Brewery Dinner at the Farm

Your mom and I took your Grandpa Gene back to the farm where I picked hops last weekend for a great dinner sponsored by the brewery. One of the unexpected perks of my volunteering was being invited to this celebration for the Sacramento brewery Ruhstaller. It was shortly after their first anniversary and to commemorate that along with their first hop harvest, they invited all the people, big and small, who have contributed to the brewery's growth.

This brewery takes its name from a big historical figure in the Sacramento area, and they routinely pay tribute to the city and Northern California as a region. I like that trait in a company. 

They had some great beer available, including a couple versions of a lager I got to try side by side before they became available to the wider public. 

They had a bunch of great food. Your mom and I are total suckers for good (and free) appetizers... 

Your grandpa Gene grew up and worked a lot on a farm as a kid, and so returning to the farm world was a treat for him.  

A cute part of the festivities were tractor-pulled hayrides to the hop yard and back. 

We had a blast. It felt like pure serendipity that this all ended up happening, and I'm greatly appreciative of that. 

The farmer gave a bow after being recognized during the brewery owner's speech about the meaning of the evening. The farmer is a really cool guy and deserves kudos for working to revitalize hop-growing in this region, a region which used to be the largest single hop-growing area in the world before Prohibition!