Rubicon Brewing Company

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.14/5  rDev +9.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

A fenced-in, outdoor patio area sat to the left as we approached and entering, we had to make a dog-leg left with the tables and chairs just beyond. On the right was the stainless steel bar with corrugated aluminum as its front. I always dig the industrial look. Another stainless bar with bricks, fronted by stools, separated the bar area from the restaurant area. The kitchen was all of the way aft, on the right. SVs and the brewhouse were visible behind glass to the left. It was a relatively small place with a lot going on. Undoubtedly my favorite stop in SAC.

Beers: Czech Pilsner (4.8); IPA (6.5); Amber Ale (5.0); Stout (4.8); Monkey Knife Fight; ESB; and Bravo IPA.

Guest Taps: Racer 5; Sierra Nevada Celebration; and Two Rivers Cider.

08-24-2008 17:46:31 | More by woodychandler

Floydster

California

2.69/5  rDev -28.6%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2 | selection: 2.5 | $$$

Second stop on my way up to Redding, it was a pain to get to this place with the street construction that was going on at the time, I went for one reason and that was to try the Hop Sauce and it was delicious, other than that this place did not do for me, the employees were pretty rude and in a hurry at all times despite the fact that I was one of maybe six people in the entire place, the atmosphere was really plain with not much of an ambiance, their beers are pretty good but nothing to go crazy for, thankfully there was a nice guy at the bar who helped me with my further beer travels, then I was on my way after finishing my small glass after about twenty minutes, did not see any food or even look at a menu, other beers on tap at the time were a pilsner, amber, their IPA, and a Sierra Nevada guest tap, prices were in the four to five dollar range, they need more beer offerings, probably will not go back to this place unless I am in Sacramento and happen to stumble across, not recommended

08-23-2008 16:15:41 | More by Floydster

Seanibus

California

3.63/5  rDev -3.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $

Not bad if you're downtown, but not worth a major trip out of the way. The food is good enough but nothing mind blowing, and the beer is good, if not astonishing. The IPA was tasty, but the pale ale was a little off, I thought. The beer list was small and seemed to hit the obligatory niches in a brewpub - pale ale, IPA, Amber, Stout.

The atmosphere is a little shabby - big and open, but not fancy. Looks like it might have been aiming for deliberately run down, but it just comes off as lacking in distinctive personality. The service is friendly and quick, but the food is merely ok - decent pub food, but little better. It feels as if the kitchen is cutting corners, emphasizing volume over innovation.

But having said that, the place is homey and friendly - the crowd is downhome and feels local. They seem to know the servers, and the vibe is generally warm. So the net effect is warm and pleasant.

04-23-2011 00:54:33 | More by Seanibus

benito

Oregon

3.16/5  rDev -16.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.5 | $$

The drive from San Francisco to central Colorado is plagued by long stretches where craft beer remains a thing of the future (are you listening Nevada and Utah?), so a stop in Sacramento seemed in order before I headed past Tahoe and into a dry, beer wasteland.

Just east of the capitol building, Rubicon is an unassuming neighborhood brewpub. It's interior is done in typical pub-style with a few televisions hanging around and views onto the brewing facilities. They had a nice outdoor patio as well.

They only had seven brews on tap during my visit, but the fact that one of them was a (very good) wheat wine made my day. Had I had more time to spend in Sacramento, I would have tried a few more of their brews. In addition to their own offerings, they had two taps of cider (apple and pomegranite) from nearby Two Rivers cidery--a nice touch and shout out to another local fermenter.

Save the wheat wine, there was nothing exceptional about this place, but nothing off-putting either. I certainly recommend it to anyone who's passing through the area; as I would certainly peak in again if I were nearby. Next time, though, I'll sit on the patio.

06-17-2006 02:12:30 | More by benito

flexabull

California

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $

Stopped in for lunch and a beer after a business meeting.

Atmosphere was quiet. It was pretty early, they had just opened, and there were only a couple of other people inside.

Service was pretty good. Not overly friendly or helpful, but it was good enough.

Selection was I think 6 or 7 beers. I only had one, and it was pretty good. They also had just ran out of 2006 Sierra Nevada Celebration. According to the board, they had saved one keg for July.

My food was pretty good. I had a sandwich and soup. Nothing special, just pub grub. But not bad...

My whole lunch was just over $10. Prices were very fair.

Overall this place just screamed "above average". Nothing really stood out in a great way, or a bad way.

