Opening a new brewpub is going to be a challenge in what’s becoming an increasingly competitive Sacramento craft beer scene. Opening a new brewpub in the same spot where a Sacramento craft brewing icon stood for nearly 30 years? Well, that’s something else entirely.
“We’re trying to take 30 years and make it current. That’s been a huge obstacle for us,” says Ray Ballestero, owner of Alaro Craft Brewery.
Ballestero and his wife, Annette, opened their brewpub in June where the Rubicon Brewing Company first opened its doors in 1987. The Rubicon was just the sixth brewpub to open in California and, with its back-to-back gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival, helped introduce the American IPA to the Golden State. Over three decades, the Rubicon’s reach could be traced to breweries from Deschutes to Auburn Alehouse.
