Sure, when observing a list of the world’s top beer brewing cities, it would seem odd to find Sacramento on that list. But through an upcoming exhibit at the Sacramento History Center (formerly the Discovery Museum History Center) in Old Sacramento, visitors can learn that the capital city is very much on the beer brewing map.

Opening Aug. 8, the eight-month exhibit, which is appropriately named “Capital Brew: Hops, Barrels and Bootleggers,” will bring the museum’s guests an inside view of the history of beer brewing in Sacramento, from its hop harvesting and brewing to its marketing and distribution.

With beer production and distribution in Sacramento at such a high level in the 19th century, The Union’s most famous writer, Mark Twain, was driven to comment on the city’s rich beer making tradition and availability when he said, “You can shut your eyes and march into the first door you come to and call for a drink and the chances are that you will get it.”

Local beer production was so great in 1879, in fact, that more than 560,000 gallons of beer were said to have been produced in Sacramento County.

Sacramento’s beer history, however, began much earlier than 1879, as the city provided beer to its residents and visitors as early as the days of the Gold Rush.

In 1849, the city’s first brewery, the Sacramento Brewery, was founded by a German man, named Peter Kadell.

A year later, another brewery was established at 29th and J streets by Zins and Weiser.

The city’s 19th century notoriety as a brewery city was certainly not a recognition that was exaggerated, since during this time, Sacramento boasted more than 15 breweries.

The most famous of the city’s breweries was the Buffalo Brewing Co., which was founded at 1717 21st St. by Herman H. Grau on Nov. 1, 1888. This brewery had the notoriety of being the largest brewery west of the Mississippi.

Other 19th century breweries in Sacramento included the Capital Brewery at 12th and I streets, the Columbus Brewery at 16th and K streets, the Phoenix Brewery at 28th and M streets and the Union Brewery at 20th and O streets.

Another 19th century brewery, the Tiger Brewery, stood in the vicinity of one of the city’s most cherished sites at 31st (today’s Alhambra Boulevard) and K streets, in the approximate location where the Moorish-style Alhambra Theatre stood from 1927 to 1973.

And of course, with the establishment of local breweries came the arrival of many early Sacramento saloons, which initiated a rich tradition of bars in the capital city.

Kristina Swanson, development manager of the Sacramento History Center, said that various elements went into the selection of the upcoming exhibit, which she refers to as “fun,” “interesting” and a historical topic that is not commonly known about by many people in Sacramento.

“One of the major things that we were looking for was an exhibit that has wide appeal and certainly beer is one of those things that really is a common thing across different cultures,” Swanson said. “Another thing is [the exhibit] really brings in Sacramento history. [The city] had a really rich brewing tradition, as well as an agricultural hop growing history and that was something that was very important to us.”

The topic of hop farming is certainly something that can get lost in the discussion of brewing, when it comes to presenting details about the history of breweries. But such a thing falls in the same category as discussing chickens and not eggs.

Once located on the site of California State University, Sacramento was the 244-acre Horst hop ranch. Additionally, many other areas along the American River, including today’s Rancho Cordova area, produced hops on an annual basis.

Hops were also grown in Yolo, Sutter and Amador counties and the south Sacramento County towns of Bridgehouse, Sloughhouse and Elk Grove.

Virginia Signorotti, whose late husband George Signorotti was among the many hop farmers of Sloughhouse, commented on the great number of local hop fields that supplied Sacramento’s historic breweries.

“There were once 80 or more [hops] growers in the Sacramento area and most of them were along the Cosumnes River,” Virginia said. “One of the earliest growers in the area was the Flint Ranch in Bridgehouse. It would be presumed that some of the farmers in the Sloughhouse, Bridgehouse and Elk Grove areas were even supplying hops for the Sacramento Brewery.”

Virginia added that her relatives have a rich tradition in Sloughhouse hop farming.

“My father-in-law [Avellino Signorotti] began producing hops in the mid-1920s on Jackson Road in Sloughhouse and my husband grew the last commercial hop crop in the state in 1985,” Virginia said.

Swanson said that one of her favorite features about beer tradition in Sacramento is how the beverage brought a variety of people together in the early years of Sacramento.

“Men would come to the saloons and drink together, regardless of a lot of different backgrounds,” Swanson said. “We had all sorts of people, who were all together celebrating with beer.”

Being that the majority of the owners of Sacramento’s early breweries were German, the exhibit will also present details about how Germans brought their cultural traditions to the Sacramento area.

Continuing with the topic of cultural tradition, the exhibit will also provide information regarding Japanese workers, who were employed in the hop fields near Sacramento.

In addition to celebrating the glory years of Sacramento breweries, the exhibit will also focus on Prohibition, which Swanson refers to as the “death blow” for many local breweries.

The exhibit, which Swanson said she is hopeful will attract younger people who do not generally visit museums, will also present information regarding the wide variety of beers that were produced by Sacramento’s many historic breweries.

And as a tribute to the city’s rich brewery tradition, which includes many microbreweries that have come, gone and also stayed in the capital city, the museum will also present an Oktoberfest celebration, which will be held at the museum on Sept. 26, from 6 to 8 p.m.

The event, which will benefit educational programs and exhibits at the museum, will feature a variety of local microbreweries, including Brew It Up!, Rubicon Brewing Co., Pyramid Alehouse, River City Brewing Co., Hoppy Brewing Co. and Auburn Alehouse.

The museum’s curator Jesse Siess said that the upcoming exhibit and Oktoberfest celebration offer a great opportunity to “tap into Sacramento’s rich brewing legacy.”

“It’s going to be a great time,” Siess said. “It’s going to be educational on lots of different levels. The rich brewing legacy of Sacramento offers a very unique insight into the city and its history.”

Admission for the Capital Brew exhibit at the Sacramento History Museum, 101 I St. in Old Sacramento, is $5 for adults; $4 for seniors, 60 years old and older and teens, ages 13 to 17 years old; and $3 for youth and children, 16 years old and younger.

For additional information about the exhibit or the Oktoberfest event, call (916) 264-7057 or visit the Web site www.thediscovery.org.