Sacramento brew news

Illustration by Mark Stivers

Forecast says suds: Per usual, the imminence of Sacramento Beer Week (February 25 through March 6) also brings an onslaught of local brew news.

The newest brewery in the area is Elk Grove’s Flatland Brewing Co., which opened at the end of January in what used to be Handcraft Brewing Co. (9183 Survey Road). It’s owned by Andrew and Michelle Mohsenzadegan, and Andrew used to be head brewer at Handcraft. According to Beers in Sac, Andrew will focus on hoppy beers but also loves brewing sours.

Also in Elk Grove, Tilted Mash Brewing (9110 Union Park Way, Suite 107) will be a nanobrewery by Derrick Prasad and Jonathan Martinez. They don’t anticipate opening the taproom until late March or early April, but they do plan on having a presence at Beer Week. Look for Tilted Mash’s kegs, carrying a coffee milk stout and the Hoppy Jefe, a wheat IPA with lots of citra and azacca hops.

Meanwhile, Fieldwork Brewing Co. is coming to Midtown.

It’ll be the Berkeley brewery’s first additional taproom, taking over the skinny, 1,436 square foot space between the Press Bistro and Zocalo at 1805 Capitol Avenue. Look for a summer opening.

Fieldwork has been open for just shy of one year, but it’s already one of the most respected craft breweries in the Bay Area, offering a range of nuanced IPAs, experimental sours and barrel-aged beers. Co-founder Alex Tweet used to brew at Modern Times Beer and Ballast Point Brewing Company in San Diego—not only that, he created the extraordinarily popular Grapefruit Sculpin IPA.

Why come to Sacramento? Co-founder Barry Braden said lots of Sacramentans regularly visit Fieldwork in Berkeley. They’d rave about the Sacramento beer scene and, essentially, convinced Fieldwork’s team to look at real estate.

“We thought if we were gonna put a stake in the ground somewhere else, Sacramento would be a good spot,” he said.

Braden said he couldn’t release many details yet, but the taproom will offer a rotating selection of Fieldwork beers on draft, plus growlers and crowlers to go. (A crowler is basically what happens when a growler meets an aluminum can.) Expect the aesthetic to stay true to the Berkeley brewery’s industrial vibe. As for how much beer? That’s still to be determined, but potentially, a lot.

“We have 18 beers on tap in Berkeley,” Braden said. “I think it’s fair to say 20-25 beers is possible.”