A Lifestylye Blog

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Day Trip Exploring Sacramento's Local Eats- Craft Brews and Chews


Exploring Sacramento's gems of food, good drinks, venue ambiance and culture is one of the best parts of living in this region. And a huge reason why my husband and I love living in midtown- we want easy access to all the local eats and good stuff. With Sacramento being the farm to fork capital of the nation, we are so fortunate to be surrounded by not only restaurants, but great open air markets, wineries and the evermore popular and growing craft brewery scene. I am not a huge beer drinker, but I am married to one :) We recently had the amazing opportunity to privately tour one of the region's hottest craft breweries- Crooked Lane Brewing located in Auburn, CA just a hop on the freeway up the hill from the city center of downtown.

Surrounded by luscious rolling hills, forestry and fresh air and right off of Highway 49, visiting Crooked Lane Brewing felt like a little escape- a mini day trip right in our own "backyard." With our often-hectic schedules being self-employed and parents of a toddler, it was a wonderful opportunity to get away and spend some time with one another- alone! Co-Founders Adrian and Paul and Sales Manager Marnina greeted us with warm welcomes and tasty selections as we began our day learning about their journey to establishing this home for their Great American Beer Festival (the highest award in the beer world) gold-medal winning brew. I was eager to enjoy and share this experience with my husband in particular as he is the bigger enthusiast out of the two of us when it comes to craft beer. Although, what I came to enjoy about this place is that it has something for everyone. Whether you're into sours, deeper notes, lighter ales, or non-alcoholic options, there is something there for you. I started with the house-made mandarin soda- made fresh with in-season mandarins from a local farm just up the road. Perfectly sweet, bubbly and refreshing. Zach opted for the Munich Dunkel- a darker german lager. And in just a bit later, we will get to the food :)





We carried on with the rest of our time touring the back room where the magic of the brewing happens. Crooked Lane Brewing specializes in English ales and German-style lagers- something I did not know very much about going in to this, but it was exciting to see their passion and craft for how they approach their brewing process. Adrian's wife was actually noted as the main brewmaster and admired for her perfection in developing each brew.

"Some people are bakers when it comes to brewing and some people are chefs- we are definitely bakers" -Adrian, Co-Founder.

This more scientific approach is what allows them to replicate each batch with seamless continuity and likeness. It is this consistency that brings people back- knowing that their favorite brew will be served just like they like it, every single time. But it's not just the good brews that draw people to this gem. There is a warmness and history cultivating community that you can't help but feel as soon as you walk in. From the supply of grain coming from local farmers just miles away, to the inviting Biergarten, and to the story and detail in every single piece of wood in the building, Adrian and Paul have made it their mission for every visit to be an experience. So coming from an in-experienced beer drinker to perhaps another, this place is definitely one to put on the list of places to visit when in the Sacramento area.












And now to the food! Depending on the day of the week, there will be some local eats to enjoy with your fresh brews or house-made fizzy drinks. I opted for the house-made root beer which was rich and fantastic. Saucy Litos was the local food truck of the day specializing in wings- but we opted for burgers and fries which were still a perfect pair with Zach's sampler and my root beer alternative.  I'll let the pics tell the rest!








In summary, per my husband, their Kolsh, Wobbler (dopplebock) and other German-styles beer were on-point. The take-home favorite of the day was the India Pale Lager- IPL (pictured in can above) noted for it's incredibly perfect balance of hops and citrus notes that blend well with the lager. Very drinkable for someone who doesn't typically go for an IPA (India Pale Ale) style and one of the higher echelon varietals of beer he has ever tasted.

