5 Breweries Worth the Detour

Some people plan road trips around national parks. I plan mine around national parks and whatever brewery is within 20 miles of camp. A lot of these spots doubled as my office, laptop open in the afternoon, pint showing up right around happy hour. These five earned a permanent spot on the map, from a beer park in the hills of Mendocino County to a pub with its feet in the Pacific.

Every one of these came from a lot of miles, a trailer, and a habit of taking the long way. And since a good pint deserves a soundtrack, each one comes with a song from the Wandering Radio rotation.

1. Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Boonville, CA

This is the one where the taproom is basically a state park. Anderson Valley turned its Boonville property into a roughly 30-acre “Beer Park” with oak groves, a big lounge lawn, live music, and a free 18-hole disc golf course you can play with a beer in hand. Dogs and kids welcome.

The brewery started in 1987 in the basement of the old Buckhorn Saloon and helped put Gose on the American map. Order the Boont Amber, named after Boontling, the half-invented local dialect Boonville folks still drop into conversation. Getting there means Highway 128 through apple stands and vineyards, which is half the point.

I found this one almost by accident. A friend and I were bouncing between Harvest Hosts winery stays on the back roads between Highway 1 and the 101, and I didn’t know much about the area. Then it clicked that we were close to Boonville, home of their bourbon barrel-aged stout, one of my all-time favorite beers. I had to go.

One visit turned into a few. My routine: work from their space in the afternoon, play a round of disc golf, then back to the taproom in time for happy hour. Not a bad way to run a workday.

Address: 17700 Boonville Rd (Hwy 253), Boonville, CA

Soundtrack: “San Luis” (Gregory Alan Isakov)

2. Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Paso Robles, CA

Paso Robles has 200-plus wineries, and the best stop in town is a brewery. Firestone Walker started in 1996 when two brothers-in-law, Adam Firestone and David Walker, brewed in a corner of a Santa Barbara County vineyard, then moved the operation to Paso in 2001.

The Taproom restaurant pours brewery-only beers plus pulls from their Barrelworks and Propagator programs, and you can build your own flight. Grab the tri-tip sandwich, start with an 805 or Mind Haze, then go wander the draft list. The Emporium across the street has merch and crowler fills for the road.

I’ve spent a lot of time on the Central Coast and fell for it hard. You’re minutes from the ocean, and just as quick to get up into the mountains. Firestone became another one of my remote offices: great beer, and an outdoor patio where I’d post up with my pup at the time, Mazzy.

My go-to is the 805. Still is. Any time I spot it on a tap list or in a cooler somewhere far from California, it’s coming home with me.

Address: 1400 Ramada Dr, Paso Robles, CA

Soundtrack: “Fire on the Mountain” (Grateful Dead)

3. Great Notion Brewing, Portland, OR

Great Notion is famous for hazy IPAs and dessert-style sours, but I’m a dark beer guy, and in winter this place delivers. It was started by three Portland neighbors and claims the Pacific Northwest’s first hazy IPA. They celebrated their 10th anniversary this year.

The NW Portland taproom backs right up to Forest Park, so you can earn your flight with a hike first. Flights are five 5 oz pours of your choice, which is the right way to tackle a menu full of fruited tart ales and pastry stouts. They also run taprooms in Seattle and the Bay Area if you’re passing through.

I’ve spent a lot of time around Portland, and one winter I lived close enough to walk here. As a graphic designer, I’m a sucker for their can art, an illustrative style I wish I had the talent to pull off. You’ll want to buy cans just to look at them.

Then there are the stouts. Stacks of Coconut and the Vanilla Double Stack are the two I’d walk through a Portland downpour for, and I did.

Address: 2204 NE Alberta St Ste 101, Portland, OR 97211

Soundtrack: “I Don’t Live Here Anymore” (The War on Drugs)

4. Pelican Brewing Company, Pacific City, OR

Best view on this list, and it isn’t close. Pelican opened in 1996 and bills itself as the only beachfront brewpub in the Pacific Northwest. You sit on the patio looking at Cape Kiwanda and Pacific City’s Haystack Rock while surfers and dory boats work the beach.

Towing a trailer? Hart’s Camp sits right across the street, so you can park the rig and walk to dinner. Show up early on summer weekends, because the wait gets long and they’ll text you when a table opens. Stay for sunset.

I lived in Pacific City for a summer, and this was my spot. Cold beer in hand, feet in the sand, Haystack Rock right there in front of you. Hard to beat.

My order is the Raspberried at Sea. It’s built for a sunny beach day, which in Oregon means you drink it fast before the fog rolls back in.

Address: 33180 Cape Kiwanda Dr, Pacific City, OR

Soundtrack: “Into the Mystic” (Van Morrison)

5. Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co., Gilbert, AZ

The most Arizona brewery in Arizona. Arizona Wilderness opened in Gilbert in 2013, got named RateBeer’s best new brewery, and has stuck to its “Drink Like You Care” line ever since. They brew with Arizona-grown Sinagua Malt and foraged ingredients like wild juniper.

The Gilbert brewpub is the original, with burgers that rival the beer; don’t skip the chicken sandwiches. The Refuge IPA is local legend. If you’re closer to the city, their downtown Phoenix beer garden is the move on a winter afternoon.

I spent a lot of time in the Phoenix area, and I came here for the stouts. Don’t let the strip-mall suburbia outside fool you; the inside is great and the patio is even better.

My pick was the Barrel-Aged Signal Mountain Stout. They also did an Easter release I loved, and I’m pretty sure it was the Bourbon Bunny, their annual barrel-aged imperial milk porter. Technically a porter, but I’ll allow it.

Address: 721 N Arizona Ave, Gilbert, AZ

Soundtrack: “Desert Creatures” (The National Parks)

Last call

The best brewery stops aren’t about the beer alone. They’re about the drive in, the view out, and the stranger at the next table who tells you about a campsite you’d never find online. Plan the detour.

Got a brewery we need to hit? Tell us, and put Wandering Radio on for the drive. It’s music picked by a person, for people who’d rather take the long way.

Hours change seasonally, so check each brewery’s site before you go. Drink responsibly, and let someone else drive.