For some adventurers, a road trip isn’t a road trip until there are must-see waypoints added to the trip. Some RVers like to stop at quirky roadside art installations, while other RVers prefer national historic sites, battlefields, and other significant points of interest. Breaking up an RV road trip with short and sweet stops is necessary and also exciting. If you and your road crew crave craft beer, why not try adding something different to your California RV vacation? Tack on some sudsy hop-spots to your road trip this summer, and add some of the best California breweries to visit in your RV to your itinerary.
Camping and Craft Beer – Nothing Better
Since no road trip is complete without visiting local restaurants, pubs, or breweries, we’ve compiled a list of some of California’s best breweries that offer curb-side delivery and pair perfectly with camping. Craft beer and camping? I’ll toast to that!
Fifty Fifty Brewing Company
Truckee, California
Fifty Fifty Brewing Company out of Truckee, California, is a true craft brewery. What does that mean? Fifty Fifty sources everything themselves — the water, the hops, and even the cans. Since it is hard to travel to Far Away Places (American IPA), why not try the TRK Blonde Ale or the Tahoe Pilz. If you are into getting lost, perhaps the Donner Party Porter is for you. No? Then ask about the brewery’s 2019 Great American Beer Fest bronze medal brew, I Did It All For The Cookie.
Russian River Brewing Company
Santa Rosa and Windsor, California
Russian River Brewing Company produces one of the two top-rated American IPA beers in the state of California: Pliny the Younger and Pliny the Elder. If a bitter IPA isn’t your style, give the Blind Pig IPA a try. The Blind Pig is more citrusy and has less bite than the Pliney. Don’t worry if IPAs aren’t on your list of favorite-foamy beverages, Russian River Brewing Company has several seasonal brews on tap. Give the brewery a call, and take out a new flavor to add as a side to your next campout meal!
The Lost Abbey
San Marcos, California
Satirical sippers, this brew is for you! Perhaps you are not ready for Judgement Day, an Abbey Quadrupel ale, pledge your Devotion to the blonde ale. If those tastes don’t tempt you, perhaps the Serpent’s Stout will. The Tasting Room, located in the San Marcos location, has 42 taps and also offers half pints, full pints, 40oz, and growlers to go.
The Bruery
Placentia and Anaheim, California
The Bruery’s Tasting Room, located in Placentia, California, is the place to visit if you want to see where the magic is brewed. A second location, in Anaheim, also sells beverages to the masses, so pick the location closest to you, and nab some of the year-round beers like the Goses Are Red, Wit the Funk, or the low-cal, low-regret, Brite. Beer connoisseurs can’t leave this California craft beer brewery without trying one of the seasonal sours. These beers keep the Bruery on top of the best breweries in California. Tarte!
Stone Brewing
Escondido and Liberty Station, California (World Bistro and Gardens)
Stone Brewing is consistently rated as one of the best California breweries. Stone Brewing has two World Bistro and Gardens locations, and there are Stone Brewing tap houses located in Richmond, Napa, Oceanside, Pasadena, Kettner, and San Diego. The brewery produces year-round favorites like the Stone IPA, Stone Tropic of Thunder Lager, and Stone Ripper, but like many prolific breweries, the rotating seasonal flavors are what keep beer lovers coming back for just one more pour. Stone Brewing to-go beers are available for pick up, so you can stay and sip, or retreat back to your rental rig for solitary sipping. The choice is yours.
Alvarado Street Brewery & Bistro
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Alvarado Street Brewery, formerly Yeast of Eden, is a contemporary brewpub with both indoor and outdoor seating. The brewpub creates street food-inspired cuisine that pairs well with the on-site brewed fermented beers. If pineapple, curaçao, and papaya sound tasty, give Enemy Stars, a hazy IPA a try. If you want something a little bolder, fill your pint with a Night Caller robust porter. As Yeast of Eden, the brewery won a 2019 bronze medal at the Great American Beer Fest for its Saison Apothēca, a Belgian-style sour ale, so if sours are your thing, pucker up, and add this brewery to your list of best California breweries to visit in your RV.
Thirsty for Adventures and Brews?
Nothing hits the spot on a summer day quite like a good brew. If California’s hot sun and ocean waves have left you thirsty, hop in your RV and go get yourself a good, cold one. You deserve it.
