Zythophiles are defined as folks who love beer and all things beer-related. They can be identified by their obsession with not only drinking beer but talking about the distinct brewing techniques, pairing beers and ales with foods, cooking with beer to enhance the flavors in recipes and even memorizing the history of beer. These beer lovers are flocking to Sacramento to experience the booming craft beer scene currently happening in Northern California.

There’s over 90 breweries in the greater Sacramento area giving enthusiasts a steady stream of new places to explore and beers to taste. Many of these Sacramento breweries are opening up their doors to the public, often with restaurants serving fresh artesian food. Also, many breweries track and manage raw materials with Ollie’s software to ensure their productivity is high and their beer quality is first-rate.

In this blog post I will highlight some of my favorite beer-centric establishments and events in NorCal Gold Country. This is a great resource for planning foodie and drink-themed weekend road trips to Sacramento.

Fieldwork Brewing Company

Fieldwork Brewing Company is one of the most popular breweries in Sacramento. Located right in the heart of Midtown, their brewery and restaurant is a favorite gathering spot for both beer and foodie lovers. I do recommend making advanced reservations for tables, especially on the busy weekends. The recently remodeled indoor dinning is now open and you stay and enjoy your drinks and meals until 10pm on the weekends.

I’ve eaten at Fieldwork several times and my favorite foods to order are the herbed baked goat cheese, chopped kale salad and the big egg arugula, ricotta and mozzarella pizza (see more photos of my Fieldwork favorite meals in my Sacramento Foodie Guide). The Fieldwork servers are excellent at recommending beer pairings with your meal and they also serve their own red wine and rosé.

One thing I especially love about Fieldwork is that they welcome families with children. When you’re a parent it can be difficult to know beforehand whether or not a brewery or winery will have any issues with patrons under 21 years of age. Fieldwork even has a children’s menu so you can easily order child-approved meals and drinks.

Although Fieldwork originally began making beer in Berkeley, they have since expanded into 7 cities in California. They are known for exclusively making limited edition brews which creates quite a frenzy. Once they’ve finished a batch of brewed beer it’s gone… forever! Every once in a while they’ll bring back an old favorite but this is a rare exception.

Neu Helvetia Brewing Company

Neu Helvetica (formerly known as New Helvetica) is a Sacramento native brewery that gets its name from the original settlement founded in Sacramento by John Sutter in 1839. Among their brew list you'll find lagers, pale ales, red ale, IPAs and stout. The brewery, tap room and biergarten is located on the outskirts of Land Park at 1730 Broadway. The historical building used to be a tortilla factory and you can see the brewery action from windows in the tap room. While they don’t have a kitchen to serve food, they do have rotating food trucks on-site.

Golden Road Sacramento Brewery & Pub

A new edition to the Sacramento beer scene is the Golden Road Brewery Midtown location. This Southern California beer brand has started moving north by opening up their first Northern California location in Sacramento. Their bright and colorful brewery and restaurant is very spacious and takes up most of the block at the intersection of L St and 19th St in Midtown. Their beers include India pale ale, micheladas, fruit infused wheat ales, IPAs, blonde ales and more. The food served on-site is fresh and fancier versions of traditional pub grub like fried avocado tacos and lots of vegan options.

SacYard Community Tap House & Beer Garden

SacYard is both a family-friendly and dog-friendly community tap house and outdoor urban Biergarten. They have 3,800 of outdoor square feet where you can play backyard games, sit by the fire pits, enjoy a meal from the food trucks and of course drink some craft beer. On the drink menu you'll find locally brewed beers, kombucha, ciders and wine. SacYard is located in East Sacramento on 33rd St and Stockton Blvd.

Fair Oaks Brew Pub

The Fair Oaks Brew Pub serves house tap beers, wine, artisan pizza and cocktails. Their beer rotation includes IPA's, hazys, pilsners and reds. You can ask for a beer sample before ordering a full-sized drink which gives you a great excuse to try some new types of brews. The atmosphere and decor inside this spot is comprised of warm wood furnishings and many describe it as cozy and welcoming.

