK* Maggie Brown

Beer Update

2009-03-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

Pliny, Anchor Christmas, Sudwerk Hefe out.

Anchor Liberty, Oskar Blues Gordon, Bear Republic Crazy Ivan in.

Anchor Liberty
Originally brewed in 1975 to commemorate Paul Revere's ride, this brew is a heavily hopped ale (Cascade hops) with a copper color and a hoppy nose.

Oskar Blues Gordon
Gordon is a dry-hopped hybrid strong ale somewhere between a Double IPA and and Imperial Amber Ale (IAA). Brewed in tribute to the late Gordon Knight, Gordon is brewed with massive amounts of American hops and features about 85 IBUs and 8.7% alcohol by volume. Once a winter seasonal, Gordon is now a year-round, limited-supply offering.

Bear Republic Crazy Ivan
A blend of Red Rocket and Racer 5 fermented with a Belgian yeast strain.

SOME THINGS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:

Bear Republic Double Rocket
Take the Red Rocket Ale and double the malt and hops for a very strong, very hoppy brew. We are the only bar to have this beer in Sacramento, the closest place to us to get a glass is at the Bear Republic Pub in Healdsburg. Save yourself the drive and give it a try locally.

Deschutes The Dissident
One gallon left of this one, get it while you can.

Rubicon Rex Double IPA
The Rubicon may be out of this beer but we still have a keg. Big hop aroma with a nice malty but bitter finish. If you were a fan come and get it while you can, it won't last long.

Sac Brew Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Red Ale
100% Barrel Aged, no blending. BIG oak and bourbon aroma and caramel malt sweetness.

Rubicon Brewing Tasting

2009-03-04T08:06:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that all day today we have a tasting and pint glass promotion featuring our friends at Rubicon Brewing Company! Come get a tasting flight of IPA, Irish Red, Rex Double IPA, Stout and Winter Wheat Wine, a pint* and Rubicon logo glass to keep. All for just $14.

There will some great food specials in the bar designed to compliment the Rubicon Ales, 3 different small plates for $5. Chef Crescensio told me yesterday he would be serving chorizo potato enchiladas with a spicy avocado salsa and queso fresco for one of them. Yum!

*half pints of Rex and Winter Wheat Wine.

Happy Birthday Jay Brooks

2009-03-03T08:44:00.000-08:00

This is a special post for the man who always remembers everyone else's birthday. We here at Sacramento Brewing want to wish Jay Brooks a very happy birthday!

Jay is a great writer, better beer advocate and a great friend. Check out his blog, the Brookston Beer Bulletin and you will see why he is such a valued member of our brewing community.

Cheers Jay!

New Beers This Week

2009-02-23T19:34:00.000-08:00

Celebration from Sierra is toast and we killed the last keg of ESB from Bear Republic. But never fear, here is the list of new beers this week:

ON NOW (2/23)
Sacramento Brewing Company - Abbey IPA
This is our "Belgian IPA" or West Coast IPA fermented with Belgian Ale yeast. Interesting spicy Belgian yeast notes merge with citrusy notes from Simcoe, Columbus and Amarillo hops.

Sudwerk (Davis, CA) - Hefeweizen
Just across the causeway is a great German brewery. Their hefeweizen is a true bavarian style hefe with clove and banana notes and a hazy golden color.

Russian River Brewing (Santa Rosa, CA) - Pliny the Elder
Pliny returns, the classic double ipa with big fresh hop aroma and crisp bitter finish.

Valley Brew (Stockton, CA) - London Tavern Ale **ON CASK**
We got a cask of this great English session ale, low alcohol and big flavor makes for a beer you can drink all night an enjoy every pint. Special session beer pricing as well, $4.00 pints and $3.00 half pints.

ON TOMORROW (2/24)
In preparation for our Deschutes pint night and tasting we are getting our fingers into the kegs just a touch early.

Mirror Pond
Black Butte Porter
Buzzsaw Brown Ale
Hop Trip Fresh Hop Ale
Hop Henge Imperial IPA
The Dissident

Due to limited supply of The Dissident it will only be available as part of the Deschutes sample set.

Sacramento's Best Draft Beer Selection

2009-02-19T07:33:00.000-08:00

We now have all 36 taps online giving Sacramento Brewing Company the BEST draft beer selection in the greater Sacramento area! Come in and try some of our award winning house brewed ales and lagers as well as rare beers from small craft breweries and imports from Belgium you wont find anywhere else!

Check out our current beer selection on the right side bar, we update it daily and are constantly bringing you new beers for your (and our!) enjoyment!

Cheers,
Peter Hoey
Brewmaster

Fox 40 Morning Show 2/19

2009-02-18T20:44:00.000-08:00

Sac Brew will be on the Fox 40 morning show tomorrow, February 19th. The segment should be around the top of the hour on either side of 6:00 am. Sorry for the short notice, just found out right now! If we can get some streaming video I will post it here as soon as it is available.

More Guest Beers

2009-02-14T09:23:00.000-08:00

Well, we got 12 additional taps installed last week and it is time to send some beer through them. Starting Monday, 2/16, we will be adding the following beers:

Firestone Walker Pale 31: Hoppy but restrained, bitter but balanced, a beautiful pale ale.

Firestone Walker DBA: Just about the best English Pale Ale you are going to find outside of England. Well, maybe the best in England too.

Firestone Walker Velvet Merkin: Rich, dark and creamy oatmeal stout.

Bear Republic Racer 5: A bar (and personal) favorite returns. Big west coast hop aroma and flavor.

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine: The classic American style barleywine. Bittersweet with a load of dry hops.

Sierra Nevada ESB: Nice English Style pale ale with a decided west coast influence.

AND (while they last) we have two casks: Firestone Union Jack and 100% Barrel Fermented DBA

More Cask News

2009-02-12T11:19:00.000-08:00

We have lots of real ale events going on in Sacramento right now and I wanted to let you know that Rubicon Breiwng (who often has cask conditioned beer of their own if you didn't know) will be serving Sac Brew IPA as a "guest cask" starting tomorrow, Friday the 13th.

