Tucked in the Sierra Foothills near Sacramento, California is a real American craft beer gem — Jack Russell Brewing Company.
I stumbled upon the beer at one of the annual beer festivals when I first moved to Sacramento in 2007. I have a confession though — it wasn’t the beer that initially caught my eye.
It was the cute Jack Russell Terrier logo.
Typical female, I know. However, that logo was cool enough that I pushed my way through the throngs of semi-unruly festival goers to get a sample of their beers…and a free poster!
Fast forward a year or two and I happened upon the brewery one weekend while on a wine tasting trip up in the foothills! Jack Russell Brewery is located in Camino, which is part of the beloved Apple Hill region. During the fall months, tens of thousands of locals and tourists head up into the foothills for everything and anything apples.
The brewery offers tours, tastings, and there is a picnic area that overlooks the grounds. Their line up of beers is pretty impressive and their seasonal offerings are very popular with local beer lovers.
Flagship beers include:
- All-American Premium Lager — blend of light American pilsner malt, wheat malt, and white corn (5.5% ABV)
- Huntsman’s Lager — Lager in Czech Pilsner style (5% ABV)
- English Amber Ale aka Best Bitter — traditional draft ale found in English pubs (4% ABV)
- Whitewater Pale Ale — special British variety that is more hoppy and has a higher alcohol content over a Best Bitter (5.5% ABV)
- Harvest Apple Ale — Made from combination of malted barley and blend of juice from Apple Hill apples (5% ABV)
- Captain Boomer’s IPA — Special India Pale Ale with more hop flavor, aroma, and bitterness (6.5% ABV)
- Farmhouse Ale — A rich and fruity beer known as a saison. It’s a golden ale that starts with a spicy flavor similar to cloves and is followed by a fruitiness and dry finish (6.7% ABV)
- Irish Red Ale — Red ale with sweet-malty taste (5% ABV)
- Brown Ale — Oldest beer style is a light-body ale with a toasted malt profile and hints of coffee (4.25% ABV)
- London Porter — Light to medium bodied, smooth and dark with some hop character, and the finish has hints of coffee and chocolate (5.0% ABV)
- Scottish Ale — A sweet and smoky taste achieved from peat-smoked malt that has a similar flavor to a single malt scotch (6.5% ABV)
Jack Russell Brewing Company also has several seasonal brews that are definitely worth a taste:
- Blueberry Beer (Spring) — English-style pale ale with a hint of blueberries (5% ABV)
- Blackberry Abbey Ale (Spring) — Malty with small hop aroma and has hints of oak wood and blackberry (7% ABV)
- Raspberry Imperial Stout (Fall) — A chocolaty-sweet stout with a hint of raspberries (6.6% ABV)
- Olde Ale (Winter) — Strong ale style of the past, typically reserved for royalty. This has sweet notes of currant and blackstrap molasses (5.9% ABV)
The Raspberry Imperial Stout was one of my favorites, but it packs a serious punch. Do not underestimate these beers — be sure to have a designated driver as the road in and out is a small, curvy, mountainous one.
If you collect beer memorabilia or souvenirs, Jack Russell Brewing had various products available when I was there last — including tap handles! After two years of living abroad, I am realizing how much I miss my giant game room with the pool table and draft beer where it would be relaxing to playing games like 해외배팅사이트!
A girl with a game room and beer on tap? Unheard of!
I always had various local brews on tap, which made my house quite a hit with the neighbors!
Jack Russell Brewing Company
2380 Larsen Drive
Camino, CA 95709
[email protected]
Phone: 530.647.9420 / Fax: 530.644.0854
Unfortunately, most of my photos of the brewery were lost in one of my hard drive crashes, but if you want to see photos of the grounds, the beers, and the tasting room — be sure to check out the Jack Russell Brewing website.