The Barn - Drake's Brewing Company

Located in West Sacramento, The Barn by Drake's Brewing Company is an ultra modern and trendy take on the traditional biergarten. There's plenty of outdoor space with views of the river and eye-catching large scale art displays. I've seen several professional photography sessions take place at The Barn because the space and views are truly Insta-worthy. On-site there's over 25 beers on tap, along with wine, cocktails, pizza, ribs, wings and more food options.

Public House Downtown

The Public House Downtown is located in the heart of Sacramento’s Downtown blocks at 16th and L Street. One of their biggest claims to fame is having over 60 selections of on-tap beers so there’s bound to be a new brew you can try. This spot has a long menu with a variety of American foods such as sandwiches, pizza, wings, salads and more. They also have a weekend brunch and happy hour.

At Ease Brewing Company

At Ease Brewing Company is a family and veteran owned brewery in Midtown. They brew pale ales, IPAs, sours, golden ale, wheat beer, stouts and pilsner. At Ease is relatively new to the Sacramento beer scene, they just celebrated their two year anniversary. I've seen special deals such a 2 for 1 crowlers and they even had green beer for St. Pattys Day.

19 Handles Pub & Grill

Located on Arden Way in the Arden-Arcade neighborhood, 19 Handles Pub & Grill is now under new ownership beginning in May 2021. They are self-proclaimed "beer passionate" people and focus on stocking mostly local beer and wine brands. Their restaurant serves sandwiches, burgers, and entrées. This establishment is family owned, dog-friendly and planning their grand re-opening very soon.

Oak Park Brewing Company

Oak Park Brewing is located in Northern Oak Park and they serve southern inspired comfort food, craft beer, wine and cocktails. Of their own brews they have hard seltzer, barleywine, shandy / radler, brown ale, porter and sours. They even have a ChamTang which is an IPA mixed with Brut champagne - the mimosas of beers! You'll also find beers from other breweries and those include IPAs, stout, cider, fruit beer, pilsner, lager and more.

Sacramento Beer Frontier Brewery Map

If you’re still looking for more Sacramento breweries beyond the recommendations above, you can check out this beer map with 90 breweries in the Northern California region. Make a bucket list with all the breweries you want to visit - your weekends will be very busy with plenty of beer adventures!

Sacramento Annual Beer Events

There’s no shortage of beer-themed events for hopheads and beer devotees in Sacramento. While I have the biggest beer festivals listed below, there’s still plenty of smaller events happening every month. You can search for additional beer-themed events on the Sacramento365 Events Schedule.

Beer Events & Festivals in Sacramento Listed By Month:

The Art of Beer Invitational - January
Sacramento Beer Week - April / May
Sacramento Beer and Chili Festival - April
German Beer Hall Bockbierfest - April
West Coast Invitational Beer Festival - May
Farm-to-Fork Festival Bikes & Brews Itinerary - September
California Brewers Festival - September
Capital Beer Fest - October

Buying Craft Beer to Enjoy at Home

Planning a party and you want to serve some top notch beer to your guests? Below I have some recommendations for stores that sell craft beer and even where to pick up a keg of your favorite brew.

Local Sacramento Stores Selling Craft Beers

Pacific Market on P Street
Tallac Bottle Shop on 14th Street
Capitol Beer and Tap Room on Fair Oaks Blvd
Curtis Park Market on 24th Street
Good Bottle Shop on 11th Street

Sacramento Breweries Selling Kegs

For extra large gatherings such as weddings and events you may want to pick up a keg of your favorite craft beer. The Beers in Sac website has an online cheat sheet with a list of breweries that sell kegs in Sacramento. They also have a keg calculator so you know exactly how to calculate and budget for the precise amount of beer for your guests.