Rubicon Brewing Company

Rubicon Brewing Company

For 22 years, the Rubicon Brewing Company has been a jewel of a capital city culture. It’s not just because of the award-winning fine ales and great food served up by the Rubicon. Within the past four years, under the auspices of owner Glynn Phillips, the Rubicon has become renowned for its community outreach and philanthropic efforts. It’s support for Sacramento kids and various people in need that has transformed the Rubicon into a vital cog of Sacramento life. “This pub is part of the community, and I don’t just mean geographically,” said Glynn Phillips, owner of the Rubicon since June 2005. “It’s important for us to give back as much as we can to show our appreciation. I really feel like we’re connected with the people and that they can trust that they’ll feel at home here.” Brewmaster Scott Cramlet has felt so at home that he’s stayed more than two decades. In October 2006, he experienced a thrill very few craft brewers achieve in their careers: stepping on stage to receive a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival. Cramlet won for his Winter Wheatwine, and followed that achievement with a silver GABF medal in 2009. In the craft brewing industry, consistent victories in the respected blind-panel tasting contest bring international acclaim. “We’ve gone through so many different phases during my time here, but we’re very happy with things right now,” he said. “There is a lot of hope for future and expanding our business. We hope to double our capacity and get more of our products in bottles and more of a market presence -- not too huge but bigger than we are now. I’m certainly very proud to work for a place that has been around so long and has its place in history. We are not the new kid on street. I tell people how long I’ve been at the Rubicon, and I hear people say, ‘Wow, that’s impressive.’” In some ways, the transition from founder Ed Brown to Phillips was more than a decade in the making. Brown had known Phillips since the 1970s as the good friend of Brown’s nephews in the Bay Area town of Moraga. As Phillips paid his dues in the craft brewing industry – first at Great Basin Brewing in Sparks, Nev., and next at Marin Brewing in Larkspur – Phillips kept in close contact with Brown. Buoyed by his management experience at Marin Brewing, Phillips was confident that he could handle the passing of the baton at the Rubicon. Since then, Phillips has embraced Sacramento like an old friend. “It has been really good to me."