1986–2014
Rubicon Brewing Co. closes (2014)
Rubicon Brewing, a pioneering Sacramento brewpub at 20th and Capitol, served affordable beer for 28 years before closing. A Yelp review of Backstage Brewing recalls wishing for a local $3 lager since Rubicon shut its doors.
Then
Sacramento lost one of its original neighborhoods brewpubs and its budget-beer anchor.
Now
A $3 lager became a memory; drinkers spent $7 or more a pint elsewhere.
Why this matters now
Backstage Brewing's signature $3 red solo lager explicitly positions itself as the kind of affordable neighborhood beer Sacramento lost when Rubicon closed.