Lake County’s pursuit of hoppiness

Trio of Lake County craft microbreweries give wine country a run for its money

Northern California may be known as wine country, but the northern region of wine country is starting to look like microbrew country, too. That northern region is Lake County, whose high-altitude wines are really putting it on the map. Now the beers brewed here are rising to the occasion, with a handful of small-batch microbreweries rolling out the barrels and making Lake County a serious contender for anxious explorers of new craft beers and wine lovers alike.
Here’s a short list of favorites to get your bar-hopping motors running, all in the pursuit of hoppiness.

O’Meara Bros. Brewing Company

The O’Meara brothers are Lake County natives, and O’Meara Bros. Brewing Company in Lakeport is a true brewhouse with a wide variety of stouts, ciders and IPAs brewed on location in its full-service restaurant. With genuine British pub food fare like Irish egg rolls, bangers and mash, and, of course, fish and chips, the dining experience is just like a traditional English brewpub, where you can grab a seat by the crackling fireplace or enjoy a meal right at the bar.
Happy hour dining at O’Meara Bros. offers live music onstage every Friday, but the craft brews change by the day. So true beer aficionados will want to check the beer list to see what’s on tap at any given time at this local hotspot to eat, drink and be hoppy. 

Kelsey Creek Brewery

“Nanobrewery” is a trendy new concept in the microbrew lexicon, describing breweries that specialize in very small, very select batches. But big things come from small breweries, and Kelsey Creek Brewing brews an assortment of great beers right on the premises.
Some of the great brews on its beer list contain locally sourced ingredients grown right in Lake County. This is a bring-your-own-food brewery, but the bar does serve bowls of peanuts and welcomes you to dump your shells on the floor.
And you’ll want to sneak a peek at Kelsey Creek Brewing Company’s infamous BrewCycle, a whimsical 17-passenger bicycle that allows all of the passengers to sit at the bar while pedaling their way to pure hoppiness.

Mount St. Helena Brewing Company

The majestic mountain of Mount St. Helena can be seen from wine country’s Napa, Sonoma and Lake County regions, but Mount St. Helena Brewing Company can only be found in Lake County’s charming Middletown.
For nearly 20 years, Mount St. Helena Brewing Company has been featuring the very best microbrews of northern California and Oregon, all served with its signature slate of pizza, burgers, salad and other great casual dishes. The microbrews served here have won awards from the World Beer Championships and the California State Fair. And good luck finding a better happy hour menu, when pints are only $3 apiece!
Great beer and great value are always brewing at these Lake County microbreweries—where the beer taps flow but the tabs run low. Explore all Lake County has to offer; visit lakecounty.com/experience to plan your next great northern California experience.