Bike Dog raised eyebrows in March with their creative brews during Sacramento Beer Week. After taking home the People’s Choice Award at the Sacramento Brewers Showcase for their Pale Ale – called the Down Under Pale Ale for its New Zealand and Australian hops – they put forth a strong showing at their taproom with events such as Stout-Fest and Hop-Fest. Taking in the events of Beer Week myself, I asked fellow craft-beer enthusiasts which beers seemed to rise above the rest. Over and over again, I heard about Bike Dog’s beers. Porter credited the hard work of the four partners, and in particular Pete Atwood, head brewer, who was measuring hops 50 feet from our table and filling the room with the aroma of hop additions. Home brewers, you know what I’m talking about. Porter, Atwood, Tendick, and Smith have all managed to carry on with full-time jobs outside the brewery, and yet their beers are well loved and the tap room is full every Friday and Saturday night. West Sac has been a huge support to Bike Dog, both from employees in the area and from the neighborhoods within the city, such as South Port.

"There are a lot of thirsty people in Sacramento"

In the midst of success, Porter mentioned how grateful they are to have collaborative relationships with other breweries in Sacramento. Among others in Sacramento, he praised two West Sac breweries – Jack Rabbit and Yolo Brewing Company, opening soon, – for their craftsmanship as well as Rubicon, for their partnership and support. When asked about an over-saturation of breweries in Sacramento that might lead to fewer customers for Bike Dog, Porter felt the opposite is true.

“There are a lot of thirsty people in Sacramento. We feel like Sacramento is gaining a ton of momentum. We want people to say, ‘Wow, Sacramento has some amazing beers.’” Referring to the community of Sacramento breweries, Porter said, “It’s like a brotherhood where all ships rise together.”

"Let's start with the double IPA"

The Beer

This brings me to their beers. A Bike Dog virgin until one March afternoon, I walked into Old Soul at 40 Acres on Broadway. Sitting under the “BeersInSac.com” banner, I chose from four Bike Dog beers on tap. “Let’s start with the Double IPA,” I said. The emblem on the glass convinced me to add to my collection. Taking in the aroma, I thought I was sitting at Russian River Brewing Company smelling Pliny the Elder. I hesitate to mention Pliny, except that for many of us, the Elder has become the benchmark to which we compare all other Imperial IPAs. It’s a west coast IPA for sure, with a citrusy pineapple aroma and flavor, yet a balance that hides the 8.5% as well as any beer I’ve tried. It’s a hop head’s dream.