Head down and check it out if you missed our last cask at Sac Brew. The cask Rubicon has is our regular IPA unfiltered and extra dry hopped with a blend of Centennial and Columbus. In a couple of weeks we will reciprocate and have a guest cask of Rubicon IPA at Sac Brew.

Cheers to Real Ale!

Cask IPA on now

2009-02-06T15:03:00.000-08:00

We tapped a cask of our house IPA this morning just in time for the weekend. Unfiltered, cask conditioned and extra dry hopped with Columbus hops. Get it while you can, there is only 10.8 gallons in a firkin. Consider it a preview of things to come with our cask conditioning program.

Feb 16th: Firestone Walker Returns!

2009-02-03T09:30:00.001-08:00

Join us on Monday February 16th for a night of Real Ale with Firestone Walker Brewing Company. We are serving TWO casks of their beer: Union Jack IPA and 100% barrel fermented DBA. We will tap the casks at 11:00 am and serve them until they are gone!

Cask ale is very different from draft ale and contrary to popular American belief cask beers are NOT "warm and flat." Casks are served at cellar temperature, about 55 degrees, and while they do have a lighter carbonation they are not flat. The other main difference is the special beer engines used to dispense them do not rely on CO2 to serve the beer like a keg does. The beer is drawn out using a pump and is served through a sparkler creating a rich whipped cream like head and a very fine bubble.

Pints are $4.75, Half Pints $3.50 and if you didn't get a FSW logo glass at their last pint night you can get one full of FSW beer for $5.75 while supplies last.

If you are not familiar with Firestone's brewing process they ferment a portion of DBA in American Oak barrels in what is called a "Union System." It is a series of 60 gallon oak barrels that are all linked together. This oak fermented beer is then blended into an all stainless fermented batch of DBA to add complexity. The cask that we will be serving is straight out of the barrels, so it will be a very different experience that the DBA you are used to.

New Beers on Tap

2009-02-02T09:38:00.000-08:00

We just put a bunch of new beers on tap this morning that I wanted to make you all aware of. You can always check what we are serving on the right sidebar of this blog but I wanted to highlight some new and exciting beers:

Brouwerij Verhaeghe - Duchesse de Bourgogone: A Flemmish red ale from Belgium. This beer replaces Deschutes' The Dissident on our sour beer handle. Tart green apple and stone fruit mix with sourness and barrel aged character. Throw in some lactic twang for a very complex sour ale.

Bear Republic - Double Rocket: This 9% beer is an Imperial Red Ale, much like our fall seasonal Smokey's Imperial Red. It is the Red Rocket recipe but with double the malt and hops! Very fruity with a deep pine like hop character.

Nectar Ales - Nectar IPA: A fantastic IPA, we had a cask of this beer on last week but this is the normal draft version. More floral and fruity than the big citrus bombs we are used to on the west coast. Balanced and delicious.

Sacramento Brewing Company - Nut Brown Ale: A new house brewed ale, this brown ale had a big chocolate and malt component with just enough hops to balance. We aren't all about hops here! (just mostly).

Come in and try some of these new great beers. Also coming later this month will be Russian River's Pliny the Elder, Bear Republic's Crazy Ivan, and Firestone's Velvet Merkin. Keep an eye on the blog to see when we change out kegs.

Google Calendar

2009-01-31T16:55:00.001-08:00

We added a calendar to the bottom of this blog listing our upcoming events, bands playing and specials around the brewery. Major brewery events will still be posted on the blog but check it out for band information as well as looking ahead for lots of beery events we will be participating in.

Pint Nights

2009-01-17T08:26:00.000-08:00

One of the new events we will be holding at Sac Brew are "pint night" promotions where we feature one brewery's beers for an evening. Usually this will involve a sampler set ranging from 4-8 beers and a full pint in that brewery's logo glass, which you get to keep.

Our first pint night is this Wednesday January 21st with Firestone Walker Brewing Company. We will be pouring Double Barrel Ale (DBA), Pale 31, Union Jack, and Walker's Reserve Porter. Four - 4 ounce samples of each beer, a full pint of any of the four and a Firestone Walker pint glass for you to keep will cost $13. Then $4 refills of Firestone beers all night.

In addition there will be a Cask of Nectar IPA on a beer engine available in pints and half pints.

As an aside, we did have a 21st Amendment Pint night scheduled for the 28th of January but we needed to reschedule that event. We are talking with the guys from 21A and will set a date in March soon.

Brewers Dinner

2009-01-09T17:54:00.000-08:00

Join us January 14th for our next Brewers Dinner! Crescencio, our Executive Chef, has put together a great Mexican inspired menu for us to enjoy. Seating is limited, purchase tickets in advance at the bar.

Gorditas De Carne
A fresh corn masa gordita stuffed with shredded cheddar beef.
Brewhouse Lager

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Spicy chicken soup with farmers market vegetables garnished with queso fresco.
Barrister's Bitter

Ensalada de Pato
Salad with duck confit carnitas and an avacado lime dressing, topped with pico de gallo & sour cream.
Red Horse Ale

Camarones En Pipian De Almendra
Giant Shrimp in a tomatillo, cilantro & almond sauce.
India Pale Ale

Pastel de Tres Leches
Three milk cake with fresh berries.
Old Pappy

$40 (Inclusive) Advance tickets
Seating at 6:00, dinner at 6:30
Call 916-485-4677 for more information

Brewery Update

2009-01-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

It is with a heavy heart that I write this blog telling you that after 13 years we have closed the doors at our Citrus Heights location, The Oasis. In these economic times the decision to close the Oasis allows us to focus on our strength: making high quality, award-winning beer. We are closing the Oasis so we can focus on our original restaurant and brewpub and continue provide our customers with world class craft beer and fantastic food.

I want to dispel some rumors that have been floating around the brewing scene at this time:

Our Town and Country location is OPEN for business as usual.
We did not declare bankruptcy
We are not withdrawing from distributing our beers to the greater Sacramento area, Bay Area, and Southern California Markets.

As an aside, any kegs and taps that were purchased from The Oasis can be returned to our Town and Country Brewpub to get your deposit refunded.

