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To kick off Sacramento's Beer Week, the Old City Cemetery Committee conducted a tour of Sacramento brewers who are buried in Sacramento's Historic City Cemetery.

The tour began at 10 a.m. Saturday, with about 40 people gathered to learn about these historical beer makers.

The tour was guided by Dr. Bob LaPerriere, who shared his wealth of knowledge as we stopped at the brewers' graves throughout the beautiful cemetery.

It was interesting to learn that all but two of the brewers buried there were German by ancestry and most of these men interacted with each other, whether it was through their business investments, ownership or employment.

The first stop was at the grave site of Frank Ruhstaller, where we heard the history of the Buffalo Brewery and its founder Henry Grau. The grand brewery took up three city blocks, had its own electrical plant and shipped its product all over the world. Though it could not make a comeback after Prohibition, Ruhstaller and Grau's investment in the Buffalo Brewing Company helped support Sacramento's economy while it was in existence.

The tour continued on, telling the tales of people such Jacob Gebert of the Union Brewery; Lewis Keseberg, famous for surviving the Donner Party and part of the Phoenix Brewery; Martin Arenze of the Ohio Brewery; George Ochs of the Ohio Brewery and Saint Lewis brewery; Adolph Helbon, who became president of the Buffalo Brewery; Wendel Kerth of the Capital Brewery; and Christan Gruhler of the Columbus Brewery.

These men were accomplished and each has a story that LaPerriere described in-depth. It was interesting to hear how connected these men were to each other and how they came to the profession and built their businesses, many with great success.

During the tour, the group also learned about other famous men and women within the beautiful grounds. LaPerriere said that this new tour covers more of the cemetery than previous ones because the graves are located throughout the large cemetery.

He said that it took one week to develop the tour but that there is still much more to be learned about these men. The details and history provided during the two-hour tour kept everyone interested.

Though the Brewer's tour was offered only once, the Sacramento County Historical Society has put together a new book called "Sacramento Breweries" written by historian Ed Carroll. It covers the historical brewers and their lives in Sacramento. There will be a signing party Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. at the Colonial Theater, 3522 Stockton Blvd.

The Sacramento Historic City Cemetery offers tours throughout the year, many of which focus on events taking place in Sacramento. For more information, visit its website at www.oldcitycemetery.com.

Photos:

1. Dr. Bob LaPerrier addressing the tour group
2. Frank Ruhstaller 1846 - 1907
3. Wendel Kerth 1819 - 1892
4. George Orch 1822 - 1878
5. Buffalo Brewing Co. logo