The Eastern Sierra region is considered an outdoor paradise by skiers, snowboarders, hikers, mountain bikers, hunters and anglers alike. The ability to indulge in those adventurous activities is common among year-round residents of communities like Mammoth Lakes, many of whom originally discovered the region as visitors from Southern California. When relocating, some of those expats brought along a piece of the places they left behind, including several San Diegans who went on to open and influence Eastern Sierra breweries. Over time, those businesses have banded together, forming the Eastern Sierra Brewers Alliance, an organization that’s gone a long way to strengthening and advancing the local beer scene through various events and initiatives. The result is a tightknit craft community providing another great reason to pay this region a visit. Read along as we present our beer-centric guide to the Eastern Sierra Spirit & Ale Trail.
Mammoth Lakes
Distant Brewing
568 Old Mammoth Rd
Half a decade ago, the homebrewing brothers behind three-barrel nanobrewery, Black Doubt Brewing, couldn’t make enough beer to sate their fans’ thirst. They solved that problem in a big way in 2019, relocating to an old police station with enough square-footage for a 10-barrel brewery and kitchen-equipped tasting room. In doing so, they rebranded the business as Distant Brewing and expanded their beer offerings to include myriad modern styles, many of which are inspired by contemporaries in their hometown of San Diego. Betting on themselves and their beer has paid off, as Distant now stands as an immensely popular hangout among locals and in-the-know tourists alike.
Hops are at the heart of Distant’s beermaking MO. Citra and Motueka lend huge tangerine aromatics to hazy IPA, Sky Pillow, while Mosaic and newly named varietal Krush impart lasting notes of navel orange to a West Coast Pilsner called Ghost Pilot. And fans of Nelson Sauvin will find that hop’s oft elusive gooseberry quality in Kiwi Flats New Zealand pale ale. On the less hoppy end of the spectrum, El Camino Sierra Mexican-style lager is delicious and crushable, while a year of foeder-aging results in delicate layers of oak, funk and tartness in Saison de la Montana. Need a wake-up call? Dark Mountain coffee stout delivers a alluring java nose followed by a touch of chocolate on the palate.
In addition to 27 taps (which include guest beers and alternative beverages), Distant offers a menu of casual bar food, including salads (also available as wraps), sandwiches (cheesesteak, Cuban, pulled pork) and pizzas (with vegan options). A kitchen expansion is expected to be completed by year’s end. That upgrade will allow for introduction of even more menu items while speeding up service to the typically bustling tasting room and a sprawling outdoor patio (open as weather permits).
Standout Suds: Ghost Pilot West Coast Pilsner, Kiwi Flats New Zealand Pale Ale, Saison de la Montana Foeder-aged Mixed Fermentation Saison
Pro Tip: Musicians need not travel with their gear. Distant sports a stage with plug-and-play instruments for its Monday open-mic nights.
Mammoth Brewing
18 Lake Mary Rd
Mammoth Brewing has been a fixture of its namesake community for nearly 30 years. For much of that span, it was the Eastern Sierra’s only local beer operation. Headquartered in a lodge-like, two-story brewpub on the town’s busiest corner, the business draws scads of locals and visitors, many of whom are fans of core beers that have stood the test of time. Those mainstays have been calling cards for decades, but, following the recent onboarding of a veteran brewer who previously headed operations at San Diego’s Fall Brewing and Saint Archer Brewery (to name just a couple), the company is expanding production to include R&D beers that will be introduced via the pub’s taps.
Early R&D creations include the soft-textured, modern-hopped Hop Spill hazy IPA, and Celebrated Summer, a Bavarian-style hefeweizen bursting with trademark flavors of banana and clove. Of the cores, Golden Trout Kölsch transitions nicely from a perfumy bouquet to a lightly bitter finish, notes of toasted biscuit and roasted chestnut dominate Double Nut Brown, and El Dorado hops bring overtones of lemon candy and pithiness to Epic IPA. Its sister hop-bomb, IPA 395, is brewed with staff-foraged desert sage and juniper berries, both of which show up big in this tea-like, resinous and wholly unique flagship.
Under Mammoth Brewing, the previously rough-and-tumble pub it took over so many years ago has become a family-friendly spot with an inspired menu of eclectic casual fare. “Baskets and bites” (hop-salted flatbread bites, battered Brussels sprouts, sriracha-mayo-tossed shrimp) and avant-garde tacos (falafel, gyro, birria) segue to pizzas (pepperoni, BBQ chicken, black currant and goat cheese) and substantial sandwiches (Double Nut Brown bacon-onion jam burger, bahn mi). Those appetizing items can be ordered indoors or from any of the shaded picnic tables in Mammoth’s stage-equipped front-yard beer garden.
