We’re suckers for a few things. And proud of it. One of those things is an afternoon spent at a warehouse with a roll-up door and a brewery-pup sniffing around, looking for a leg to lick and a few dropped pretzels.
There’s been a recent surge in craft beer for public consumption (you only wouldn’t know this if you were cryogenically frozen in 2010 and just recently thawed-out). Of course the true meaning of craft, having been bastardized by the behemoth breweries, has now come to mean anything but. A funky, hand-drawn label used to be how one could ferret-out the good, handmade small brews until the giants figured that out and started designing label art that looked more like what your neighbor with a serious home-brew hobby (read; obsession) stuck on their seasonal Dunkel bottles. Another trick by “big beer” is the craft beer work-around- buying out a large portion of a smaller beer company so there’s an illusion of it being an artisan beer maker.
What a great way to show support.
But we digress. Thankfully, many of these brew-hobbyists that went into business have done rather well for themselves, opening small, true craft breweries in warehouses with roll-up doors and rotating taps of seasonally inspired ales, lagers, stouts and most notably, IPAs that’ll make your mouth feel like its been assaulted with some really pissed-off hops. More on that trend in a later post. We’re ever so thankful for the little guys that are still roasting, mashing, fermenting, bottling and labeling locally.
Most artisan and hands-on beer makers don’t have an operating kitchen so food trucks, are the de rigeur food option and somehow, whatever they’re serving always seems to be just right for the pairing. An ever-changing menu, both on-tap and to eat, means patrons are never bored.
An afternoon spent sampling small-batch beer that actually tastes like a great homebrew, with character and seasonal ingredients, while grubbing-on food truck fare and listening to live music is such a great way to keep it real, keep it small and show some local love.
Here are just a few of our favorites. These are actual breweries, not restaurants that serve beer;
Moonraker Brewing Co. – with a really wide variety of well over a dozen taps at any one time, they aren’t too IPA heavy and with a variety of food trucks supplying the BBQ, tacos, pizza, etc. along with other activities like “Paint Nights” and foosball, you won’t die of starvation or boredom. And we definitely won’t ding them for having a seasonal brew called “Trumpkin Head”. You don’t need us to explain it and it sure beats a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Candle Latte any day.
Lockdown Brewing – with both an option to suck suds at either the warehouse by the tracks or in the “soon-to-be” renovated beer bar in Historic Old Folsom, Lockdown keeps the choices streamlined and tasty. Bonus for the warehouse location is that pooches can come along to get some love, affection and dropped food, from the other brew-loving customers.
Jack Russell Farm Brewery – this formerly ultra-small brewery has been in the midst of the “Apple Hill” seasonal throng for a number of years. The beers has always been tasty and while they have added many, many more choices lately, the quality is still good. In-addition, they now do cider and mead in a *not always open* cave-like room on the backside of the building. There are two areas for patrons to play and chill-out with cornhole, food vendors and sometimes live music.
Ruhstaller Farm & Yard – there is a lot to love about Ruhstaller and it has grown exponentially in recent times. The farm and yard is out of town, but worth a trip and family friendly. They grow stuff to make beer and you can have beer there. The taproom, which is in-town, is markedly fancier but not posh (it is Sacramento) with a steady few brews and seasonals added throughout the year. They are known for the Ruhstaller 1881 which uses locally grown hops.
Bike Dog Brewing – in perpetually up-and-coming West Sacramento, this brewery is a beer fan favorite. They make great beer in a variety that will please IPA zealots aficionados as well as those that do not love to suck on aspirin. Plus, their website shows how to bike to (and theoretically from) their place and although it’s as non-descript and unsightly on the outside as most other small-timers, it feels friendly and comfy once you’re there.
Go now all ye suckers and eat, drink and support the little guy.
We’re on the installment plan with our local love touts and will add ’em as we find ’em.
