

In Visalia, at the valley’s south end, stop in at Brewbakers Brewing Company for a taste of its signature Sequoia Red. In nearby Clovis, the House of Pendragon Brewing Company has a taproom try a pint of Merlin’s Midnight Mild.

Fresno boasts Sequoia Brewing Company, Tioga-Sequoia and Full Circle. Then it’s on to Dust Bowl Brewing Company in Turlock, where you can take a tour (advanced booking required) before sampling their Hops of Wrath IPA. Starting in the north and working south, the first stop is the Lodi Beer Company grab a doppelbock drawn from its gleaming copper Bavarian brewing system, located at the centre of the brewpub’s dining room, and the concept of the Central Valley as a craft beer destination will begin to make perfect sense. Though a bit more secluded than their brewing brethren in other parts of the state, there’s nothing backwoods about the beer here-some of the local IPAs and barrel-aged stouts rival those from anywhere. California’s Central Valley stretches for hundreds of miles-and fortunately for beer lovers, so does the valley’s craft beer scene.