While there will be some changes in our product line we will still have all our tasty craft beers available at our brewpub and in finer markets, bars and restaurants. Stay tuned here, we have some great events, beer releases and announcements that will be made in short time.

Cheers,
Peter Hoey, Brewmaster
Sacramento Brewing Company

Brewers Special Update

2008-12-17T08:18:00.001-08:00

Friday we will release two new beers at our Town & Country location:

Abbey Extra (5.0%): An abbey single typically brewed by the Trappist monasteries for the monks personal consumption. A pale colored Belgian-inspired beer brewed with malted barley, malted wheat, oats and just a touch of Styrian Golding hops for aroma make a subtle but complex ale.

Barristers Bitter (4.0%): A British/American hybrid style pale ale with a name inspired by owner George Irwin's previous law profession. This is an English Session Beer inspired American ale featuring Crystal, Mt. Hood and Simcoe hops for big flavor in a small package.

There are only two kegs left of Imperial Red Ale and Batch 900 so get those while you can, they won't be around long!

Pappy is Here...

2008-11-06T12:04:00.000-08:00

We have released our first beer from our barrel aging program today at our Town and Country location. Old Pappy California Wheat Wine is a wheat wine style ale, much like a barleywine but with 50% wheat, that has been aged in 23 year old bourbon barrels. The beer itself has a deep caramel richness with just enough bitterness to balance. The bourbon barrels imparted a nice coconut, vanilla and pineapple note in the beer that has integrated nicely to form a complex and cohesive strong ale. It is 13.0% abv and does show some of the alcohol but not in a bad way. Just enough to remind you how strong it is.

You can get a 9 oz brandy snifter full of it for $3.75 but there is a limit of two per customer per day. No growlers but fear not, bottles are in the works.

Check out pictures of filling the barrels here if you are interested. (Courtesy of Rick Sellers from DRAFT and Pacific Brew News)

Fall Brewer's Dinner

2008-11-03T14:17:00.000-08:00

Our next brewer's dinner is upon us this Wednesday, November 5th at 6:00. This time we will be serving a collection of the favorite dishes Crecencio has presented over the last year at previous brewer's dinners.

Seared Ahi Tuna
Sashimi grade ahi with a mustard curry sauce and asparagus tips
India Pale Ale

Sweet Corn Soup with Crab Albonidas
Roasted Corn Soup with Crab Meatballs
Batch 900 (English Bitter)

Italian Market Arugula & Spinach Salad
Salami, fresh mozzarella, and sun dried tomatoes
Hefeweizen

Beer Battered Lobster Stuffed Chilies
Chili Rellenos with a twist.
Independence Double IPA

Ginger Custard with Poached Pears
Pears Poached in Brussels Blonde with Custard
Old Pappy California Wheat Wine &
Bourbon Barrel Aged Smokey's Imperial Red

$65 per person. Your payment holds your reservation. Seating begins at 6:00pm at Sacramento Brewing Company, Town and Country location (2713 El Paseo Lane, Sacramento, CA 958212)

Alpha King Challenge

2008-10-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

Well, we did not win anything at the Alpha King Challenge this year but we did get this video of Sarah "Half-Pint" Irwin reacting to the news...

OKTOBERFEST

2008-10-17T16:55:00.000-07:00

Join us for fun for the whole family Saturday, October 18th at our Town and Country Location! There will be face painting, German music, balloon animals and a fashion show. Oh, and there will be eight house brewed German beers along with pretzels and Morant's Old Fashioned sausages. The fest will run from 11:00 am to 7:30 pm but the party can continue in our bar if you aren't finished by then.

The Dissident

2008-10-01T21:40:00.000-07:00

Well, The Dissident has left our Town and Country location but fear not sour fans, we still have it at The Oasis. We will continue to run Eric's Ale at T&C for a while longer, there are a couple of 5 gallon kegs left so you can get your sour fix.

The Dissident has been replaced with our Oktoberfest Lager so we now have that at both locations. We don't make too many lagers so enjoy it while you can, it is moving fast and has only been out for a few days!

Oktoberfest Party

2008-09-28T16:49:00.000-07:00

We are having an Oktoberfest Party on Saturday October 18th all day long at our Town & Country location. The cool news (from the brewery perspective) is that we will have 8 house brewed German style ales and lagers being served up that day! Here is the current list:

Brewhouse Lager - Munich Light Lager
Hefeweizen - Our German Style Unfiltered Wheat Beer
Kellerbier - Unfiltered Munich Light right off the fermenter
Sprockets Pilsner - German Style Pilsner
Luna de Miel - Vienna Style Lager
Oktoberfest - The Beer the Fest is Named After, an Amber Lager
Dusseldorf Alt - A Copper German Ale
Traditional Bock - A Dark German Lager

More details to follow but you can expect a big tent, lots of sausages and of course...BIER!

River Otter Ale

2008-09-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

The last of the River Otter Ale is out of the serving tank and into kegs. We are discontinuing that beer to make room for increased production of our other year round brews and increased variety of Brewer's specials. As I write this it has been pulled from our Town & Country location and the last 7 kegs will get drained at the Oasis. If you still want a keg we can get it for you for a short time but when they are gone they are gone!

In the meantime we will not be replacing it with another pale ale per se although some of the brewers' specials planned are pale ales. We have a glut of German beers for our Oktoberfest party that will be taking up the taps for a while. More on that later...

Special Guest Beers

2008-09-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

We are gearing up for some fun events this weekend between the California Brewers Festival and the Northern California Homebrewers Festival but after all that is over we have a great special release for you at both our pubs.

At 5:00 on Monday, September 22nd we will tap two special guest beers: The Dissident from Deschutes Brewing and Eric's Ale from New Belgium Brewing. Both are sour beers that use a combination of brettanomyces, lactobacillus, and pediocacus for flavor but they arrive at two very different tastes. Oh, and to head off any comments or concerns I want to remind all of you that no pathogens can live in beer so don't let this talk of lactic acid producing yeast and bacteria scare you off from trying a glass.

The Dissident is a Flanders style brown ale that has been aged in wine barrels along with whole Washington cherries and brettanomyces yeast. All of that comes together for a fruity, complex and sour beer.