Thanks so much to The Blog Bloc Sacramento and Crooked Lane Brewing for hosting us and providing such a great experience for us. It made for such a relaxing day away after a week's worth of hard work and parenting. This post was created in collaboration and celebration of Sacramento's Beer Week beginning May 10th. You'll see some of the favorites canned above in take-home growlers and there will be more can releases coming out on May 12th with all the fun starting at 11am. In particular, they have Swamp Goddess, originally brewed in March 2017, is a 10% smooth triple IPA, with a balance of citrus and dank hops. Fog of Dreams is a New England-Style IPA, with a creamy malt backbone with Denali, Citra and Mosaic hops. They will also be releasing Fog of Dreams which is a special  collaboration between the brewers of Drake’s and Crooked Lane. If you are interested, check out Crooked Lane's website ---> here and keep an eye out on the latest Sacramento press around this event! Although hosted, all opinions were my own :)

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24 comments

  1. We have a ton of breweries here in Cleveland and I love going on tours to learn more about how their beer is made! Even if you aren't a huge fan of beer, I always think it's interesting to learn the process behind how something is made.

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    1. It really can be so interesting! - even for the non-beer drinkers :)


      xxx,
      Mary

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  2. That looks like so much fun! I've always wanted to go to a brewery!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. It was a fun new thing to try! Are there any in the part of town where you live? Thank you for reading :)

      xxx,
      Mary

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  3. I'm hungry just reading this post!! I haven't ever been to your part of California before, but I'm glad to know great food and beverages await me if I do visit someday!

    xoxo A
    www.southernbelleintraining.com

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    1. I have to say, the food was definitely one of my favorite parts of the experience too, haha. But fun and a great new thing to try overall nonetheless! And this is a great place to put on your list if you're ever out here someday! Thanks so much for reading :)

      xxx,
      Mary

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  4. I know this is something my boyfriend would love to do. I'm not a beer fan, but it also looks like a fun trip!

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    1. I hear ya- Thankfully more and more of these places are making it enjoyable for us who are not as into beer too! Thanks so much for reading :)

      xxx,
      Mary

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  5. This place looks like it would be right up my alley-my husband and I love exploring our local breweries!

    xoxo, SS


    Southern and Style

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Yes! A great thing to enjoy with significant others! Well if you're ever in Sacramento, this is a place to put on the list ;)

      xxx,
      Mary

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  6. Oh how awesome! I love doing brewery tours, and I'm going to Sacramento in July for a wedding! I'll have to check it all out!

    xo Deborah
    Coffee, Prose, and Pretty Clothes

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    Replies
    1. Very exciting that you'll be in the Sacramento area! I hope you enjoy exploring all we have to offer!

      xxx,
      Mary

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  7. I'm not much of a beer person but oh do I love to eat! (: I love exploring new restaraunts and wineries in my city!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Oh yes, the food was one of my favorite parts of the day too :D Thanks so much for reading!

      xxx,
      Mary

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  8. I've never done a brewery tour but this looks so fun! Definitely on my bucket list
    -Emily
    https://norepeatsorhesitations.com/2018/05/09/how-to-mix-stripes-with-leopard-print/

    ReplyDelete
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    1. It can be a lot of fun indeed! The brewing process is so fascinating :o Thank you for reading!

      xxx,
      Mary

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  9. I've never been to a brewery before! It looks like you guys had so much fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was definitely a cool new thing to try :)

      xxx,
      Mary

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  10. This looks amazing!! We live in Atlanta and the beer style is so different here compared to California. We were just in San Francisco, Carmel, Napa Valley, and Sonoma County, and loved the beer so much more vs. Atlanta.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Oooh that sounds like an amazing spread of cities you visited while out here! Atlanta's on my list so I'll be curious to compare! Thanks so much for reading :)

      xxx,
      Mary

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  11. Okay, this made me thirsty so I drank some water. So not the same haha!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Water is still good! Haha ;) Thank you for reading!

      xxx,
      Mary

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  12. This was such an informative post! The only brewery I've been to was the Guinness beer factory in Ireland but this one sounds just as interesting! If I'm ever in Sacramento I will definitely check it out!

    April | https://thebluehydrangeas.com

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  13. Breweries are my fave! We are starting to get quite a few in Charlotte now. Love the pics you posted!

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