Northern California was the wellspring of the craft beer movement, which can be loosely traced from Anchor Brewing in San Francisco (which sadly closed in 2023, after 127 years in business) to Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in the young-at-heart college town of Chico, and then to the world. Indeed, California craft brewers have changed the way we drink beer, turning it into a drink not just for sports fans but connoisseurs too.
Sierra Nevada Brewing
Get a taste for where the movement started with a visit to Sierra Nevada Brewing’s expansive tasting room/restaurant/brewery complex. Take a self-guided tour, or join a guided one, with offerings including a sustainability tour showcasing California’s largest privately owned solar installation, and an in-depth exploration (limited to five beer geeks at a time) of the brewery’s inner workings. No tour is needed to cool off with a frosty pint in the trellis-shaded taproom.
Second-Gen Shasta Cascade Breweries
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. has been the catalyst for other small-batch breweries to open in the area—and of course it helps that it’s a college town. Stop by Dunsmuir Brewery Works for a tall pint of some of their Good Boy Porter, or Mount Shasta Brewing Co., in Weed, home of Weed Golden Ale and Mountain High IPA. One of the most productive additions to the scene is Final Draft Brewing Company in Redding, where 24 beers are brewed on site, including Miso Blonde and Scrumptious Monk, a Belgian dubbel. Outdoor imbibing rules at The Brewing Lair, a laid-back, dog-friendly brewery with cornhole, slack lines, and an outdoor stage that hosts frequent concerts.
Newer Shasta Cascade Breweries
In recent years, the Shasta Cascade beer scene has continued to evolve with new gathering spots and expanded taproom experiences. In Redding, the reopened Redding Public Market has become a lively hub for local flavor, featuring a new taproom from Fall River Brewing Company alongside food vendors and cocktail bars, creating a modern, communal setting for sampling regional brews. (Fall River Brewing Company has also expanded its footprint with three additional tasting locations in the Redding and Shasta Lake area.)
About an hour’s drive west of Redding, in Weaverville, Trinity County Brewing Company offers more than a dozen pours on tap, and an hour’s drive north will take you to Mt. Shasta, where Pipeline Craft Taps & Kitchen has gained attention for pairing a curated beer list with a gastropub-style menu. Other newer standouts include Etna Brewing in Etna, Siskiyou Brew Works in McCloud, and Timber House Brewery in Chester.