Sacramento Water Cutbacks Butting Against Burgeoning Brewery Scene

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Sacramento city officials are calling for cutbacks in water usage, even as they're allowing new water-consuming breweries to sprout up.

Beer-making is booming in Sacramento.

Steve Cuneo is the owner of River City Brewery, in business for 20 years.

"I would say that it's growing quite quickly," he said. You could even term it being on fire."

Now the region is in a renaissance of beer-making. Within the last 18 months, nearly a dozen nano breweries have opened in the greater Sacramento area.

That brings the total to 27 in the region with nine open inside the Sacramento city limits alone, with two more expected this year.

But this rebirth comes as Sacramento is bracing against a severe water shortfall.

The Sacramento City Council has voted to declare the city in a Stage 2 water shortage, asking everyone to cut back 20 percent on water.

City Councilman Steve Hansen says the strong language shouldn't kill Sacramento's beer-making buzz.

For now, Sacramento's celebration of craft beer is drowning any drought fears.