Slice Beer Company, The Culture of Fresh

A new brewery is looking to take a slice out the Sacramento beer market.

The Sacramento area beer scene is growing again and with growth comes change. Since late 2016 the Moonraker brewing team has been helmed by Zack Frasher. A few short months after opening, Moonraker’s Extremis, a triple IPA took down Pliny the Younger at The Bistro at a blind triple IPA tasting. This event is part of San Francisco Beer Week.  Soon after, Moonraker was named as one of the best new breweries on Rate Beer. Moonraker went from unknown, to must-have. All this with Zack leading the brewing charge.

Fast forward to mid-June 2019. The news breaks that Zack is leaving Moonraker. Zack has teamed up with Russ Yeager of Old Town Pizza. Russ is a co-owner and marketing director of Old Town Pizza.  Russ and Zack, along with the remaining ownership of Old Town Pizza have created Slice Beer Co. They are on track to open this summer and will be located in Lincoln, Ca. Lincoln sits about 30 miles N/E of the State Capitol.

What To Expect?

Russ says “people should expect a lot of hoppy beers and some massive stouts”. While there are no immediate plans for a brewery club or membership, they are keeping an open mind. They may have something in the future that would be focused on local demand and fresh beer. The brewery’s tag line, The Culture of Fresh is a big part of what they plan to bring to Sacramento beer scene.

Slice Beer will have a cozy tasting room, coming in shy of 500 sq ft. They should have seating for about 30 people and will offer both crowler and growler fills. The building that they will call home will also be home to an Old Town Pizza location, although in a separate part of a building.

Slice is keeping it local. They purchased their 10 bbl brewhouse from BrewBilt which is located in Grass Valley, California. They will have a fermentation capacity of 120 bbls and are looking to produce 1,500 bbl annually. Although the majority of the beer will be consumed on-site, expect to see a small amount of 16oz cans and 500ml bottles hitting the market.

The Hype

Slice already has a core following on social media, and the excitement is building as they routinely post build-out and merch photos. Social media questions have ranged from “when will you open” to “do you have plans for expansion? Expansion! Crazy question, the brewery hasn’t even opened yet. It just goes to show that people are pumped about this brewery.

But with that door already open, I had to ask Russ why they are starting out with what some might consider small. “We went into this project with an idea in mind of how much beer we wanted to produce. The square footage, system size, and fermentation capacity are going to allow us to produce that quantity. Zack is going to touch all of the beer being packaged at Slice Beer Company, that is of the utmost importance to him. If we are fortunate enough to have a ‘demanding public’, that’d be great. And it won’t dictate our growth plan or lack thereof. ”  I absolutely love that answer, and the beer community should too. Quality over quantity!

So do we need another brewery? With the proven track records of both Russ and Zach, that would be a resounding Hell Yes. There way too much dodgy beer on the market, and we can always use more quality, innovative and tasty beer. You may have heard some great things about the Sacramento beer scene in the past. Well, they just keep getting better.

Slice Beer Co
665 6th Street
Lincoln, Ca