Indian Wells Brewing Co. -- Lobotomy Bock Lager

Indian Wells Brewing Co. right off California Highway 14

Inside Indian Wells Brewing Co.

Indian Wells Brewing Company hails from Inyokern, California in the high desert near the city of Ridgecrest.  If you head north on Highway 14 towards the Owens Valley and Mammoth Mountain you will drive right by it before you hit Highway 395.  The brewery is uniquely situated by a natural spring which allows it access to high quality water.  Geologists believe snow melt from Mount Whitney (the highest point in the lower 48 states just north of the brewery) flows through an underground river to create the spring.

I found myself introduced to Indian Wells Brewing by my hunting buddy after a weekend of deer hunting up in the Owens Valley.  Whether you're heading up to the Eastern Sierras to play, out to the desert to romp in the dirt, or are stationed out of China Lake, Indian Wells is worth a stop.  They sell beer, soda, candy, and have plenty of samples from the tap.  A six pack is reasonably priced at $7.99 and a case is $29.99.

The historic marker outside the brewery reads: "After five days travel from the Argus Range, the Manley-Jawhawker parties of 1849 found their first water at this Indian waterhole on the Joseph R. Walker Trail of 1843.  During the 1860s this was the site of a stage and freight station for traffic between Los Angeles and Coso and Cerro Gordo Mines.

Lobotomy Bock tastes like a bock meets a stout meets a lager.  It pours dark brown with a bit of creamy colored foam that quickly dissipates.  It seems fairly light bodied which is surprising since it is 10.8% ABV -- in other words, it has twice the alcohol content of most beers and is even more alcoholic than many barley wines.  It is fairly carbonated and the flavors are mostly bitter, toasty burnt, and malty.  It is brewed with five different types of malts, but the malt profile tends to be surprisingly subtle because of the bitterness.  Not much hoppiness here since the hops are added to the finish of the boil.  It has a long coffee ground aftertaste.  Bocks were originally strong dark German lagers.  Many bocks tend to be lighter brown; however, this is a dopple bock - AKA double bock - which were brewed by Friars as liquid bread during times of fasting.  Overall, Lobotomy Bock is pretty easy drinking for a strong beer so be careful.  Its not something I would drink everyday, but it is worth the adventure.  Cheers!