Beer in the Eastern Sierra

I spent part of my Saturday rolling up Highway 395, through the towering pines and along the jagged crags of the Eastern Sierras, on the way to June Lake. It's a quiet mountain town with plenty of hiking during the warmer months and skiing during the colder ones, but the trip wasn't for outdoor adventures. I'd been meaning to check out the new brewery-- June Lake Brewing-- since it had opened, but for one reason or another I hadn't made my way up that far north. Last weekend, though, my girlfriend came to visit, so a beer date and mini road trip through the woods materialized.

The outdoors and beer oftentimes go hand in hand.  My skiing and snowboarding friends like an après-ski brew. Beers after a good hike (or during, whatever) usually come up. The climbers I know usually end up drinking an IPA after playing around on the rocks, and camping tends to involve a libation or two around the fire. Maybe the outdoors pair well with beer, like a good steak and a red wine. Maybe craft beers, with their attention to detail and flavor, help people stop and appreciate the little beautiful things in the grand scene of nature.

I like beer and being outside, so that's why I do it.

At the brewery

Whatever the reason they mix may be, it works in places like the Eastern Sierra. Places like June Lake and Mammoth Lakes, with year round outdoor activities from hiking and climbing to snow sports, definitely benefit with a brewery. One of my personal favorites, Mammoth Brewing Company, has been in operation for nearly 20 years, and in that 20 years they have found themselves beyond their town of origin and onto shelves in stores around the state (they have their beers in select locations in L.A., Orange County, and parts of San Diego for a limited time, go out and find 'em!). Even though its reach is growing, their beers still have a taste that's indicative of the Sierras; bold, loaded with flavor, and definitely unique. The beers Stephanie and I tried at June Lake Brewing represented that independent Sierra flavor too, being creative and expressive while still being extremely palatable.

Stephanie and I got a growler of their "8140 Black IPA" since she likes porters, I like IPAs, and it's a pleasant combination of both, so that was rad.

It, and the other beers we sampled, were definitely worth the trip. It would be nice if there were closer options for craft beers on the south side of the east side of the Sierras, which is why I'm stoked that the brewing trend is moving further down. Over the last year or so, construction and preparation of Mountain Rambler Brewery in Bishop has been underway. They just started opening full time late last week, and their kitchen is getting pretty good reviews, but at the time I paid it a visit they only had "guest beers". Nevertheless, I expect pretty good things to come from them, and hopefully soon. The anticipation for new beer is almost too much for my little heart to take. After all, local is better.

The small but impressive collection of breweries forming on this side of the state is exciting to me. It's not just because I'm a beer fan, but because they produce things that are fun to explore. New breweries perfect their art to make something creative. Some have a bite while others go down smoothly, but they're all their own adventure. The mountains and deserts of the Eastern Sierra are kind of the same way; different flavors, different reactions, all beautiful and unique in their own way, and all fun to explore. Maybe that's why beer and the outdoors works so well together; both are an adventure for the senses, with sights and scents and flavors that vary wherever you go but remain interesting as you continue to delve into them.

I mean, I'm still sticking with "I like beer and being outside" but the adventure thing might work too.

Try a local beer next time you're in Inyo or Mono counties. You won't be disappointed.