Sutter Buttes Brewing focuses on the beer while also offering much more

A known Yuba City spot, Sutter Buttes Brewing, almost closed its doors in 2018 because an owner at the time, Joe Federico, was struggling with health issues. However, that fate was diverted.

You see, Scott Sargent said that he received a call from his wife in 2018.

“My wife called me and said, ‘Hey, did you know the brewery’s closing,’” Sargent said. “And I was like, ‘No. I had no idea.’ We had been living up here for a number of years and we’ve come in here on occasion, and one of my goals was always to have a microbrewery.”

Soon after that call, a deal was ultimately made with the previous owners, Joe Federico and Sabrina Federico. Then, on the night it was supposed to close, the Sargents and the Federicos were able to call the brewery – staff were told that the brewery was not closing.

“And so we ended up taking over, I left a 30-year career to come in here and do this, which is kind of crazy. I walked into my boss, and said, ‘Hey, I’m leaving as of the 1st to go do this,’” Sargent said with a laugh.

Sargent explained that he had previously worked for a company that ran Round Table Pizza franchises. So he had already been in the restaurant business for years. Also, he said that Sutter Buttes Brewing was pretty popular when they came in.

“But we definitely wanted to kind of put our own flavor on this,” Sargent said. “The restaurant was the focus when Joe had it. And what we’re trying to do is really make the beer the focus. And so we’ve put a lot of energy, money and time into expanding the production of the beer, and also improving the recipes, really trying to hone the beer to where it’s going to be kind of the main thing and the restaurant would be somewhat secondary.”

In line with that focus, Sargent said they recently won a gold medal in the California Commercial Craft Beer Competition, which is part of the California State Fair.

“Our Prost! Lager won 1st place in the European Pale Lager category. Knowing how much competition there is in California in the microbrew space, we are honored to be recognized as one of 53 gold awardees among 921 entries,” according to Sargent.

Prost! is a Munich-style Helles that Sargent first brewed in June 2023.

“Since then, it has quickly become the top-seller in the brewery’s downtown Yuba City taproom and restaurant and is now a featured local brew at other area establishments. Sutter Buttes Brewery has been brewing other classic German beer styles, such as Hefeweizen, since its founding in 2010. Currently it offers 10 styles on tap,” according to Sargent.

Consistent with the brewery’s German-themed decor, Sargent said that he has been to Germany a number of times and he fell in love with German beers and the process of how they brew beers over there.

“The beer is just so drinkable, so delicious,” he said. “It’s kind of a national drink, so they're very good at it.”

Outside of the beer, Sargent said they have a phenomenal group of regulars. They also host regular comedy events. In June, Steve Hytner, who you may have seen on Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm or Modern Family, headlined at a comedy event at the brewery.

So that was a thing. We also do not need to sleep on their wood-fired pizzas.

A regular customer who has a landscape business, Benny Uriostegui, said that they have fantastic pizza.

“It’s not like going to Little Caesars,” Uriostegui said. “Their burgers are amazing as well.”

Uriostegui even brought his daughter to the brewery for her birthday once.

“We got together and she got to have a drink with me,” Uriostegui said.

It was a break.

“She does a lot at home, and she doesn’t have time to herself, so I go, OK, let’s go,” Uriostegui said.