07-23-2007 23:50:19 | More by flexabull

t0rin0

California

4.05/5  rDev +7.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

After I tried the IPA on tap at stone a couple months before I decided I had to visit this place. That IPA is probably my favorite IPA. We tried a sampler of everything they had wich included a cask version of the brown. In the end I was slightly disapointed that nothing was as good as the IPA but its still worth trying. The bartender was helpful and nice. We ordered a plate of chili fries and someone got a burger. After a set of samples, 4 pints, fries, and a burger the tab was pretty low. The place is quite open despite how small it is. Very clean friendly environment and good food. I'd like to go back in the winter and try the wheatwine.

04-17-2008 19:44:28 | More by t0rin0

Dukeofearl

California

3.83/5  rDev +1.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4

Visited for dinner on a cool November evening (2004) with an IPA-loving friend on a business trip to town. Was a 15 minute walk from our downtown hotel- very nice way to work up a thirst!

Atmosphere was older converted brick-style open commercial typical of brewpubs in urban redeveloped areas- ok but nothing special. I agree with EyeChartBrew that is is small and cramped- I kept my elbows close to let waitstaff by and to keep hitting people at the next table.

Selection that night was: Czech Pilsner, Hefeweizen, IPA, Amber, Stout, and Blond Barleywine. We only tried the IPA (it was late and we had to be clear-headed in the morning), and it was quite tasty. I asked for a sampler taster of the Barleywine, but they were only selling it in Belgian-style glassware (good for them) as full servings. Too much for the circumstances. Oh, well.

Service was ok, not outstanding. Needed to let people know you wanted service, but they were pleasant and helpful. I've seen much worse.

Dinner (special turkey dinner, pre-thanksgiving) was pretty good.

To me, it's a toss-up of this place with the Sac. Brewing Co. in town- I tend to favor the Sac. Brewing overall, but this one is much more convenient to downtown, which makes a big difference. This one is recommended.

12-23-2004 01:58:27 | More by Dukeofearl

armock

New York

3.68/5  rDev -2.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Visit on 3-11-11 for late dinner.

Atmosphere - As you walk up there's an outdoor patio dining area. As you walk in there's a long bar on the right that runs to the back wall with seating to the left and the brew house behind a glass wall. the place has a neighborhood bar feel to it as it doesn't seem to try to be trendy or do any thing to set itself apart from other bars other than make beer and food.

Quality/selection - During my visit they had four house beers on tap with a hand full of guest taps. Their house beers that I tried ranged from pretty average to good.

Service - My waitress for the night was nice and seemed to know a little bit about their beer. She was also prompt with the drinks and food so no issues in that department.

Food - For dinner I ordered the pulled pork sandwich that to me was just average as it wasn't moist enough or have as much sauce as I like. The wife ordered a hamburger and was pleased with it.

Overall I liked the place its comfortable and the food and beer is good enough for me to want to go back sometime.

05-26-2011 20:22:40 | More by armock

Troyone

California

4.45/5  rDev +18%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $

Located in a neighborhood business area this place has some local appeal. This building was once a type of business (maybe car) shop with upper metal walkways (not for customers). Different dining areas including a patio in the back.

All stainless steel tap nozzles appeared to be removables and the kitchen can be seen when walking to the restroom (clean) or patio. The bar has a stainless steel top with wood siding and there were wood tables and chairs.

Service was excellent, befriend your bartender.

All of their six or so beers available were possible notables, no cask, and other than ciders (one was made by the Brewmaster) no guest beers. Definite notables were the IPA (flagship 50% of beer sales), Amber, ESB, and the Stout. The Hefeweizen was not available.

Food was good.

reasonable

06-20-2005 18:53:59 | More by Troyone

ndolover

Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

I was in SAC-town on business and after seeing the 2 brewpubs near my hotel in the tourist area I was not impressed. I checked beeradvocate and found this gem. I took a long walk past the state capitol and found Rubicon.

It would seem that this area has a more uptown feel. Upon sitting at the bar I was greeted and asked if I wanted to try a sample of the 2 ciders I was pondering. I was impressed that they had ciders (however, they were not brewed by Rubicon). I also found the following:

1. Customers that were talking about politics and the upcoming Big Lebowski fest. I interjected a few times and was greeted warmly by the regulars at the bar.

2. The growlers were in plastic "cubes" which I had never seen before.

3. The happy hour crowd really packed the place after 4.

4. The hop juice was good, but a bit over priced.

5. The servers were nice, but I need to re-state what other reviews have said about being less then attentive.

Overall a brewpub that does not fit the corporate brewpubs that you see around SAC-town. Good vibe with good drinks...I would visit this place again!

08-29-2008 19:01:25 | More by ndolover