Eric's Ale is a sour peach beer, much lighter in color than the Dissident that has been aged in barrels with a plethora of sour organisms and whole peaches. All of these critters contribute to a very tart but still fruity dry beer.

Now, both of these ales have fruit in them but don't think of the sickly sweet or artificial fruit flavored beers in the market. These are dry beers with subtle fruit character. Come enjoy them at both of our locations.

Trash & Trinkets Rally Tomorrow (9/9)

2008-09-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

Come out to the Rubicon tomorrow morning at 10:30 am for a rally to veto bill AB1245, AKA "Trash & Trinkets". I know it is a work day, but I just dropped everything I had planned tomorrow to get be there and show the Governor that we as small brewers do not support this bill.

Jay summed it up (again) here if you want to read what this bill could potentially mean for us small brewers. Remember this, Anheuser Bush sponsored the bill and they are the ONLY brewery supporting it. This includes domestic big brewers, foreign breweries, microbreweries and every thing inbetween. Let me say it again, they are the ONLY brewery supporting this bill so they can further flex their marketing spending muscles far beyond what a small or even midsized company can compete with. Help us maintain the current gift spending limits and come down to the rally tomorrow.

If you are the kind of person that goes into bars and bottle shops and wishes there were more kinds of beer there then pay attention to this call. “The real loser in the AB marketing game will be the consumer who will likely see reduced choices at their local market,” said Tom McCormick, executive director of the California Small Brewers Association. Make no mistake, this bill will allow big brewers to squeeze out little guys. I hope to see you tomorrow, 10:30 am at the Rubicon Brewing Company at 20th and Capitol.

Brewhouse Lager

2008-09-03T09:00:00.001-07:00

Our new beer, Brewhouse Lager, is now online at Town & Country and will be at the Oasis later this week. It is a Munich Light style, very pale and dry with a low hop aroma and bitterness. It is made with all malt, meaning no rice or corn, so it has a bit more body that your typical light lager. The low alcohol and smooth finish make it the ideal beer for finishing out this hot Sacramento summer.

Brewhouse Lager is based on a homebrew recipe that I used to make before becoming a professional brewer that originated from Greg Noonan's book New Brewing Lager Beer. If you are a homebrewer and don't own that book go get it, it is a great resource. I brewed this beer every summer and it made for a great thirst quencher while I was waiting tables and making coffee drinks trying to crack into the world of professional brewing.

So if I may go on a tangent for a minute, I have a new pet peeve which is part of the reason why we named this beer what we did. I am tired of bars calling themselves brewhouses. According to Webster the definition of a brewhouse is:

Brew´house`

A house or building appropriated to brewing; a brewery.

This really hit home for me when a bar adjacent to the main stage at the California State Fair claimed to be a brewhouse. It was essentially a stand that sold macroswill and one or two craft beers. That example is illustrative of places that have been irking me. They typically have a modest (but not good) selection of beer and NEVER have a brewery on site. They are NOT breweries they are BARS. It just seems to be the hip thing to do right now but for the love of Pete stop calling yourself a brewhouse if you don't make your own beer!!!

KCRA is FAST

2008-08-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

Wow, only a couple of hours has gone by since the interview and they already have it posted! Click here if you missed it live today to see me on the air talking about pairing our beers with food!

There is a 30 second ad before the video starts.

Beer on TV: KCRA 3

2008-08-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

A little late on this one for you working folks to set your tivo's...sorry about that.

I will be on KCRA 3 today for the Noon News hour in a segment about pairing our beers with food. Check it out, I don't know when it will be on exactly, it is a live show so they said it could air anytime. If they provide streaming video I will post a follow up for those who missed it or live out of the area.

Drinking in a Down Economy

2008-08-21T09:20:00.000-07:00

This post started as a comment on Rick Sellers Pacific Brew News Blog and it quickly got too long to be contained in the comments section. Rick observed that some people may be reducing the amount they tip during these times of high gas prices, falling home values and increasing costs at the grocery stores. He brings up one of my favorite drinking etiquette rules from the Modern Drunkard: "If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to drink in a bar. Go to a liquor store."

I don't go out nearly as much as I would like because I subscribe to the Modern Drunkard ethos whole heartedly. I tip for good service and tip large for great service. I just consider it a cost of dining out. The beer community isn't limited to producers and drinkers, it is these men and women in the service industry that bring the two together. At my regular spots they take great care of me and I take great care of them.

I was just talking with my wife about the fact that so many people have never worked in a restaurant that there is no appreciation for what goes into the job. Many of the places we frequent are staffed by professionals. Service is their job and tips are their primary source of income. How would you like it if every time gas climbed above $4.00 per gallon your boss gave you a 5% pay cut? They are already feeling the pinch by people not dining out as frequently these days, why rub salt in the wound? Most of these folks work hard so you can sit relax and have the luxury of beer and food brought right to you and have the dirty dishes whisked away.

That being said, the choice between going out to a bar or drinking at home is where this tipping tangent came from. Our "to go" beer sales (growlers, kegs, bottles) are strong, in fact they are matching our highest sales ever as a percentage to total sales. The trouble I have with that trend is that a big part of the brewing scene is community and for some reason it feels like something is missing without gathering at a third place instead of hanging out at home with a brew.

The book Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam that examines how our "social capital" has been diminished over the years as in modern society we have fewer and fewer social outlets and are becoming increasingly isolated individuals. If people are increasingly taking beer home to drink because of the costs of going out it can only contribute to our diminished community connections.

I think a compromise is in order that solves both of these problems. Go out with friends, share a pitcher as they are generally cheaper than 4 individual pints. Split a pizza, share an appetizer, or dine during happy hour. If money is tight perhaps you don't order that additional beer or extra course if you can't afford it but don't skimp on the tip!

Summer Brewers Dinner

2008-08-18T09:43:00.000-07:00

Our next Brewer's Dinner will be Tuesday, August 26th and will feature 5 courses prepared by our Executive Chef Crescencio Rodriguez and paired with a beer by Brewmaster Peter Hoey. Get your tickets now, they went on sale yesterday and we are already halfway sold out!