Standout Suds: Golden Trout Kölsch, Double Nut Brown Ale, Elderberry Kettle Sour Ale
Pro Tip: Extremely popular, Mammoth Brewing is often at capacity and can require a one-to-two-hour wait, so plan accordingly.
Shelter Distilling
100 Canyon Blvd, #217
In 2017, a group of Mammoth Brewing alums staked out on their own to construct what was envisioned as a brewery with an on-site distillery. That concept quickly morphed into Shelter Distilling, a spirit operation with a beer-and-cider side-hustle and full-on chef-driven kitchen. Today it is a cornerstone business of event and dining hub, The Village at Mammoth, and is especially popular for its extensive cocktail program, drinks from which are comprised exclusively of from-scratch in-house spirits, syrups, shrubs, bitters and garnishes. Those tipples are accompanied by Shelter beers and a rotating cider, all of which are served from brite tanks.
Shelter takes an outwardly creative and experimental approach to brewing, producing traditional styles using out-of-the-norm hops, grains and yeast in an effort to learn and evolved. An easygoing lager called Lakeside is loosely based on a Czech-style Pilsner and hopped with new-age hop varietal Zuper Saazer. Meanwhile, Treeline hazy IPA bursts with tropical-fruit flavors and aromas (passionfruit, papaya, mango, pineapple, coconut) borne of Mosaic, Nectraon and Sabro hops. Both are flagship beers that are always on tap, along with a third everchanging beer, the most recent of which is Leaf Peeper, a piney American pale ale with toffee malt undertones.
Shelter’s menu mirrors the exceptional breadth and variety of its drinks list. Dishes have Mexican (tacos, nachos), Italian (pizzas, pasta) and Asian (sushi rolls) roots, with several marrying those cuisines in innovative ways (Baja poke bowl, harissa shrimp taco, carne asada pizza). Many consider Shelter to be one of the finest dining destinations in all of Mammoth Lakes, and a key reason the business makes good on its aim to be a reliable shelter from the worries of the world, and a haven providing warmth – and top-tier craft beverages – after a day out on the slopes.
Standout Suds: Treeline Hazy IPA, Leaf Peepers Pale Ale
Pro Tip: Traveling to Colorado? Shelter has built a second location in the town of Montrose between Grand Junction and Telluride.
June Lake
June Lake Brewing
131 S Crawford Ave
A native San Diegan who made annual ski-and-snowboard outings to June Lake eventually became so enamored with the town that he uprooted his life and career to move there. An MBA with vast experience starting businesses, he wanted to do the same thing on his new turf by opening June Lake’s first brewery. In 2014, following a year of elbow-grease rich construction, he and his wife did just that, and June Lake Brewing (JLB) has been a hit from the get-go thanks to a commitment to making quality beer above all else, leading with Southern California-style hop-forward ales, while giving back to the community.
California Craft Brewers Cup gold-medal-winning hazy IPA, Hockey Fight, is so citrusy one wouldn’t be surprised to find pulp in their pint glass, while West Coast IPA Lil’ Walker tastes of grapefruit (sans the bitterness) and orange zest. The latter is also present along with notes of peach in a pale ale brewed in collaboration with White Labs called Pitching Machine (as in pitching yeast). And session IPAs don’t get cleaner or more potent than the GABF bronze-garnering, Motueka- and Nectaron-hopped Mini Ramp. Less hoppy but equally tasty options include the balanced 2 Plates blonde ale and Deer Beer brown ale, featuring notes of bitter chocolate, anise and roasted peanut husk.
All the above can be enjoyed in an intimate taproom furnished with wood reclaimed from a tree JLB’s staff felled firsthand. That space has a hardcore regulars feel based on fun and familiarity, and features a wall covered in patches from first responders and other local agencies. Overflow seating is available in a shaded outdoor area that’s at its liveliest during JLB’s anniversary parties, which take place on the summer solstice and include the locally famous Red Yeti Challenge (look it up).
Standout Suds: Hockey Fight Hazy IPA, Mini Ramp Session IPA, Deer Beer Brown Ale
Pro Tip: All the ingredients for each beer, including hop additions (first-wort, whirlpool, dry-hop) are included on the side of JLB’s cans.
