While we were in Clearlake, there were a few weekends that involved less hectic traveling. Roughly 1.5-2 hours southeast from our small town sat Sacramento, the capitol city of California. Usually we trekked out to the city for our Saturday Costco runs and then hustled back home before the frozen food thawed. However, this time we decided to check out the brewery scene prior to running our errands and it became a pretty fun day!
Oak Park Brewing Co.
We started off the tour at Oak Park Brewing Co., which is somewhat located in the old Sacramento downtown area. It appeared to be a great little spot for locals to grab some great food and beer. We had some flights of their beers on tap and ordered their chicken and waffles. It tasted spectacular with their Salty Dog Coffee Porter. Unfortunately, the brewery has since closed this past summer.
Track 7 Brewing Company
Our next visit had us meander to Curtis Park where we successfully discovered Track 7 Brewing Company. This taproom is located in more of a warehouse district and has a fantastic vibe going on with plenty of board games available to play. Hands down, this brewery had better creations than Oak Park, with their stand out, Nukin’ Futz Imperial Peanut Butter Chocolate Cream Porter, literally causing our mouths to water. If you get a chance to visit here, you know what to try. Sacramento has six railroad tracks running through it, so Track 7 creatively claims to be the 7th thing connecting the city to other places.
New Helvetia Brewing Co.
Our last stop landed us on the outskirts of a cute little wooded neighborhood nearby Curtis Park at a brewery named New Helvetia Brewing Company. This was our second favorite stop of the day. They had great beer selections, a giant wooden L-shaped bar top, and a small back patio with a ping pong table. They frequently throw ping pong tournaments and events, but during the non-peak hours you could easily bring a friend and find their table wide open. We would recommend the Homeland Stout for another good go-to dark beer.