Happiness is a cheap beer

Somewhere a long time ago, some enterprising bar owner devised “happy hour.” The idea was simple: Lure customers in at certain slow times with reduced drink prices and hope they stick around for the rest of the night, when prices go up.

All around Sacramento, bars subscribe to this ingenious formula. Some places, like Hangar 17, Tokyo Fro’s and Brew It Up!, offer discounted or free food. Others, like Hoppy Brewing Co. and Sudwerk, have drink specials seven days a week, not just during the after-work hours that now symbolize happy hour.

Now, we’re not talking deep discounts here. Unless you drink as much as 10 fraternity brothers combined, you’re not going to finance retirement, get a Ph.D. from Stanford or buy a new SUV with the money you save at happy hour. But, for a nine-to-fiver looking to unwind, or for cash-strapped college students who want to throw back a cheap martini before settling in to write a term paper or watch American Idol, happy hours fill a definite void.

A few local choices

Andiamo
3145 Folsom Boulevard
(916) 456-0504
www.sacandiamo.com
Times: Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Specials: $2.50 drafts, $3 well drinks
Crowd: Midtown professionals

The Blue Gecko
1379 Garden Highway
(916) 922-2885
Times: Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Specials: $1 off drafts, $3.75 well drinks
Crowd: partygoers in their 20s and 30s, sports fans, pool players

Brew It Up! Personal Brewery & Grill
801 14th Street
(916) 441-3000
www.brewitup.com
Times: daily from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to closing
Specials: $3 draft beers; $1 off all house cocktails, martinis and house wines; free appetizer buffet from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday
Crowd: downtown professionals, theatergoers, barhoppers

Hamburger Mary’s
1630 J Street
(916) 441-4340
Times: Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Specials: $1 off drafts and well drinks Crowd: nearby professionals, locals

Hangar 17 Bar & Grill
1630 S Street
(916) 447-1717
http://hangar17bar.biz
Times: Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Specials: $1 off appetizers, $2 off pizzas, $5 Skyy Vodka martinis, $1 off all other drinks
Crowd: after work, singles between 21 and 35

Hoppy Brewing Co.
6300 Folsom Boulevard
(916) 451-4677
Times: Tuesday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to closing, Monday all day, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday from 3 p.m. to closing
Specials: $2.50 pints, $1.50 half-pints, $10 pitchers
Crowd: locals, regulars, professionals, “mug club” members

The Limelight
1014 Alhambra Boulevard
(916) 446-2236
www.limelightbar.com
Times: Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Specials: $2.50 well drinks and domestic bottles, $3 drafts
Crowd: 20-somethings, pool and poker players, professionals, nearby medical-office workers

Mandango’s
1310 Fulton Avenue (at Hurley)
(916) 487-2984
106 North Sunrise Boulevard, Roseville
(916) 797-7678
Times: Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Specials: various discounted drinks and food items; Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., free appetizer buffet and wine tasting
Crowd: CSUS students, recent grads, nine-to-fivers, Kings fans

River City Brewing Co.
545 Downtown Plaza (below the movie theater)
(916) 447-2739
Times: Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Specials: $3.25 pints and house wines
Crowd: downtown professionals

Streets of London Pub
1804 J Street
(916) 498-1388
Times: Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Prices: $1.25 off pitchers and $1 off drafts, free appetizers at the bar
Crowd: locals, professionals, Anglophiles.

Sudwerk
2001 Second Street, Davis
(530) 758-8700
www.sudwerk.com
Times: Monday through Friday from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Thursday, Friday and Saturday from midnight to closing
Specials: 50 cents off small drafts, $1 off liter drafts, $1 off all appetizers; on Wednesday, pints are $1 from 9 p.m. to closing
Crowd: anyone from UC Davis

Tokyo Fro’s
2224 Fair Oaks Boulevard
(916) 648-1115
www.tokyofros.com
Times: Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from noon to midnight (for college students with ID)
Specials: Half-price drinks, martinis, drafts and menu items
Crowd: seemingly the entire population of Sacramento between the ages of 21 and 50