Seared Ahi Tuna
Sashimi grade ahi with a mustard curry sauce and asparagus tips
Independence Ale

Squash & Sweet Pea Soup with Fresh Oysters
Puree of yellow squash and fresh sweet peas garnished with a fresh oyster
India Pale Ale

Hearts of Artichoke Salad
Artichoke with baby spring mix, fresh mozzarella and sun dried tomatoes
Pilsner

Filet Mignon Marinated in Scotch Ale
Garnished with foie gras and swiss chard served aside potato ravioli
Scotch Ale

Bananas Royal
Caramelized bananas served with mango ice cream and chocolate
Hefeweizen

$60 per person. Your payment holds your reservation. Seating begins at 6:30pm at Sacramento Brewing Company, Town and Country location (2713 El Paseo Lane, Sacramento, CA 958212)

I Heart Pork Belly

2008-08-15T09:06:00.001-07:00

This is an exciting time for craft beer as in recent years there has been a concerted movement to elevate beer to its proper place at the table. Beer dinners are popping up all over the Bay Area and we are starting to see more around Sacramento. I have always advocated that beer is far superior to wine when it comes to food pairings, especially for Thai, Chineese, and Mexican dishes and it seems as if at least a few people are catching the drift.

Last night Mulvaney's B&L hosted a brewers dinner featuring the beers of the Rubicon. The theme was Pork. Yum. Every course had pork in it, even dessert where in addition to the flourless chocolate cake there was chocolate covered bacon with a light pistachio crust.

My favorite beer and food pairing of the night was a preview of 2008 Rosebud, a Strong ale brewed with 12 different malts with big caramel, malty and fruity flavors. It was paired with "Jamican Bangers and Mash" which was pork sausage with jerk spices and mashed plantines. The sweetness of the beer was great to compliment the heat of the jerk spices.

Patrick Mulvaney is a fantastic chef and all the courses were meticulously prepared including stretching his own mozzarella and curing his own copa for one dish to the wonderful hand passed appetizers that included roasted figs with shaft blue cheese, house smoked salmon on a potato chip, and mini ruben sandwiches with local lamb pastrami. There was also crispy pork belly to go along with a smoked pork shoulder. Yum and yum.

Get down to Mulvaney's if you haven't been before. It is in Midtown Sacramento at 1215 19th Street. The food is fantastic, ingredients are local and house made, the ambiance is relaxing and the service is professional. What more could you ask for?

Beer on the Radio

2008-08-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

I along with Bryan Shadden, producer of "On Tap" and JJ Jackson of the Homebrew Outlet were guests on Capital Public Radio's program Insight. We discussed the local beers scene, the science of brewing, and promoted the On Tap premier.

You can download the show here. It is an hour long and we are the last segment if you are looking for the beer content.

The End of Summer

2008-08-13T08:33:00.001-07:00

I love the changing of the seasons. For some reason Fall has always been my favorite season and as a brewer I get excited about this time of year. I know a reprieve from the hot weather is on the horizon with that comes all the fall seasonal beers. Granted, it is certainly still summer here in Sacramento, the 101 degree day yesterday was a painful reminder of that. Despite the current hot snap, activity in the brewhouse is starting to feel like Fall.

One last summer brew, our new Brewhouse Lager, is to be released in about three weeks. It is a light lager brewed with domestic Pilsner Malt, German Munich and Carafoam malts finished with Tetnang hops. We are trying a new lager yeast strain in this batch from Augustiner instead of our normal lager yeast so we are excited to see how it tastes compared to our normal pilsner yeast.

Independence Ale is all but gone, there is one keg left at the Oasis that will likely run out this week. Oktoberfest is in the tank and the bigger beers have been brewed for our Great American Beer Festival entries. Smokey's Imperial Red is the beer most people are interested in, especially now that Independence has just about run out. It has been brewed but needs another month or so to age and be dry hopped over and over again. And again. It should make an appearance towards the end of September and will be one of our GABF and Alpha King entries.

B900 is the same recipe we brewed last year for our 900th batch at our original location. It is an ordinary bitter brewed with floor malted Maris Otter malt, English caramel malts and East Kent Golding hops. Very flavorful but low alcohol beer, great for drinking lots of without getting smashed. I am going to brew it next week and it doesn't take long to ferment and condition. Look for it in about three weeks from the date of this post.

We also have a nice selection of some guest beers right now at Town & Country. As I write this we have the last keg of Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA on line and I just tapped a keg of Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale this morning. There are some other treats lined up, keep an eye on the blog for some more special guest beers coming soon!

Cheers!

Action Alert: Trash and Trinkets

2008-08-08T17:40:00.001-07:00

There is a serious action alert for all of you California craft beer lovers. AB 1245 or the "Trash and Trinkets" bill is up for a vote on Monday. Anheuser-Busch is currently the ONLY brewery supporting this bill which will increase the gift-to-consumer limit from $0.25 to $5.00 per item. It may seem small but it will make it extremely difficult for us small breweries to compete. Please call your Senator and encourage them to vote no on AB 1245, these phone calls really make a difference. You can find your senator and their contact information here.

If you want to read more about this issue check out what Jay Brooks has to say about it here and here.

KVIE On Tap Premier

2008-08-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago Sacramento Brewing was selected to be one of the breweries featured in a new program called On Tap. The show is part of the ViewFinder series, a locally produced program for KVIE Channel 6 that covers a variety of local topics from railroads to 1950's vacations.

In addition to visiting our brewery and getting some shots of the pub and me brewing the producers invited some industry veterans to talk about and taste some Sacramento beers. Jay Brooks, Rick Sellers, and JJ Jackson join the program to talk about their selections and discuss the state of the brewing industry. Jay selected our Russian Imperial Stout for the tasting, Rick chose Rubicon IPA, and JJ went with Sudwerk Pilsner. There are also interviews with Sierra Nevada and Anchor Brewing so it is not just limited to Sacramento brews but still has a nice local perspective.

Check it out, the show premiers August 13th at 7:00 on KVIE Channel 6. Tell your friends, the producers want to make this a regular series and we need more shows about the great craft beer being made in this state!

