A new brewery is headed to the Sierra Foothills, just southeast of Sacramento.
Southern Mines Brewing Company is preparing to debut at 20071 State Highway 108, Suite C, in Sonora, confirmed founder Christopher Waage, who’s been homebrewing for about 15 years. What started as a hobby has grown into a full-fledged dream, and he hopes to create a neighborhood spot where locals can gather over good beer and good company.
“We moved up to the Foothills region about five years ago,” Waage told What Now Sacramento. “We found a great little space where there was kind of a vacuum of breweries and restaurants between Sonora and Twain Harte and decided to shoot for what’s considered a nanobrewery (under about 200 barrels per year) of eclectic craft beers.”
The space itself reflects the area’s Gold Rush roots. The patio’s retaining wall was constructed with shift rock sourced from nearby historic gold mines, some of it over a century old, giving the venue a distinctly local and timeworn charm.
In addition to its lineup of small-batch brews, the Southern Mines team plans to serve light bites from a small in-house kitchen, including gourmet hot dogs, nachos, and Waage’s favorite, Colombian-style arepas.
“We’re looking at pretty much just serving on-site with very minimal local distribution,” explained Waage. “It’s very ‘shop local’ and community-focused. We hope [the brewery] makes money, but it may not. And if it doesn’t, the big goal is just to create a great space for families and friends to gather.”
Inside, the taproom will seat around 25 guests, while a newly built outdoor patio will accommodate about 50 more. Waage hopes to open Southern Mines Brewing Company in about a month, before the end of November 2025, pending final inspections. To stay updated, follow the brewery on Facebook and Instagram.
