The Sacramento area has more than 60 craft breweries, but the beer craze isn’t just hitting big cities.
In historic Nevada City, more than 100 people attended the first annual brewfest.
For 58 years, the city has hosted an annual bicycle race and other events on a summer kickoff weekend.
President of Nevada City Chamber of Commerce Matt Margulies says it just made sense to host the beer festival as well.
“A firm believer in independent craft brews and we have more and more coming into our area,” Margulies said. “And I thought it would be a great idea to have a local brewfest.”
The festival celebrates area breweries which have become big economic generators in rural towns.
Owner of Three Forks Bakery and Brewing, Dave Cowie, says his business employs 45 people. Less than 3,000 live in Nevada City.
Breweries from Auburn, Grass Valley, Truckee, and Nevada City were represented in the regional festival.