Places to stop up the 395

Indian Wells Brewing Co? I don't think that there's a whole lot of anything between Barstow and Mammoth.

 

If you do go to Hanger 24 you should stop at Ritual in Redlands on way to Hanger. Temecula has a bunch of new brewery's too. Kern River is about 40-45 minutes off the 14/395. If you have the time i would stop and camp or hotel it in Kernville for the night and hang at KRBC. Pick up some great beers for the road ahead.

 

Not a brewery, but if you pass through Lee Vining on the 395 stopping at the Mobil gas station is an absolute must.

http://www.whoanelliedeli.com/

 

Whoa nellie deli as the above poster suggested is a must if you pass through

 

Finally created an account to reply to this one...the 395 is my second home.

There isn't a lot once you're heading up the eastern Sierra. Mammoth, of course, is a solid. Indian Wells...meh. But one place I never miss is Manor Market off of 168 in Bishop (a few miles off of 395). It's a small market with a fairly decent bottle selection (for its size). I always swing by there and maybe 60% of the time find something surprising (like last year's Parabola long after it was gone off of other bottle shop shelves).

By the way, if you hit Whoa Nellie don't bother paying $5-6 for whatever mammoth they have on tap. They have six packs and bombers of the same stuff in the cooler that you can buy and open with your meal.

 

FYI, when you get to Jackson, you are less than an hour from a hell of a lot of great beer and breweries in the Sacramento Valley. Definitely worth coming down for a visit if you have the time, especially since you are driving through the barren no-beers-land of East California.

Unfortunately, the Gold Country used to be a better spot to explore for little, local breweries than it is now.

I assume you are coming down 88 from 395 to get to Jackson? If you take 4 instead, you can drive through Arnold and hit a good spot! Snowshoe Brewing is almost 20 years old and a fun spot with good beer and food. Then you jog up 49 to Jackson.

49 is a nice drive through a historic part of California, and 4 is definitely an easier drive than 88 which is super slow and curvy in many spots.

Have fun, it is a gorgeous trip! Check out some natural hot springs along the way!

 

The alchemy cafe in Murphys is a good spot for a break if you decide to take 4 instead of 88. Bit pricey but a nice bottle shop with good draft selection. If you take 88 to Jackson, stop in at andrae's bakery in Amador City (closed mon-wed) before heading to the Sacramento valley...Matt is the best damn baker in Gold Country.

 

Uh, yeah. There is. A lot. Too much to even go into. We have more than 2 million people in the area and we are smack dab in the middle of the Northern California craft beer revolution.

We also have amazing restaurants if that will help with the arm twisting a bit.

 

A few more specifics as I am planning a trip up into the Sierra Nevada Mountains and a few things popped into my head that are no brainers for locals, but may slip your attention.

Make sure you check the highway updates to see if these passes are open. There is a chance that, by the end of September, some of these routes over the mountains will not be open.

As far as the difference in highways, 4 is an easier drive than 88, but it includes a much more treacherous mountain pass. I think driving areas like this is fun, but some people may find it terrifying. If you want to look into it more, HWY 4's pass is Ebbett's Pass. HWY 88's pass is the Carson Pass.

 

Take I-5 and save yourself an hour+ of driving?

 

Try to make it to or through Bakersfield. Check out http://imbibewine.com/products/ as they have a decent bottle selection. And they usually stock Kern River beers. Otherwise not much else is happening in Bakersfield. Or you take the long and winding road to KRBC.

 

It's actually not that far to KRBC from 395, less than an hour, and could be worth the trip depending on what's available. Also right about where you would turn off near the intersection of 14 & 395 is Indian Wells Brewing Company. http://www.mojavered.com/

 

Like aquazr1 said. . . .worth the trip to KRBC if you did not stop up on the way up north. $90-100 gets you a room at the motel right next to the brewpub. You can stumble back to your room. Dirty Hippie may still be available and I'm sure JO and Class V is too. Maybe class X.

 

Indian Wells is such a gem when visiting CA. Definitely worth a visit as their elixir rarely makes it to distribution sadly! Brewing some great beer!

 

I'm going to have to echo an earlier meh on Indian Wells. As much as I want to love the brewery since it's only 15 miles from some cabins my friend owns and I love the high desert and staying out there, it's just meh. I don't waste my time and belly room drinking their stuff any more. I revisited their Lobotomy Bock after buying a bottle in Bishop on the way home from Burning Man last week and it was as meh as I remember.

BTW, if you're stopping for gas in Bishop on the way north definitely get it at Giggle Springs. They have a decent beer selection, but it's especially great if you're staying at the Rodeway Inn across the street or the motel behind it. And they have great staff.

 

At least one of the Indian Wells recs are ironic. Behave, Jason.

Even though the OP has "Indiana" in his profile, he used the phrase "THE 395". Originally from California, Luckytiki?