Citrus Heights brewery holds official ribbon cutting

By Sara Beth Williams–
A local nano-brewery held its official grand opening last Friday afternoon.

DarkHeart Brewing, located at Sylvan Corners in a portion of the former Goodwill Industries store that closed in January 2024, held its official ribbon cutting on Friday to a crowd of attendees, including local police officers, city staff, and regional representatives from Sacramento County, and the State Assembly and State Senate offices.

“Our residents have long asked for a brewery within our city,” said Meghan Huber, Director of Economic Development and Community Engagement, adding that the city looks forward to seeing the community support a new local business.

DarkHeart owners Rick and Cynthia Lee said all brews are made in-house and that the brewery has 2o different taps, including 16 beers plus a nonalcoholic root beer. The brewery has also been able to supply its brews to local restaurants in the region.

“We had an amazing community at the old location. That’s where we had found family. Citrus Heights is where we found home. And I think that’s the difference,” Cynthia Lee said following the ribbon cutting Friday.

Lee recently announced on social media that the brewery has launched live musical acts on select evenings. Because of the limited space inside, Lee said live music would include either solo or duo musical acts. Lee also wants to utilize the outside space when weather permits for more community-oriented events, such as car shows.

Currently the small brewery can hold 49 patrons. While the venue is smaller than their former location, Lee said the new location has a working HVAC system, which their previous location did not have, as well as more available parking.

In June of last year, the Citrus Heights City Council approved a request for DarkHeart Brewing to receive $86,869 in grant funds to relocate their business to Citrus Heights through the Business Attraction Incentive Program.

Huber said DarkHeart Brewing is not the first brewery to exist in Citrus Heights, but it’s “the first time in a long time” since Citrus Heights has had a brewery that brews in-house.

After holding a soft opening for a few hours on the day before Christmas Eve, the brewery officially opened its doors the day after Christmas in 2024.

According to the company’s social media page, DarkHeart’s hours are Monday through Friday from 4 to 9 p.m., Saturday from 2 to 9 p.m., and Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m. The brewery also said it can accommodate groups and open earlier in the afternoon for private events.

DarkHeart Brewing is located at 7110 Auburn Blvd.