I set out to climb Mt. Whitney a couple of days ago with a friend from Milwaukee. Mt. Whitney is the highest mountain in the lower 48 states (14,494’) - a spectacular pinnacle of jagged granite. You have to get trail permits six months in advance of hiking in the National Park. Ordinarily, this would just be a rigorous, high-altitude hike. Who knew six months ago that El Ni¤ o would dump the most amount of snow the area has seen in years?

We drove to Tahoe, then south on highway 395, since Tioga Pass was still closed due to snow. We stayed in the town of Mammoth for the first night. A quick look in the phone book told me there were two brewpubs in town.

The first one was called Stonehouse Restaurant & Brewery, but it was closed. Locals thought it was either closed for the summer (their off-season) or closed for good, but it was supposed to be a sports/blues pub.

The second one was called Mammoth Brewing Co. We finally found it when we realized that it was bought out by the restaurant chain known as Whiskey Creek (24 Lake Mary Road, 619-934-2555).

The brewery was constructed during the summer of 1995. The first batch was brewed the day after Christmas and poured two weeks later. At nearly 8000 feet, Mammoth Brewing Co. is the highest brewery in California. Their slogan is "The Brew with Altitude", which was appropriate since I was a flatlander trying to catch his breath.

To my delight, the specialty beer on tap was Trappist Ale (7.7% a/v)! This was the first time the brewer (Steve didn’t-catch-the-last-name) had ever produced the Trappist Ale. The bar thought this was a risky recipe to have on tap, but from what I could see it was tremendously popular. It was outstanding! I had the Baja fish tacos (beer battered cod, served with red hot salsa, $5.95) and Aly had the Bentos (rice bowl served with snow peas, carrots, scallions, and water chestnuts. Choice of chopped chicken, tri-tip, or very veggie, $7.95). They also served Wraps and other up-scale pub food. Sadly, the waitress told me that "Brewer Steve" was leaving Mammoth at the end of the month for Florida (Tampa she though), so you know where I’ll head next. On tap were several outstanding beers:

Golden Trout Ale
Wild Raspberry Wheat
Ansel Adams Amber
Packers Pale Ale
Double Nut Brown
McNertey's Irish Stout
Trappist Ale

We came back later in the evening for a 9-piece reggae band known as "Zionic". The place was jammin’! At other times they have blues, jazz, rock, soul, and even a Greatful Dead Night.

So, did we make it to the top of Mt. Whitney? Nah. Way too much snow and ice starting at 9500’. We made it above the tree line to 12,000’ before turning back, packing up the tent, and heading back to Mammoth. I had the grilled brook trout for dinner with the Trappist Ale and Double Nut Brown ale. What a vacation!