Local brewers discuss challenges the beer industry faces

Over the past decade, the craft beer scene has been riding high as more breweries and tap houses began popping up. But drinking habits are changing and demand for beer has taken a hit along with other pressing economic challenges.

Following the closures of two popular breweries in Sacramento, the Insight team decided to check in with the Sacramento Brewers Guild about the state of craft beer in the region. Andy Klein is the owner of Monk's Cellar in Roseville, Kristen Madigan is the taproom manager at Touchstone Brewing in Midtown Sacramento, and Kenny Terry is the owner and brewer at Logoff Brewing in Rancho Cordova.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

Andy Klein, Monk's Cellar, Roseville:

Congratulations on being named Brewer of the Year by the California State Fair. That is no easy feat. Tell us about the Monk's Cellar if people haven't visited and had a pint.

It was quite an honor. It was just the second time. The first time we did it in 2023 and then now in 2025. So yeah, huge honor. Monk's Cellar itself really kind of focuses on classic, kind of old world European look and feel and vibe about the place. Full brewery, of course. And we have a full bar and a restaurant.

How did you get started in beer and make it a career?

In my junior year in high school, I did an exchange program over to Germany. And really that was my introduction to good beer at the time. It was just the culture. It was just something that was part of everyday life. So that really had a pretty significant impact on me. After that I came home, went to graduate college, started brewing beer in my parents' basement and just absolutely fell in love with the art and science of it, started taking classes and I went back to the American Brewers Guild and got out in 1996.

What do you recommend people drink if it's their first time trying your beer?

Our go-to, our most award-winning beer is the Biere Blanche. It's a Belgian wheat beer and a lot of people are familiar with that because there is another beer out there called Blue Moon that is similar in taste and style. Ours is of course much, much, much better.

When places like Device and Track 7 shut down seemingly abruptly, does that cause concern for you?

I hate when any brewery closes. I mean, we're all in it because we have a passion for it, and we want to share it and we work hard to make it work. I think consumers have a myriad of options and choices these days. But I think for us as brewers, just staying nimble and kind of paying attention to our customers and our guests and their preferences – I mean, the only constant is change.

What are some of the newer or recent challenges that you're facing?

Ingredient costs are and have been going up. I mean everyone feels that, not only in the brewing world but at the grocery store, everywhere. And just a little bit of uncertainty with tariffs and that kind of thing. I think it's kind of caused people to pull back a little bit.

Kristen Madigan, Touchstone Brewing, Sacramento:

You managed the taproom at Touchstone Brewing, which is relatively new to the Midtown scene in Sacramento. What do you think Touchstone has added to the area?

I think that we've added a really lively outdoor space that Sacramento kind of needed. We have this huge patio. We have great beer, great food. Dog-friendly, children-friendly. So we're kind of just trying to advertise to the current millennial, I guess right now. We also are right next to a rock climbing gym (Pipeworks) as well, which is our sister company.

What beer do you recommend if people are visiting for the first time?

We love brewing lagers, so our Layback Lager is kind of our brewer's favorite right now. I would definitely recommend trying one of our lagers.

How does the trend of changing drinking habits (away from beer or alcohol) impact the business?

I think that the breweries that are performing well are the ones that are able to stay relevant and look at what is changing and see how people are consuming hard cider, and hard seltzer, and kombucha or even non-alcoholic options and having those options available at your brewery. You don't have to be a beer drinker anymore to hang out at a brewery.

There's always going to be challenges, but amid the current challenges that breweries like yours are facing, what are you excited for?

The biggest thing that I'm excited for is just to see the amount of change and effort that the breweries are putting into their spaces now, where before you could just open up a warehouse in the middle of nowhere and the people would come just because of the growth period we had.

Kenny Terry, Log Off Brewing, Rancho Cordova:

What can people expect when they head over to Log Off Brewing?

I try to do a big variety of beers, so a little bit of everything. We have 21 taps. I try to capture the whole range. It's my favorite thing when people come in with a big group and it's not just IPAs, it's not just lagers. It's everything, so there's something for everybody.

What have been some of the biggest challenges for changes in the last five years?

I think all three of us own a more neighborhood brewery pub [compared to] some of these other breweries that closed, less distribution. We're more of a community hub, a meeting place, a public house. We've basically used our spaces well in that way and doing lots of events [and] social media.

How does the trend of changing drinking habits shape the work and what you want to brew at Log Off?

It comes out of the variety. So I have seltzer options, I have some non-alcoholic options, I have fruity wheat beer, I have your IPAs, your stouts, your everything. So, just having something for everybody.