Humboldt County is known for its great variety of breweries. The Redwood Coast not only boasts tall trees and spectacular coastlines, but creative brew masters as well. Many beer lovers come to Fortuna for its famous annual Hops on Humboldt each August. (The 2020 Hops in Humboldt will be August 22, 2020, in Fortuna’s Rohner Park from 1 – 5 pm.) This festival brings together about 50 different breweries from California, Oregon, Colorado, and even Michigan. It’s a great opportunity to sample a great variety of beers and ciders one day a year, but on the other 364 days, you might want to follow part or all of this brewery trail, which includes some nearby breweries featured at Hops in Humboldt. A route that includes five of the six breweries is about 70 miles round trip from The Redwood Riverwalk Hotel in Fortuna, and there are many activities and sites to add stops along your trail. If you also visit the Mad River Brewery Tasting Room in Blue Lake, it is only about 8 miles from Six Rivers Brewery in McKinleyville, making the total round trip for six breweries about 75 miles.
Eel River Brewing Co
Eel River Brewing Company is just steps away from your guest accommodations at the Redwood. It was the first brewery in the U.S to become a Certified Organic Brewer, and is home to the largest beer garden on California’s North Coast. A dozen of their award-winning hand-crafted beers usually are on tap in the Pub and Restaurant, including California Blonde Ale, Amber Ale, IPA, and Porter, plus specialty brews such as 1405 Irish Cream Stout. The menu offers classic pub fare, specializing in steaks and burgers made with Eel River’s own brewery-raised Black Angus beef, stout-smoked BBQ,, and local products such as Loleta cheese. Open from 11 am until 11 pm daily. Distance from The Redwood: steps away at 1777 Alamar Way in Fortuna.
Lost Coast Brewery & Cafe
Lost Coast Brewery offers a tour of their state-of-the-art facilities where you can learn about the Brewery and brewing processes. It’s the 33rd largest brewery in the United States – Great White, a Belgian style unfiltered white, is their original beer. They also brew Renevant, Indica, Sharkinator White, and Hazy IPAs, Fogcutter Double IPA, plus Alleycat Amber, Tangerine and Watermelon Wheats. The brew two browns – Downtown or Raspberry, plus Eight Ball Stout and Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout. For cider drinkers, there are semi-dry and rose ciders. The café opens at 11 am daily and offers a Taster 10 sampler as well as the individual beers. Menu items include soups, sandwiches, salads, burgers, pizza, and desserts. There is a Happy Hour from 4 – 6 pm Monday – Friday. Lost Coast Brewery & Café, located at 617 4th Street in Eureka, is about 20 miles from The Redwood.
Redwood Curtain Brewing Company
Redwood Curtain Brewing Company’s brewery and tasting room are located in the college town of Arcata; their taproom is in Myrtletown/Eureka, closer to the Redwood. Established in 2010, they produce about 1,950 barrels of multi-dimensional hand-crafted ales each year. They brew 18 different beers in a year-round rotation, plus a limited number of special releases such as Barrel Aged Bourbon Barrel S.B. On the rotation you may find The SB -Special Bitter, Dusseldorf Altbier, Imperial Golden, Down Under, and Centennial Jack Pale Ale. IPAs are Apocalotus, Huell Mandarina, Galactic Forest, Humboldt Trails, and Sticky Fingers. Other offerings include Tropical Thunder Double IPA and Ticket To Mars Imperial Red Ale. The Myrtletown Taproom at 1595 Myrtle Avenue Suite B in Eureka is 20 miles from the Redwood. The Brewery at 550 South G Street #6 in Arcata, is 26 miles away.
Six Rivers Brewery
At Six Rivers Brewery you’re invited to tour the facilities, then have the brew with a view – one of the best views on the North Coast. Six Rivers’ uses a traditional English style of brewing to produce its small batch beers. Their beers have won both the Sponsor’s Choice and Best of Humboldt Breweries awards at Hops on Humboldt. Their bar has 12 taps featuring a rotating selection of specialty beers. In addition to their traditional style IPA, specialties include Bluff Creek Pale Ale, Sasquatch Double IPA, Chili Pepper Ale featuring American Wheat Ale with a special blend of chiles, Raspberry Lambic (Belgian Dubbel fermented with raspberries) and two Porters – Moonstone and the multiple award-winning Macadamia Nut Porter. The restaurant and bar features live music nightly, and offers an extensive menu: appetizers, hot wings, salads, burgers, pub favorites like carnitas tacos and fish and chips, and stone baked pizzas, plus both beers and beer cocktails. The Cicerone-trained staff can suggest the best choices for pairings the different beers with menu items. Six Rivers is 32 miles from the Redwood at 1300 Central Avenue McKinleyville, CA.
Humboldt Regeneration Brewery and Farm
Nearby, Humboldt Regeneration is a Sustainable Farmhouse Brewery. According to the California Craft Brewers Association, they are “First California brewery since Prohibition to brew a 100% house-grown and malted beer…” Their artisan crafted non-traditional Belgian style beers are produced with ingredients from their Beer Farm. There, about two acres of barley, wheat, hops and other ingredients are grown using organic sustainable practices including companion planting, bio-intensive crop rotation, organic soil building, no-till soil management, and other sustainable techniques. Unfortunately, the brewery is not able to offer tastings on site, but they have a Growler Station open on Saturdays from 1 – 6 pm at 2320 Central Ave, Suite F, McKinleyville, CA.
Mad River Brewing Company
Mad River Brewing Company has been combining traditional English brewing methods with environmental stewardship since their founding in 1989. Their beers have won many awards include gold, silver, and bronze medals and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival, plus bronze medals at the World Beer Cup. Their rotation of beers includes Steelhead Extra Pale Ale, Mad River and River Days Session IPAs, Slammin’ Salmon Double IPA, Jamaica Red Ale, Uniontown Porter, and Redwood Stout. Some limited releases are available only in their Tap Room. The Tap Room menu includes appetizers, wings, salads, and burgers. Some house specialties are fish tacos, fish and chips, and bratwurst with IPA infused sauerkraut. The Taproom is open 11:30 am – 9 pm daily; Happy Hour is 3 – 6 pm Monday – Friday. Mad River Brewing Company, 195 Taylor Way, Blue Lake, CA, is 35 Miles from The Redwood.
The opportunity to enjoy visits to six different craft breweries within 35 miles of The Redwood is just one more advantage of staying at our small, independent hotel with a great sense of place. Our central location in Fortuna means it is easy to enjoy the many outdoor activities in our state parks, on our beaches along the Redwoods Coast, and in our diverse communities, while you follow the beer trail. The local area page on our website lists lots of places to “see, visit, hug, stroll, taste, drink, bet, shop, eat, experience, and tour.
Images by Carlos Blanco and Gonzalo Remy on UnSplash
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