Rubicon Hoptoberfest 2009
Each year the fine folk at Rubicon Brewing Company, in Sacramento, put on an anniversary celebration that doubles as an IPA festival known as Hoptoberfest. This year represents the 22nd year in operation for the Capital’s longest-running brewery and comes on the heels of yet another major award in the country’s largest beer competition, the Great American Beer Festival. Hoptoberfest 2009 ran on Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 31 & Nov. 1) and featured 24 highly-hopped brews from all across the region, including two cask-conditioned ales. As is common with Rubicon, the kitchen staff teamed up with Morrant’s Old Fashioned Sausage Kitchen (a local favorite) to serve up traditional German grub, paired with sauerkraut made in Rubicon’s kitchen (a fantastic pairing!). Additionally, the kitchen staff was able to put out a handful of fresh pretzels made just outside the brewery – a labor of love, indeed. 
If you’re in the area, you’ll have a good chance of finding some of these hoppy concoctions in the days to come at Rubicon. Given the recent closure of Sacramento Brewing Company, it was more than great to see the seats and bar full of revelers sipping samples of ale, chatting it up with friends, or just watching the game on TV. We can’t wait till we do this again in 2010!
The Monster Pretzel
Al Pulls a Pint of Rubicon Hopsauce (Double IPA Cask-Finished with Hops Grown on Site) 
Shawn & Scott Making Pretzels Out Back
The Beer Menu
Sampler of Beer
