While most of Sacramento was working through holiday leftovers, Backstage Brewing was quietly pouring fresh beer. The new Curtis Park brewery slipped in a soft opening on Christmas Day, inviting a limited number of guests into its taproom as the team slowly ramps up production. The plan, the owners say, is to run the neighborhood taproom alongside a separate outdoor beer garden in Midtown’s New Era Park.
According to the Sacramento Bee, Backstage poured a small selection of beers on Christmas and has been producing and canning out of its Curtis Park facility for nearly a year. The project is owned by David and Dana Herrera, and twin-brother brewers Cory and Kale Coppin are credited with developing the recipes.
What They Are Pouring Now
On its current lineup, Backstage highlights cans such as Pelotero, a Mexican lager, along with Groupie Blonde Ale and Sound Check IPA. The brewery has already placed limited cans and kegs in nearby retail shops and bars, keeping distribution modest while the taproom comes together. The company also promotes a paid "Backstage Pass" membership and a line of low-calorie "refreshers," per Backstage Brewing's website.
Midtown Beer Garden In The Works
Off-site, the Herreras have their sights set on Midtown. They are seeking a conditional use permit and design review to convert part of a long-running recording studio at 1812 D St. into an outdoor beer garden and taproom that would connect directly to table seating and umbrellas. "We are looking to offer a new concept that will be open to the public," the application states, as reported by What Now Sacramento.
The Herreras also operate Official Brewing as a contract-production outfit from the same Curtis Park facility and have been quietly expanding distribution while finishing the taproom, according to the Sacramento Bee. The paper notes that Backstage has already appeared at local brewing events and that each beer takes several weeks to complete as production scales up.
Event listings describe the Curtis Park space as a more than 5,000-square-foot event venue with a full stage, room for private bookings and a multi-tap bar, and local business pages place the storefront next to Real Pie Company in the former Hoppy Brewing location. Those venue details are reflected on public event and opening trackers such as Eventective and Hyper Likely.
For now, the taproom remains in a soft-service phase, with the owners indicating that a full public opening will follow once permits and production catch up to their plans. In the meantime, Backstage is slowly increasing where its cans and kegs show up while it prepares the Midtown garden. Those phased steps, outlined in the company’s own listings and local filings, suggest Backstage could become a visible new player on Sacramento’s beer map early next year, according to Backstage Brewing's website.