International Brewers Day

2008-07-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

Don't forget that International Brewers Day is right around the corner on July 18th! Celebrate by patronizing your local brewery (or breweries!) as well as meeting the people who work hard every day making sure your glass is full of great beer!

Oregon Brewers Festival

2008-07-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

We are getting close to one of my favorite beer festivals in one of my favorite cities. Join Sacramento Brewing Company (and many, many other breweries) July 24th to the 27th at the Oregon Brewers Festival in Portland, OR. We will be pouring Unfiltered Red Horse Ale at the fest so stop by our trailer and grab a glass!

Last year there were over 60,000 people at the fest, lots of good beer and tons of off site events with some of my favorite brewers hosting great parties. I know I am looking forward to spending some time at the new Hopworks Urban Brewery in particular.

As a side note, how stoked are Shaun & Nico from the 21st Amendment Brewery about the theme for this year!

State Fair Results

2008-07-01T14:51:00.001-07:00

We were able to start the year off with a bang winning a Bronze Medal at the World Beer Cup for Red Horse Ale as well as fairing pretty well in a small local competition. The State Fair results were just released to us today and here is the latest hardware:

1st Place:
Oatmeal Stout
Celtic Amber Ale

2nd Place:
Hefeweizen
Aye! Aye! Aye! Chili Beer

3rd Place:
Brussels Blond Belgian Strong Golden Ale
Sac Squatch Scotch Ale
Russian Imperial Stout

Eventually the fair will get around to posting the complete list here. Keep your eyes peeled if you are interested in the other winners.

How to Taste A Lot of Beers Without Being A Drunk

2008-06-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you have a beer cellar, perhaps you don't. You may be fortunate enough to have a local bottle shop that has an immense selection of beers and it would take you years to taste your way through them all. You might be a brewer or beer writer that is often gifted with a nice selection of homebrew and commercial beers from your patrons, friends and family. Any way you slice there is always the problem of too many beers and too little time.

The solution: Have a tasting party. Invite your friends, have them pull a couple of beers from their secret stash or go to their local bottle shop and buy some. Seek out the rare, exotic or simply that bottle you have been meaning to try. Better yet have your friends bring some beers AND a hunk of cheese.

My friend Jay Brooks suffers from the "problem" of too many beers. Jay writes about beer for many publications as well as the Brookston Beer Bulletin (which is required daily reading as far as I am concerned) so you can imagine that he has quite a collection at his house. The many samples from breweries in addition to purchasing beers from around the world during his travels all add up to over stuffed refrigerators.

I was fortunate to be invited to a tasting at Jay Brook's house for a "fridge emptying party" as his collection had become too immense to be contained by his three refrigerators. Being the world traveler that he is there were many beers that would not be available in the local market adding up to a plethora of rare or otherwise special selections.

To encourage variety and avoid going directly to the cream of the crop Jay devised a method to at least randomize the style that was selected. A simple die was rolled with various colors on each face representing a broad beer style: ale, lagers & hybrids (referred to as "not ale"), Belgian and then one face that granted access to the secret stash where Jay kept some of the more coveted bottles. The roller would select a beer from the category for all to taste. This way you can minimize personal preference a little and have variety in the sequence of beers.

The bottles were shared with the entire group even if it was only an ounce between all the tasters. This isn't a beer review, even though there were several standouts that were a nice blend of beers I have had before, beers I have always wanted to try, and beers I have never heard of. Most, but not all, were good but even those that were questionable either had a remarkable history surrounding the bottle or prompted an educational discussion about brewers practices and flavor sources.

I encourage you to get a group of your friends together, raid your own stash, pick up some beers on your next vacation or by some new beers at a local shop and have one of these tastings. It gives you the opportunity to taste lots of beer (we managed to get through 52), get together with friends and expand your ability to try many, many of the great beers being brewed around the world without being a drunk.

Should You Drink With Your Kids?

2008-06-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

Time magazine has published a well written piece proposing drinking with your kids. Let's pause here to eliminate any knee jerk outrage about this idea. What Time is discussing is not binge drinking with your kids. It is about having a glass or wine or beer with dinner, not sucking down a twelve pack.

Having just become a father this year this is something that I have given great thought about. I have always advocated drinking at home with the family, it seemed to make sense to demystify alcohol and teach teenagers acceptable drinking practices. Who do I want to teach my daughter to drink? Certainly not some frat boy with questionable intentions.

Dogfish Head

2008-06-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

We bring in guest beers from time to time and we try to do it when we find something special. In this case it is a rarity, at least on the west coast and certainly Sacramento. We have secured several 5 gallon kegs of Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA.

If you haven't had it before it is a double IPA that has a bit more malt presence that the west coast double IPAs you might be used to. In addition to the expected citrus notes from the use of American hops there is a firm malt and caramel as well as a raisin like character. See what other beer fans have to say about it at Ratebeer.com.

Join us at the Oasis where the first keg will be tapped on Monday, June 30th. There is a very limited supply and we will likely sell out that same day.

Southern California Beer Run

2008-06-02T15:13:00.000-07:00

When the posts get farther and farther apart it usually means that we are real busy in the brewery. In this case we have been brewing and packaging beer for our newest market: Southern California.

The first two pallets of beer left our brewery today and will be arriving at El Dorado Distributing in a couple of days. This means that you can now get Red Horse Ale and Sac-Squatch Scotch 6 packs in Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego Counties. We also sent about 16 kegs that way, mostly Red Horse and Scotch but there are a couple IPA and Imperial Stout kegs riding along.

If you are looking, Beverages and More would be a good bet to find the bottled product and rumor has it that Beachwood BBQ in Seal Beach and Hamilton's Tavern in San Diego will be taking some kegs. Ask for it at your favorite watering hole if you are at one of the amazing beer bars in that area.

Miner's Golden Ale

2008-05-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry Pilsner fans, we are out until mid June. We sold the last batch in 13 days and the lagers take at least 45 days to ferment and condition. So, instead of releasing a Pilsner that is much too young we quickly brewed a golden ale to satisfy those who seek a lighter style ale.