Bishop
Mountain Rambler Brewery
186 S Main St
In 2014, what was once a Safeway grocery store was transformed into Bishop’s first and only beermaking operation, Mountain Rambler Brewery. Built by a wanderlust-struck local who summits at least one new peak per week (151 straight weeks at the time of this writing), it was that mountaineer’s aim to provide his neighbors with high-quality beer and put his hometown on the map. He’s done just that with impressive wins at the prestigious Great American Beer Festival (GABF) and World Beer Cup (WBC), plaques from which adorn an awards corner just off the bar, opposite a stunning views of Mount Humphreys and Mount Tom from the front patio.
Mountain Rambler’s most award-winning beer is its Scottish-style export ale, Seven Gables. It took gold at the 2021 GABF and 2024 California Craft Brewers Cup (CBC), along with a bronze at this year’s WBC, behind aromas of peanut, date and caramel, and a bready flavor profile with hints of molasses and black pepper in the finish. Other medal-winners include Venusian blonde ale (2019 CABC gold) and chocolaty robust porter Peaklet (silver at 2024 GABF and WBC). Yet to occupy the medal stand but plenty noteworthy are Titmouse hazy pale ale with its tangerine and lemon-candy notes, and a remarkably flavorful cream ale called Lenticular.
Beers and beverages from other breweries (including a list of wines available by the glass) are also available along with a menu that includes small plates (empanadas, sausages), salads (Asian chicken, quinoa), sandwiches (soy-ginger chicken, Reuben) and burgers (with a veggie option). And if it’s the weekend, a half-dozen menus are added to the beery bill of fare.
Standout Suds: 7 Gables Scottish-style Export Ale, Peaklet Porter, Lenticular Cream Ale
Pro Tip: Time your trip so you show up at Mountain Rambler during happy hour, taking place Monday through Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m.
Bridgeport
Big Meadow Brewing
241 Main St, Ste C
In 2016, married retirees with a penchant for beer and mountain living moved from Temecula to Bridgeport. Two years later, wanting to gift their tiny community it’s first-ever brewery, they opened Big Meadow Brewing in a circa-1950s gas station facing the town’s main drag. Now, locals enjoy fueling up on the business’ assortment of house beers, all of which are catered to the overarching tastes of Bridgeport’s residence, who largely enjoy refreshing, low-alcohol, everyday styles.
A “light crisp ale” called Podunk is Big Meadow’s solution for visitors who are all about Coors Light and other macro-produced beers. Those seeking a more defined flavor profile can opt for an earthily sweet honey-rye ale called Harlot, or opt for the mildly dank hop presence of By Day pale ale.
Big Meadow’s tasting room (which is in the process of being expanded) is stocked with assorted bric-a-brac, ranging from Old West and outdoorsman pieces to vintage German beer steins and a collection of growlers, many of which hail from San Diego and Riverside counties. It’s a comfy place for locals to commune, sharing stories, beers and laughter in equal parts, and they do just that. Big Meadow’s owners love Bridgeport, and the town loves them right back.
Standout Suds: Podunk Light Crisp Ale
Pro Tip: Traveling the first weekend of September? Each year, Big Meadow holds a charity cornhole tournament on Labor Day.
Beer-centric Events
Mammoth Festival of Beers & Bluesapalooza (August)
The Woods at Lake Mammoth, 5701 Minaret Rd, Mammoth Lakes
What started in 1996 as a small but lively event in Mammoth Brewing’s parking lot has evolved into what is billed as the town’s biggest party of the summer. Now, this grand-scale weekend affair is considered one of the most unique and must-attend festivals by drinkers, brewers and live-music enthusiasts alike. Taking place among the pines, it features top talent spanning multiple musical genres playing within ear shot of more than 60 breweries plucked from throughout the Golden State, all of which take part in a two-day grand tasting event on Saturday and Sunday, featuring unlimited tasters of beers running the style gamut.
June Lake Autumn Brew Festival (October)
Gull Lake Park, 90 West Granite Ave, June Lake
Eleven years ago, JLB’s founders were asked to help coordinate the participation of guest breweries for June Lake’s first-ever invitational beer festival, so they busted out their Rolodex and reached out to industry friends from Mammoth Lakes to San Diego County. The result is a much-anticipated event featuring a mix of quality breweries that make the beer garden at the town’s annual fall festival the place to be.
Recommended Lodging
Alpenhof Lodge
6080 Minaret Rd, Mammoth Lakes
Centrally located within walking distance of Mammoth Brewing and Shelter Distilling, this European chalet-style hotel is a great base of operations for your beer-touring adventures. Amenities include a pool and jacuzzi, full-service restaurant and underground pub featuring 26 taps and more than 50 bottled beers.