California Breweries

Sante Adairius Rustic Ales is the project of owners Tim Clifford and Adair Paterno, focusing on quality and authenticity in craft old world ale styles. The Santa Cruz County brewery offers a new tasting room facility that is open to the public seven days a week, along with its original Capitola brewery that is open for tours and tastings Tuesdays through Sundays. Popular brews such as the brewery’s Four Legs Good Blond Quad, Love’s Armor American Wild Ale, Maiden Fields Berliner Weisse, Saison Bernice, and Deaf Stewart Witbier are tapped year-round, while limited release brews highlight unique styles and collaborations with other regional breweries. An invitation-only member’s club, SARA’s Cellar, offers access to additional exclusive brews.

103 Kennedy Dr, Capitola, CA 95010, Phone: 831-462-1227

Discretion Brewing is a family-owned brewery that is dedicated to sustainability, using 100% organic malts and hops in all of its brews and operating as Santa Cruz’s first entirely solar-powered brewery. The brewery’s taproom taps up to a dozen of its beers at any given time, including its core Oh Black Lager, Shimmer Pils, and Uncle Dave’s Rye IPA styles. Seasonal beers include favorites such as the brewery’s Wisdom Wheat Kindness American Wheat, Bramble Ramble Blackberry Kettle Sour, and Dublin Sunburn Irish-style Red Ale, along with experimental saison and Belgian-style specialty series. Farm-to-table food is served at the brewery’s taproom, which welcomes children and dogs. Each Monday, the brewery sponsors a different local nonprofit organization, donating a dollar of each draft sale’s proceeds.

2703 41st Ave ste a, Soquel, CA 95073, Phone: 831-316-0662

Track 7 Brewing Company was established by two passionate homebrewing families, named in honor of the brewery’s location near Sacramento’s former Western Pacific Railroad trackway west of Curtis Park. The brewery emphasizes West Coast-style hopped beers, though it does not specialize in any particular brewing style. Two taprooms are offered throughout the Sacramento region, including a new Natomas facility opened in 2015. Both taprooms stock the brewery’s year-round taps, including its Panic and Left Eye Right Eye IPAs, Daylight Amber Ale, Hoppy Palm Pale Ale, and Bee Line Honey Blonde Ale. Seasonal and limited-release brews are also offered, often focusing on IPA and imperial styles. Food trucks are parked on site at both locations daily, and public trivia and Paint and Pint nights are offered several times a month.

3747 W Pacific Ave F, Sacramento, CA 95820, Phone: 916-520-4677

The Bruery is a small family-owned boutique craft brewery located in Placentia, Orange County, CA established in 2008 that specializes in experimental and barrel aged ales. The brewery produces a few dozen original beers every year, adding new ingredients as inspiration strikes. Their collection of oak barrels is growing as well. Almost half of their beer is aged in wine or various spirit barrels, invoking flavors of the Belgian countryside or old-fashioned American distillers. The Bruery Tasting Room in Placentia is a popular gathering place, attracting beer enthusiasts from all over the place. There is a window through which drinkers can watch their beer being made. Tours are also available upon request. There are always about 50 beers on tap, by the glass, or by the flight. Food comes from the lineup of food trucks parked in front.

717 Dunn Way, Placentia, CA 92870, Phone: 996-6258

El Segundo Brewing Company is located less than 20 miles from downtown Los Angeles and has become a national craft brewery favorite among the city’s South Bay craft beer scene thanks to its partnership with professional wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin, who helped formulate the brewery’s Broken Skull IPA. The brewery opened to the public in 2011 and offers a family-friendly taproom near Los Angeles International Airport, open seven days a week with 20 beers on tap for tasting. Popular beers include IPA styles such as the brewery’s White Dog Wheat IPA, Cerveza Fresca Juicy IPA, Mayberry West Coast IPA, and Citricos de las Suertes Double IPA. Other styles include its Hyperion’s Nitro Vanilla Stout, Citra American Pale Ale, Station No. 1 Red Ale, and Aileron Saison. Growler fills for all beers are available, and food trucks are offered on site on Fridays and Saturdays.

140 Main St, El Segundo, CA 90245, Phone: 310-529-3882

Aftershock Brewing Co. is one of the Temecula region’s newest breweries, though its owners have been homebrewing for more than 25 years. The brewery takes an artistic approach to all of its creations, showcasing its hands-on approach to crafting all of its ales. 42 taps are available at the brewery’s bar and tasting room, including several taps reserved for the company’s non-alcoholic sodas. Popular beers include the brewery’s Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Ale, Peanut Alert Peanut Butter Red Ale, Paradisi Grapefruit IPA, Kiwi Gose, and PB&J Bay American Barleywine. Crowlers and signature brews are half-priced on Wednesdays, and new release limited-edition brews are tapped each Friday.

28822 Old Town Front St #108, Temecula, CA 92590, Phone: 951-972-2256

Knee Deep Brewing Company is a family-owned microbrewery that began brewing in 2010 in cooperation with Lake Tahoe’s Mt. Tallac Brewing. Since 2011, they have operated their own brewery, which is now located within a 28,000-square-foot brewhouse in Auburn. The brewery has been the recipient of several major national brewing awards, including a bronze medal at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival for their Breaking Bud American-style IPA. Other year-round brews include the brewery’s Citra Extra Pale Ale, Hoptologist Double IPA, Hop-Trio Triple IPA, Tanilla Porter, and Stoutello Chocolate Hazelnut Stout. Children and pets are welcome at the brewery’s tasting room, which is open seven days a week and offers live music performances, food truck pop-ups, and a variety of public special events.

13395 New Airport Rd H, Auburn, CA 95602, Phone: 530-797-4677

Moonraker Brewing Co. was opened on Earth Day of 2016, reflecting the brewery’s commitment to sustainable practices reducing its carbon footprint, including the use of more than 1,100 solar panels to power the brewery’s operations. The brewery, which was named as California’s Best New Brewery in 2016, strives for creativity and innovation with its recipes, offering many hop-forward concoctions among its year-round and seasonal brews. Popular brews include its award-winning Miss Conduct Blonde Ale, its Interwoven Saison, its Mountain Lines West Coast Pale Ale, and its Ned Hoddings West Coast IPA. Local food offerings are available throughout the week, and a special party room is available for private group reservations.

12970 Earhart Ave #100, Auburn, CA 95602, Phone: 530-745-6816