Last pints

Rubicon on the ropes: Glynn Phillips sat on his pub’s rapidly filling patio on August 9. Two days earlier, as the owner of Rubicon Brewing Co., he had announced the closing of this nearly 30-year-old Midtown institution. He said those past two days had been the busiest in the brewery’s history by far.

Phillips tightened his lips and called the recent support “bittersweet” as he was cycling in and out of meetings regarding the future of the brewery, which will likely shutter by the end of August.

“Monday was one of the hardest days of my life,” he said. “[Rubicon] is my dream.”

Phillips said business suffered following an influx of nearby taprooms and dozens of regional breweries. The craft beer industry’s recent emphasis on bolder flavors also juxtaposed with Rubicon’s more balanced beers, like the Monkey Knife Fight Pale Ale or Rubicon’s IPA, which astonished judges at the Great American Beer Festival with its hoppiness and won gold medals in 1989 and 1990. Now, those brews seem tame compared to modern hop bombs.

“I’m really proud that we’ve always made good, clean beer,” he said. “By today’s standards, some of them are not as exciting as others. But, you always knew what to expect when you purchased a Rubicon beer.”

Jennie Simpson, who worked at the brewery from 1997 to 2000, said she’ll miss the “chill flow” of the pub. She ordered an amber ale for herself and her mother Nancy, just as they had done 20 years ago. Jennie said she fell in love with beer at Rubicon and grew apoplectic upon noticing the absence of the neon Rubicon sign out front.

“It’s totally not cool at all that this is happening,” she said. “It’s a knife to the heart. I can’t imagine these beers just being gone.”

After owning the brewery for 12 years, Phillips said there are multiple paths for him to take, some “not so good,” some “pretty good” and some “really nice.” For now, he’s focused on the present, but apparently, the brewery’s fate isn’t completely sealed yet.

“I’m mostly concerned with letting our good customers have that last pint,” he said as he left for another meeting. “And, you know, maybe somebody might buy it. We’ll see.”

Another one: Founded in 2012, American River Brewing Co. of Rancho Cordova closed on August 8. The brewery won a gold medal at the 2016 California State Fair for their Coloma Brown ale.