It is what we are referring to as an American Bitter. Brewed in the spirit of English Bitters, a session ale that is easy to drink but still retains a lot of flavor. The main difference is it is made from American hops and malt and fermented with an American ale yeast. At 4% ABV several can be consumed without over imbibing yet there is enough flavor to elevate it above a typical golden ale.

It is finished with 11 lbs of Crystal hops and then dry hopped with 13 more pounds in the serving tank. Crystal hops have a subtle citrus and eucalyptus aroma adding a delicate fragrant note to the beer. The aroma will continue to change (and increase) the longer the beer rests on the hops.

I hope you enjoy it, there is only one batch and then we will return to serving Pilsner.

Raley Field Brewfest

2008-05-14T11:11:00.001-07:00

Mark your Calendar on May 24th for the Raley Field Brewfest, the best brewfest in Sacramento! We will have over 40 breweries from Northern California! This is your chance to sample beer from our regions best breweries that do not attend ANY other beer festivals in Sacramento. In addition to that there are bathrooms for 14,680 people and we are only expecting 5,000 attendees this year so no lines for restrooms!

Gates open at 1:00 for general admission or you can purchase the limited VIP tickets that get you in an hour early at 12:00 pm.

Proceeds go directly to the Northern California Brewers Guild, a non-profit organization that promotes Northern California breweries. This fest is by the brewers, for the brewers.

Get your tickets at the Raley Field Box Office, Sacramento Brewing Company (Town & Country location only), Rubicon Brewing Company, Auburn Ale House, Marin Brewing Company, Moylans Brewing Company, Blue Frog Grog & Grill or buy them online through ticketmaster.

Best Brewpub on KCRA A-List

2008-05-01T12:03:00.001-07:00

Thank you to everyone who voted for us recently in the KCRA A-List for best brewpub! Sacramento Brewing Company was named best brewpub in Sacramento. You can see the results here.

To say thank you to our patrons, fans and friends who voted for us we are offering $2.50 pints ($10 pitchers) of River Otter Ale for the whole month of May. Any day, any time. Come in and raise a glass with us!

Cheers!

The Brewing Network

2008-04-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

Last night I did an interview on The Brewing Network about single hop beers and our new barrel program. You can check out the audio here in case you missed it. While you are there check out some of the archived shows, there is a wealth of knowledge from beer experts (and JP) about brewing, tasting, and appreciating craft beer.

Sean Paxton joins the conversation to talk about our barrel project and Jamil Zainasheff stops in for a bit early in the show.

Red Horse Wins at World Beer Cup!

2008-04-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

Sacramento Brewing Company took home their first World Beer Cup® medal this year for Red Horse Ale! We were awarded a Bronze Medal in the American Amber/Red Ale Category. There were 53 other entries in this category alone.

This is a big competition that includes international breweries so we are overjoyed for this win! There were over 2,800 entries in total divided into 91 categories in the competition.

Thanks to the brewery staff at the Oasis for this one, I couldn't do it without you guys!

You can see the complete winner list here. Our friends at Rubicon Brewing took home a gold medal for their Wheat Wine, and Elk Grove Brewing won a gold medal for their Bock Lager.

Saucerful of Merkins

2008-04-10T17:13:00.001-07:00

At the Oasis on Monday, April 14th we will tap a keg of Saucerful of Merkins from Firestone Walker Brewing Company. It is a blend of two beers and is truly a unique drinking experience. The two beers in the blend are:

Saucerful of Secrets (10.2% ABV):
Stainless Steel Fermented
High Gravity Belgian Dark Ale, a tribute to Sid Barrett!
OG: 23P/1.100
FG: 6P/1.024
IBU: 24
Color: 40
Late Charge of Belgian Candi Sugar / Styrian Golding Hops

Velvet Merkin (5.5% ABV):
Traditional Oatmeal Stout -Aged in Bourbon Barrels
OG: 15P
FG: 5.5P
IBU: 32.5
Color: Black
15% Oats / Hopped with 100% US grown Fuggles

The final blend was 80% Velvent Merkin and 20% Saucerful of Secrets and results in a complex, bourbon accented but fruity and spicy ale with a silky smooth body. It is a really unique beer that highlights the creativity and ingenuity of Matt Brynildson, the Brewmaster at Firestone Walker. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

UPDATE: Now available at Town & Country location.

Spring Brewmaster's Dinner

2008-04-08T21:49:00.001-07:00

Our executive Chef, Crescencio Rodriguez had been hard at work developing new recipes for our next Brewmaster's Dinner. Join us Wednesday, April 23rd at our Town and Country Location for a great 5 course meal designed to compliment our hand crafted ales. Sign up now, our Winter dinner sold out in one week!

Fresh Wild Alaskan Ivory Salmon with Spicy Pecan Butter
India Pale Ale

Robollita (Italian Bean Soup)
Nut Brown Ale

Arugula & Spinach Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Dry Salami, and Baby Mozzarella
Hefeweizen

Seared Breast of Duck with Mushroom Cannelloni and Golden Marsala Sauce
Red Horse Ale

Beer poached Pear Strudel Served with Brussels Blonde Reduction Sauce
Brussels Blonde

$50 Inclusive
Your payment holds your reservation
Seating begins at 6:30
Sacramento Brewing Company
Town & Country, 485-4677

The Session: Beer People

2008-04-02T16:14:00.001-07:00

The April Session is hosted by Stonch's Beer Blog.

One thing I really love about this industry is that there are so many good people who are brewers, publicans, owners, chefs, patrons and writers. Many good friendships I have developed over the years started with a call to another brewer asking to borrow yeast or get advice on brewing techniques. Others sprung from mutual love of great beer. All these relationships are connected by the brewing industry and I am fortunate to be a part of it.

One friend I made in the industry is Rick Sellers. He produces a podcast and blog for the Pacific Brew News and his passion for beer and skill with the pen garnered the attention DRAFT Magazine where he is now director of beer content. He is now fortunate to be able to make a living in the industry he loves.

He continues to blog in addition to his duties for the magazine and does a great job of keeping beer fans in Northern California updated on events, news, legal issues or even just musings about beer. Part activist, part enthusiast and part social commentator his blog helps raise awareness of the good in our industry and helps ward off those who wish to do it harm.

