I have a long list of things I’m nerdy about. Comic books, the histories of fictional characters such as Peter Venkman, James T. Kirk, Bruce Wayne and Luke Skywalker; music, books, people who make their own Iron Man armor, J.K. Rowling, fan fiction, motorcycles with sidecars, and dogs, but none hold a candle (or, if you will, a lightsaber) to beer.
The beer-brewing situation in Sacramento has become a beer lover’s paradise over the past several months. It’s like we’ve been playing the lotto and finally had our numbers hit.
We’ve had a number of high-quality microbreweries opening in the recent past. New Helvetia, American River Brewing, Track 7, Bike Dog, and Ruhstaller, just to name a few. We also have places like the Capitol Beer and Tap Room and Alley Kats that have more beers to choose from than the piles of stuff that shut-ins have congesting the rooms of their houses.
If you prefer to brew at home, like I’ve recently started doing, you can go to B.F.D (Brew. Ferment. Distill. Not Big F… well, you can guess what I was going to write) to get everything you need to brew your own beer or wine and cheeses, from grains and hops to wort chillers and cheese starter kits. As a fair warning, this will quickly consume your life and drain you of all income. The beer will be worth it though.
On top of being blessed with these microbreweries, we have had a growing number of beer festivals too! A few weeks ago we had West Coast Brew Fest in Miller Park and this past Friday, June 7, was the seventh annual Raley Field Brewfest (both of which I was able to happily attend), and September 2013 will bring us the California Brewers Festival in Discovery Park.
The Raley Field Brewfest had so many breweries that a little tear trickled from the corner of my eye as I walked down onto the River Cats’ turf. If the breweries were dimes, I’d have over $5! The only negative thing I could say about the event was that I felt like I was sitting under the twin Suns of Tatooine, because the temperature was well over 100 degrees when I arrived at 6 p.m. Luckily there were plenty of breweries, such as New Helvetia, Track 7, Knee Deep, Sudwerk, High Water and Device Brewing, just to name a few, and I was able to get cold beer in me to combat the heat.
After speaking with Device Brewing’s owner and brewer Ken Anthony, I was impressed to hear that they are Sacramento’s only nano brewery. That means they only brew three barrels of beer at a time. Their taproom is tentatively scheduled to open in October 2013. They brewery isn’t far from my home, so I’ll be making a journey there once the tap room opens.
I’d like to thank Zak Basch of the Sacramento River Cats for letting me into Raley Field’s ballpark to sample the breweries’ offerings, and for giving me the chance to meet all the crazy geniuses making beers to whet our whistles. http://nonipplesonthesuit.com
Editor’s note: The “News Digest” goes out every Tuesday morning and highlights our best stories, photos and videos from the week prior. Sign me up.
