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Beer Guide for Sacramento, CA
Beer Guide for California

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If you decide to go, good luck. I don't think I'll be back for quite a while..........

Needless to say, although I enjoy the Irish Amber Ale and other beers, I will not be visiting anytime soon. I hope other people have better luck, but I wouldn't bet on it.....

The ales are pretty typical. The Hallertauer Lager, though, was nice and crisp. It was also fun to watch some people come in and bottle some batches they had made (and sample a little too!), as well as others start brewing new batches in the steam powered Canadian brew on premises (BOP) equipment.

Don't miss this place. It is fun and friendly. with new beer constantly coming on.

Food is VERY overpriced. Burgers are around $10, for example.

“Brew it Up!” is a single floor establishment occupying the corner of a building on a street corner. The floor plan is open and rectangular, with the bar all the way in the back. The food seemed popular, there were some 50 people eating in the dining area. I enjoyed some calamari at the bar, which came with both a marinara sauce (yum) and a chipotle sauce (not so yum, would have been better on a sweet smoked meat like pulled pork).

There were another 25 people drinking either at the bar or at small tables next to the bar. The single bartender – an attractive young blond woman who I think was named Paula – handled this large crowd very competently. Within a minute of my sitting down she asked me for my drink order, had a food menu in my hands within another minute of asking, along with my first beer. Throughout the evening she checked with me regularly. I wouldn’t have had the energy to deal with that crowd, but she was like the Energizer Bunny. The waitress that delivered the food was prompt, friendly, and checked back with me twice.

California is a smoke-free bar state, which I appreciate. Unfortunately smokers would indulge in their habit just outside the bar’s side door, and then rush back in dragging the smell of tobacco smoke in their slipstream.

My first beer was a pint of their Marzen. It arrived with no head, which was worrying enough, but things got worse before I took my first sip. As I brought it to my lips I caught the unmistakable aroma of dimethyl sulfide (DMS). It wasn’t at the “canned corn” stage (the flavor / aroma profile of DMS is often compared to cooked vegetables or corn), but it was strong and unmistakable and totally ruined the beer. The “Marzen”, by the way, had no discernable malt flavor either.

After that I had a four beer sampler – an “Imperial” IPA, a Belgium triple, a barleywine, and an imperial stout. All four were ruined by the DMS nose / taste. The IPA had a nice cleansing bitterness, the Belgium triple lacked the estery notes I associate with the style (I’m not asking for bubble-gum here, but something!), the barleywine would have been quite good if not for the DMS, and I found the Imperial Stout too syrupy. At least the beers weren’t too cold. All in all, a disappointing beer experience.

While DMS can be the result of a bacterial infection, I noted no sour flavor notes or other signs of infection. In homebrewing DMS is usually the result of a covered boil or non-rolling boil, or covering the wort after boiling and not getting the temperature below 140 deg. F. quickly enough. “Brew it Up!” allows patrons to brew their own beers in small kettles in the establishment, which appeared to be steam-jacketed and covered. I don’t know if the professional brewers there use the same equipment or not, or what in the end was causing the DMS, but I found it a terminal fault in all five beers I sampled.

parking is actually not that difficult at all, unless there is an event at the Civic Center Auditorium, a few blocks away. even then, look for on-street parking in the one to three blocks WEST of the place. i've NEVER had to park more than three blocks away. i usually park on 14th Street, in free 2-hour diagonal spots, within a half to one block. last night we parked one and a half blocks away. earlier this week it was also one and a half blocks. i only occasionally have to pay for a meter (maybe 1/10 of the time.) don't go north into the residential neighborhood, though: most of it is one hour limit until 10pm.

as for the guy complaining about them not selling pitchers: do you really only patronize places that sell pitchers? you want to drink just one thing, and not taste any of the the 14 or 15 other styles on tap? okay -- it's your loss. i think you should give them another try, though.

food is very tasty, if a little expensive for a brewpub ($10-$15 entrees, $8-$9 sandwiches). the decor is high-end, lots of dark wood and glass, but the clientle is far from snobby most times, except maybe pre-show theatre goers, and they only exist between 6pm and 7:30pm. most of the bar crowd is downtown workers during happy hour, and later on, folks who live locally or drive down and find parking.

brew it up has a good happy hour (4p-6p) with $3 pints, and FREE hot snacks (cheese sticks & jalapeno poppers) with a 2-drink minimum (though i've always been given a plate as soon as i ordered one beer.)

they also do brew-on-premises, and will let you brew ANYTHING you want: they'll special order hops, yeast, and grains they don't normally carry if you ask. it's a great way to try brewing without having to clean up yourself, and a hell of a buy for all the beer you get.

i'd encourage people to not be put off by the parking horror stories: be willing to walk a couple of blocks: it's well worth it.

Brew It Up compares very favorably to other locals (Rubicon, Pyramid), is not in the burbs (Sac Brewing, Hoppy), and kicks the crap out of the terrible places nearby (River City Brewing, Hogshead.)