Bike Dog Brewing Co. to open soon in West Sacramento

If you haven’t yet heard of Bike Dog Brewing, you soon will. They have been active on Twitter and Facebook supporting the local Sacramento brewing scene, and have been active on their own web site, via email, and at their soon to be open new location in West Sacramento.

Bike Dog held an open house of sorts a few weeks ago on June 22 to show their new location, let enthusiasts ask questions of the owners, and to try some of their beers. This was also an event to promote “The League,” which is Bike Dog’s name for the group of early adopters who contribute to the cause of building out what will become Bike Dog's new tasting room.

The night before this event they had had their shiny new 3 barrel brewing system delivered, and even though it wasn’t ready for brewing, it was on full display.

They had a nice representative range of beers available for tasting. A milk stout, a saison, a summer pale ale, an IPA, and a double IPA. In addition to the beer there was plenty of water and snacks. The milk stout was a welcome surprise since that normally seems to be an East Coast style of beer. It was my favorite of the afternoon, with a creamy, roasted flavor that was extra smooth. My second favorite was the summer pale ale with its great hop aroma and bitterness yet low alcohol level at 5.5% ABV.

What was really impressive about the beers is that these were all home-brewed, since the brewery is not yet set up to brew on-site, and each beer was distinct and fell clearly into its respective style.

The owners and staff were very friendly and happy to introduce themselves and talk about their beers. I’d be happy to come back to this tasting room even if the bar and benches remained as sawhorses and plywood. I anticipate this place will be very cool when it is fully built out and just how they want it.

Bike Dog is planning to open its tasting room this September. If you want to try some of their beer before then, they will be at "Beer & Bacon on the Boulevard" on July 20, 2013 at Pangaea Two Brews Cafe in Sacramento pouring their Summer Pale.