Ruhstaller Beer of today represents itself as a revival of the Ruhstaller Brewery of the late 1880s, both of which have a heritage of Sacramento beer and hops. But the similarities continue between past and present with the strong commitment to locally sourced ingredients and quality. Today’s Ruhstaller’s has a California ingredients list that shows almost exclusively California sources. Ruhstaller Brewery of the past was also a highly regarded local ingredients brewery for several decades, starting just after the California Gold Rush era (1849-1855) and disappearing due to Prohibition from 1920 to 1933.
Captain Frank Ruhstaller came to the United States at age 15, arriving in Sacramento in 1865. In Sacramento he began working in breweries and a few years later bought his first brewery. Upon his death in 1907, the local newspaper wrote in his obituary: “Surely no death has caused more sorrow in this city than that of Captain Frank J. Ruhstaller.” He was a beloved gentleman by all accounts.
The backstory on today’s Ruhstaller beer focuses on Sacramento as it was with the original Ruhstaller brewery. Frank Ruhstaller built the largest brewery west of the Mississippi in Sacramento. That’s amazing because Sacramento, at one point, had 16 breweries in the city. Much of Sacramento’s economic success was based on population growth (due to the Gold Rush), agriculture, large water sources, the railroad, and access to the sea. From 1870 to 1880, the Sacramento region became the hop capital of the world due to the success of quality beer. Regional hop growers even exported their hops to Europe.
An interesting fact from the time is that Adolphus Busch came to the United States in 1857. In 1861, he married the daughter of another German immigrant named Eberhard Anheuser. Mr. Anheuser had opened a small brewery in St. Louis, MO in 1857. After the Civil War, Busch went to work for his mother-in-law at the Anheuser Brewery located “west of the Mississippi.” Here’s what’s interesting: Frank Ruhstaller had built the Ruhstaller Brewery empire in Sacramento to be the largest west of the Mississippi in 1881. He did it on his own.
In an era in California where agriculture was king, it was the quantity, quality and variety of hops that was astounding for the time. Sacramento would eventually become the primary supplier of hops to much of the world’s and American breweries.
Ruhstaller Brewery (formerly) could be said to be one of the first premium craft breweries. They produced a steam beer 15 years before Anchor Steam was founded. According to Beer-FAQ, “Steam beer is a style of beer that originated in California during the Gold Rush. They are typically clear and crisp like a lager, but also full-bodied like an ale. The flavor is toasty and malty but with fairly aggressive hopping and carbonation.The brewing process is unique in that it uses lager yeast but brewed at warmer beer temperatures.“
Taking the banner from the original Rruhstaller Brewery, in 2011 Ruhstaller Beer began operations. The culture of the early Ruhstaller Brewery is the foundation of today’s award-winning “Ruhstaller Beer•Sacramento.” The founder and leader of Ruhstaller Beer is Mr. JE Paino. JE, as he prefers to be called, graduated from UC Davis with a bachelor’s degree in business administration; the brewing race came later. He strikes me as a down-to-earth person who appreciates a team approach and is totally customer focused. Like many who build companies, he is driven by the quality of his ingredients and that quality starts with the hops, Sacramento hops, that is.
JE has been very methodical in building an award-winning craft beer company brand, building on a rich Sacramento history in beer, grains and hops. The company has invested a great deal of time and money to nurture the hop industry that remains today. From 3 local hop farms, enough hops are produced to supply Ruhstaller Beer with most of the hops they need, except for the 5% that comes from outside of California. Even the barley comes from farmers in Northern California.
JE is not shy about his belief that California offers the best environmental/terroir conditions for growing premium hops. “I’ve tried it on our own 10 acres of hops,” Paino says. As he drives west on I-80 in Dixon, CA, he can see his hop farm on the side of the road. “At Ruhstaller Beer, we believe that great beer starts with the best ingredients. Like our founder, Captain Frank Ruhstaller, we’re partnering with California hop and barley farmers to grow the best California ingredients for our beers.
To show how serious Ruhstaller Beer is about their commitment to ingredients, they started a hop school to teach the history of Ruhstaller, the techniques necessary to grow premium hops, and to help consumers understand the foundation of good beer. beer. In fact, the class is not free, in 2019 they charged $30 per participant for 6 sessions and gave lunch and beer.
Interestingly, Sacramento was the hop capital of the world and that era is generally acknowledged to have begun around 1850. A hop grower from that period started a hop farm located at what is now the University of Sacramento. By 1904, that producer was supplying hops to the Guinness Brewery.
Research indicates that most people buy craft beer based on regional identity, a recommendation, a positive testing experience, label design, and brand loyalty. If a brewery owner and his employees are passionate about what they are doing, they will inherently drive quality and customer recognition. The value of quality, passion and a recognizable corporate culture that is recognizable will drive consumer brand loyalty.
To paraphrase a legendary New York City advertising genius: If you don’t sell, everything else doesn’t matter. Ruhstaller Beer’s marketing approach has probably had a profound impact on the brand. As just noted, Ruhstaller Beer•Sacramento builds on a storied regional name known for consistent quality, support from local growers, and an identity consumers can identify with. From faucet handles made from old farm implements to the stylized abstract silhouette of a man with a cigar and the name ‘Sacramento’ on its labels; they have created a brand that is easy to understand and creates affinity. Who doesn’t like a success story built on the early history of an upstart Western brewery?
In it Yolo County News Bret Johnson’s article, JE Paino (founder of Ruhstaller Beer) says of beer marketing: “You can’t just have a good story with a good name. You have to have good beer first. When Sacramento was the -region in Growing up in America before Prohibition, brewers competed on quality, not Super Bowl ads. Not gimmicks. It had to be good beer. It was supposed to be better beer.” The Ruhstaller family gifted Paino one of the original gold-rimmed glasses.
In that same interview, Paino predicted that beers brewed with local hops will cost an extra 50 cents per bottle. To justify the cost, it is essential that the consumer be aware of the value and purpose of quality ingredients that add aromas, flavor and mouthfeel to the quality craft beer experience.
It’s about Ruhstaller Beer•Sacramento: Yes, the name does matter. The resurrection of the iconic JE Paino name comes with the best wishes from the surviving Frank Ruhstaller family. Today’s Ruhstaller beer is unique in the craft beer industry because of its history. This craft beer brand has roots dating back to 1881 in its humble beginnings. The history of Ruhstaller Beer today is the documented history of Frank Ruhstaller, the history of Sacramento as the beer capital of the western half of the US, the history of ingredient sourcing, and a deep history of corporate culture. We can always learn from the masters of yesteryear. Mr. JE Paino adds to Ruhstaller’s legacy/history by adding a deep understanding of building brand loyalty over true quality.
History can make a good beer!
