Sacramento will be seeing lots of action in the brewery world over the next few months through early next year, one of them being Two Ass Brewing Co. The company has just received approvals for a space on Hoffman Avenue in Auburn.
The new brewery and taproom are planned for an approximately 2,000-square-foot space at 140 Hoffman Ave., planned to be converted into a brewery, a taproom, and a beer garden. The two co-owners, Chris Haupt and Kris Bartow are longtime home brewers with a 2016 California State Fair Home Brew Competition first-place under their name for the IPA category. The winning beer, “Dark Donkey,” combines West Coast India pale ale and porter flavors profile together. In 2019, they decided to take their beer to the public and started the business journey.
Funny enough, donkey references go deep with the company. The name, “Two Ass,” was inspired by co-owner Kris Bartow’s two donkeys, Eddie and Annabelle. The two four-legged members have been around since the two co-owners started brewing together.
Moving forward, Two Ass Brewing Co. will be a consumer-faced direct-to-consumer nano brewery and taproom. The plans are currently approved for design review and use permit earlier this week. The historic 1940s building was originally a butcher shop and will be renovated to house a brewery space, a cold storage room, and a taproom area with approximately 25 seatings and eight taps, whereas the side parking lot will be improved to hold an enclosed beer garden with a space for a food truck.
“Our core menu includes Pilsner, Blonds, Reds, and the like, but also has some Pales and IPAs to start. Our branding stays on the less serious/punny side: for instance, a couple of our award winners are ‘Bad Assed Blond’ and ‘Sazzy’ (a Pilsner) and are examples that play with our name and Donkey theme,” said Haupt.
Haupt told What Now Sacramento over the phone that he is hoping to open Two Ass Brewing Co. by the end of this year or the beginning of next year.
“We very much want to be a community meeting space, walkable from/to other places around Auburn. We have applied for permits that would allow music and events, and host other meetings and events, including fulfilling our charter of being a place that is educational about the brewing world and other topics of interest to the community,” said Haupt in an email.