I first met him when I held an organic beer tasting at my house and noticed he had a particularly sharp pallet. He is based in Sacramento so I can often find him and his wife Tracy in our local brewpubs, beer bars, beer centric events and sometimes at surprise birthday parties. We have been able to get to know one another through our common interest in beer.

Rick is someone I love to drink beer with because while he has his favorites he is not limited to all IPAs, Belgian Ales or Imperial Stouts. He appreciates nuance just as much as blunt hop force. He has a beautiful way or articulating flavors and aromas in ways a lesser experienced beer drinker can grasp and understand. This skill has been something I have been trying to incorporate into my own descriptions for our pub, writing this blog and when talking to customers.

Rick stopped by Wednesday morning to help me fill our bourbon barrels full of Old Pappy California Wheat Wine. He came camera in hand as he often does, to take some pictures of the days work. You can check out his shots of the procedure here. He is the kind of guy I would welcome into my brewery any day, a fantastic ambassador for craft beer and a great friend. I am glad that my first blog for The Session was to recognize Rick and his contributions to this industry.

UPDATE: Here is the roundup of all the posts.

Brewing Wheat Wine

2008-03-07T18:53:00.000-08:00

Old Pappy California Wheat Wine is in the tank, thanks to the help of The Homebrew Chef, Sean Paxton (right). Sean helped our brewery secure the whiskey barrels that will ultimately house Old Pappy so I was excited to have him in the brewery today to help with the brew.

The grist is fairly simple consisting of 2-Row malted barley, malted white wheat, caramunich & carawheat. I have never used carawheat before and it is totally unlike anything I expected or have brewed with before. The malt tastes like a cross between grape nuts cereal and sunflower seeds and doesn't have much sweetness like I was expecting. The final impact of that grain on the beer should be interesting.

It is a big beer coming in at 25.8 degrees plato (1.109 SG) so depending on how the fermentation progresses it will be around 11% alcohol. It will be fermented with an English ale yeast, not a weizen strain so do not expect any banana or clove notes like a weizenbock. Think barleywine that happens to be brewed with a whole bunch of wheat malt.

After a month or so in the fermenter the entire batch will be transfered to the Van Winkle Whiskey Barrels where it will age from 3 to 7 months. The barrels are 23 years old and were emptied only 4 weeks ago so there should be lots of whiskey flavor there. The beer will be monitored closely to determine when it is ready to be removed and packaged. The idea is not to produce a beer that tastes like a shot of whiskey was added to it, but to add complexity and layers of flavor so timing is everything.

Barrel Aged Beers

2008-02-28T16:43:00.000-08:00

I just had a daughter five weeks ago. It was a process that at times seemed to take forever and at times seems to have gone by in a blink of an eye. I am learning a whole new meaning for the word patience between waiting for her birth and learning to care for a newborn. It is this patience that will pay off for our next major project: Barrel Aged Beers.

These beers will age and mature in wooden barrels that have previously held whiskey, port and various varieties of wine. Patience will be required as our usual 21 day fermentation and conditioning cycle will be replaced with months or even years of aging. Having never done anything like this before we plan to let the beer guide us and tell us when it is ready.

THE WHISKEY BARRELS

We acquired six 23 year old Rip Van Winkle whiskey barrels thanks to the help of Sean Paxton, The Homebrew Chef. These barrels were shipped from the Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky and are now resting quietly in our banquet room, waiting to be filled with the following beers:

Old Pappy California Wheat Wine: Rip Van Winkle whiskey is made with "a whisper of wheat" instead of rye or barley. As an homage to these barrels previous contents we decided to put a wheat wine in them. This beer is being brewed specifically for barrel aging as no "unoaked" version of this ale will see the light of day. Well, at least not much. A full 15 barrel batch of this beer will be brewed and available for sale once it has had time to soak up the flavors of the barrel.

Barrel Aged Imperial Red Ale: We knew these whiskey barrels were coming last fall so we saved a few kegs of 2007 Smokey's Imperial Red Ale to age in whiskey barrels. This will be a small release as we only have enough beer for one whiskey barrel which will yield about 55 gallons.

THE WINE BARRELS

We got our wine barrels from Dragonfly Cellars (which is the winery my brother owns) and from J. Lohr in San Jose. All of them will house sour beer. The general idea is a traditional lambic base beer will be brewed and it will be barrel fermented with a combination of saccharomyces, brettanomyces, lactobacillius, & pediococus. These beers will likely take 18-24 months in barrel before they see the light of day so we all have to be extremely patient with this part of the project.

There will be some cool experimentation that hopefully results in some tasty sour beers so stay tuned and I will update this site with what is going on in the sour barrels in more detail later.

All of this is really exciting, the barrels are breathing new life in to the restaurant and brewery and they haven't even been filled yet! It is a project that is going to take a long time compared to our typical production schedule but I think it will be worth the wait. I am looking forward to all the great beers we can add layers of flavor to through this old world process that is experiencing a rebirth in American Craft Brewing. Look for our first release in the fall of 2008.

Cheers!

And so it begins....

2008-02-28T08:31:00.000-08:00

For the first post of the brand spankin' new Sacramento Brewing Company blog I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Peter Hoey and I am the Brewmaster at Sacramento Brewing Company.

I have been brewing professionally since I was 19 years old with my first job being the assistant brewer at Sacramento Brewing Company's Oasis. While working there I graduated from the American Brewers Guild Intensive Brewing Science course in 2000. Since then I worked as brewer at Sierra Nevada and Brewmaster at Bison Brewing Company.

I returned to Sacramento Brewing to manage the brewpub operations at Town & Country in July of 2006 and took on the responsibility of running our second location and production facility, The Oasis, in May 2007. We made some big changes to recipes, procedures and equipment at that time and have been working hard to constantly improve our beers. We have an awesome staff in place that are skilled at what they do and have a passion for great beer.

The main function of this website is to let our customers, home brewers, fans and staff know what we are doing, what beers we are serving at our pubs and what events we will be attending. We have some interesting projects in the works that will be documented here so I hope you find this blog somewhat entertaining and informative.

Cheers!