Kiki and I recently were able to escape for a week of vacation. I did a few days of fishing around Bridgeport, California (about 2.5 hours south of Reno, Nevada in Mono County, California). Kiki picked me up mid-week and we roughed it the rest of the week at the Westin Monache Resort in Mammoth Lakes, California. Besides being able to explore Yosemite National Park, the June Lakes loop, and Mammoth Lakes area we had a chance to stop by Mammoth Brewing Company to sample to fine brews from the highest elevation brewery on the west coast (8,000 feet in elevation).
Mammoth Brewing Co. has been in business since 1995. They just arrived at the above pictured location about two months ago. We were told that eventually they will also serve food.
Sweet view behind the taps!
I started out with a flight of "The Originals" which is $5 for two ounce pours of Golden Trout Pilsner, Paranoids Pale Ale, Real McCoy Amber, Double Nut Brown Porter, Epic IPA, IPA 395, and Root Beer.
Paranoids Pale Ale and Golden Trout Pilsner
Paranoids Pale Ale has a light body, a little bit hoppier than Sierra Nevada, and is slightly carbonated. It is pretty easy drinking so it is pretty sessionable. It is 5.5% ABV. I enjoyed it so I picked up a couple 22 ounce bottles to take home for $6 each.
Golden Tout Pilsner is 5.5% ABV, has a light straw color, and lager flavor as you would expect from a pilsner. The twist, however, is that it has a little bit of a creamy flavor. Pilsners are not my favorite, but they appeal to some people.
Double Nut Brown Porter and Real McCoy Amber
The Double Nut Brown Porter is a dark chocolate color with chocolate roasted malt flavor. It won a gold medal in the 2012 World Beer Cup. It is almost like Big Sky Brewing Co.'s Moose Drool, but less complex in flavor and a little bit sweeter. It is 5.5% ABV.
IPA 395 and Epic IPA
IPA 395 is a double IPA clocking in at a hefty 8% ABV. As you can see it is darker and the color is more golden. It is brewed with golden sage, which really cuts down on the hop flavor, and is also brewed with juniper berries and wild hops. Highway 395 is the highway that goes from the Mojave desert all the way up to Washington State. It cuts right through the Owens Valley along the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mounts so this beer is a homage to the local landscape and local ingredients. I was really able to taste the sage, which I loved since when you get out in the Owens Valley and are surrounded by sage you can really smell it before you get adjusted. Overall, this beer is pretty mellow and easy drinking for a double IPA. I would definitely recommend it. They sell 22 ounce bottles for $6 each.
Epic IPA is 6.5% ABV and is a traditional IPA with hoppy grapefruit flavors. It is very aromatic of hops and gives a long hop aftertaste. It is golden in color. Overall, its a good IPA but there isn't really anything to set this apart from the multitude of IPAs on the market.
I almost called it good right there, but Kiki talked me into trying the flight of seasonal beers. For $7 you get two ounce pours of their seasonal beers, which for Summer 2014 included: Dos Osos, El Capitan, Hair of the Bear, Wild Sierra, Rye of the Tiger, Bondibock, and Black Bear Stout.
Dos Osos and El Capitan
El Capitan obviously is a reference to nearby Yosemite National Park. It is a 9.5% double IPA with a golden color. It is a little spicy. It is brewed with local pine needles, wild yeast, and some brown sugar is added which cuts the spiceiness. It is less aromatic than Epic IPA.
Hair of the Bear and Wild Sierra
Hair of hte Bear is a German lager double bock at a hefty 9% ABV. It is brewed with dark Munich malts with extra lagering time. It is unfiltered so it has some yeast sediment. It has a nice copper color, traditional bock maltiness, and is a little creamy. For some reason at first I wasn't impressed, but it grew on me after a few sips.
Wild Sierra is a saison farmhouse ale with 7.5% ABV. It yeasty flavors and is light and bubbly. It is unfiltered with a cloudy straw color. It smells a little fruity and yeasty, and when you taste it there are some white wine flavors. It is brewed with Pilsner, Rye, Vienna, and light crystal malts. It is brewed with three yeasts: Belgian, Saison, and wild yeast from local pinon pine needles. It is a unique flavor, and I think its cool that they used pinon pine needles, but saisons are never my favorite. In any event, it is worth sampling.
Blondibock and Rye of the Tiger
Bondibock is a German rye ale aged in bourbon barrels, which was first brewed in 2011 for the local Mammoth Lakes Bluesapalooza. Since then it has been brought back every summer since. This beer is aged in bourbon barrels which imparts great flavors. It smells more like whiskey than beer. It has complex whiskey and caramel flavors. It is very smooth drinking and was one of my favorites. It is 7.5% ABV.
Rye of the Tiger is a 5% ABV session beer that was an experimental combination of a rye beer and an IPA. It has a dry and malty finish. It is light and crisp with a golden copper color. It smells slightly hoppy, but the rye balances out the hops on the nose, but then there is a slight crisp hoppy aftertaste.
The Black Bear Stout is 9% ABV with block color and a creamy head. It is nitrogen charged so the carbonation cascades like Guinness. It is extra malty, creamy, and smooth. There are coffee and chocolate flavors like a lot of stouts. It is very lightly carbonated and slides down your throat pretty easily.
Finally, I finished the whole thing off with the root beer from the first flight. The root beer seemed pretty classic to me with a nice sweet root beer flavor. Kiki appreciated having the root beer option since she isn't big on beers and was the designated driver.
Toomey's Ultimate Hot Dog
After hitting up Mammoth Brewing Co. we stopped by Toomey's for a mid-afternoon snack. Toomey's got great reviews on Yelp and was near our hotel in "The Village." For the Ultimate Hot Dog you can list off ingredients and they'll put them on if they have them. I had mine with bacon, avocado, and jalapenos. After drinking all that beer on an empty stomach this hot dog was much appreciated. Toomey's was nice with a good menu selection and friendly staff, but not nearly as cool as Feeney's Starlight Cafe -- I had the kimchi burrito at Feeney's which was excellent.
I am pretty much a want-to-be mountain man so I enjoyed being in beautiful Mammoth Lakes. If you're in the area Mammoth Brewing Company is definitely worth the stop. They make some great beers and we found the staff to be knowledgable and friendly.
Cheers!
I'll leave you with a photo of Half Dome as viewed from Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park:
