USA: Sacramento Brewing Co. will market Red Horse Ale and Sac-Squatch Ale on some of Trader Joe's 130 stores in California

Sacramento Brewing Co. will soon stock two of its most popular flavours, Red Horse Ale and Sac-Squatch Ale, on Trader Joe's store shelves in California, Sacramento Bee announced October 17.

"It's true. It's true. It's been a while to get it there, but it's true," said Doug Lent, marketing director for the locally owned brewing company.

Lent said the first two truckloads of Sac Brew are scheduled to roll into Trader Joe's warehouses October 23. Both ales will be sold in 12-packs.

Trader Joe's officials confirmed the deal but would not disclose any details, including when shoppers could expect to find Sac Brew in their favourite Trader Joe's.

"We will be offering it in our California stores," spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki said. Just how many of Trader Joe's 130 California locations will stock Red Horse or Sac-Squatch ales is a decision that will be made by individual store managers, she said.

"It's an exciting opportunity to be (in stores) across the state," said Capm Peterson, Sac Brew's president of distribution and the son of brewery President Sam Peterson. "It's huge."

It's also another indicator that Northern California's small breweries are boosting the reputation of the region's handcrafted brews.

"It's the heart and soul of microbrewing. It's outstanding, the level of talent in that area," said historian Maureen Ogle, author of "Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer," by telephone from Portland, Ore., where she is promoting the book. "It's the heartbeat of American brewing right now."

In the Sacramento area, the reputation is also well-earned, from the renowned brewmaking program at the University of California, Davis, to award-winning craft brewpubs and microbreweries.

Some Sacramento-area beers, like Davis-based Sudwerk's Hubsch and Sacramento Brewing's River Otter Ale, are already on grocery store shelves around town and throughout Northern California.

Up in Chico, there's Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., which is now the country's second-largest craft brewery by production volume. Its flagship brew, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, is sold nationwide.

Along the North Coast, Humboldt, Mendocino, Lost Coast and Anderson Valley brewing companies also roll out top-notch beers and ales.

"The whole Northern California area has a great reputation," said Paul Gatza, director of Brewers Association, a Boulder, Colorado-based national trade association for craft brewers. "If a brewery can make it there, they've got to be making a really great beer."

And new craft breweries are popping up in places like Elk Grove, Lodi, Lincoln and Roseville, said Tom Dalldorf, editor of Celebrator Beer News, a national brewing newspaper based in Hayward.

"Great beer is happening in Sacramento," Dalldorf said. "It's a good era to be a good beer drinker."

Moving to a statewide stage like Trader Joe's is a coup for any small brewery.

"It means a lot," said Gatza. "In the general retail world, (market) share seems to be moving to a Trader Joe's-type of store."

Outlets like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, along with Internet sales and home delivery, have become increasingly attractive options for consumers of craft brews.

"Trader Joe's has a good reputation for carrying a good beer selection," Gatza said. "It gives (Sacramento Brewing) a chance at a brighter future."

It's the second time around for the small, award-winning beer maker and the boutique grocery chain. Six-pack sizes of Sac Brew's beers were on the shelves at a smattering of Trader Joe's about a year and a half ago but didn't stay.

But Lent said a recent panel of tasters at Trader Joe's reacted enthusiastically to Sac Brew's Red Horse, an amber ale, and Sac-Squatch, a coffee-colored Scotch ale.

The microbrewery produces 7,500 to 8,500 barrels of beer a year at its two locations in Sacramento and Citrus Heights, mainly for local restaurants and taverns. Sac Brew expects to add additional shifts to its usual 18-hour brewing day at the company's Town & Country Village location and its Marconi Avenue outlet to handle the Trader Joe's volume, said brewer Peter Hoey.

Among Sacramento's beer connoisseurs, Sacramento Brewing has been a familiar label since it first opened its doors - and taps - in Sacramento 10 years ago. Its beers are sold locally in bottles and kegs. It's available on draft at taps in bars and restaurants around the city and at Sacramento Brewery's two brewpubs. And its Red Horse amber ale will be one of the pours at Sacramento Kings basketball games this season, Lent said.

It's a long way from the days when Lent, a retired Sacramento city firefighter, would stop in at the brewery's original location at Fulton and Marconi avenues for an evening pint. And it's a long way from the brewery's original goal of making an in-house beer it could simply sell across the bar.

But it's also a continuation of the microbrewery boom of the 1980s. Microbreweries are generally considered those producing less than 15,000 barrels annually.

Tastes are changing and today, more than 30 of the top 50 U.S. brewers by production are craft brewers, according to the Brewers Association. Of the top 50 brewers, seven are California-based, including Anchor Brewing and Sierra Nevada.

Craft brewers, which include microbreweries and brewpubs, are defined as those whose majority of sales are in so-called "all-malt" beers, those containing 100 percent malted barley. Regular beers contain a mix of corn, rice and other grains.

The craft brew category, according to Brewers Association figures, grew 9 percent in sales volume in 2005, faster than wine, spirits and imported beer.

Sacramento Brewing's production numbers won't crack the top 50 anytime soon, but Lent said the brewer is gearing up for its entry into statewide sales via Trader Joe's.

"One word describes this whole deal: challenging," Lent said. "This is a huge thing, but we have the capacity to do this. We're up to the challenge."

Craft beer by the numbers:

Craft beers are showing increased popularity among U.S. beer drinkers with steady growth in sales and production. Here are some highlights:

- 7 million barrels of craft beer were produced in the United States in 2005, a 9 percent increase over the previous year. (A barrel equals 31 gallons.)

- Total U.S. retail sales of craft beers in 2005: $4.3 billion

U.S craft breweries operating on Aug. 1, 2006:

- 52 regional craft breweries (producing more than 15,000 barrels annually)

- 397 microbreweries (producing less than 15,000 barrels per year)
- 922 brewpubs (those including a restaurant)

Total craft breweries: 1,371

Total U.S. breweries: 1,406

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