One of my favorite breweries is located way off the beaten path for many, tucked away in the mountains in Kernville, California. Despite its remote location, their quality beers have put Kern River Brewing Company on the map. And one of my favorite beers is the Shuttle Bunny Double White IPA.
Kernville is an adventure-lover’s paradise.
The destination sports everything from camping and boating at Lake Isabella, to white water rafting along the Kern River. You can fill your days with hiking in the mountains or hiking to Kern River Brewing Company, whichever you prefer.
Tucker and I have camped at Lake Isabella a few times and love the tranquility of the area.
During the winter and spring, the hillsides are filled with vibrant green grass and wildflowers, which make for stunning views wherever you look. Sadly, the many years of California drought took a toll on the lake’s water levels over the past several years, which have limited lake usage as a result. Recent rains in 2019 have helped the situation, but vistas overlooking the dry lakebed really tell the story of how nature has responded to the water shortage.
A great stop in Kernville, which is the small town where the brewery and other local businesses are situated, is the Kern Valley Museum. Now, I’m not one for reading every historical sign when I frequent museums, but the depictions of history showcased at this small-but-mighty museum make it one of my favorite museum experiences to date. From Native American artifacts to gold-mining tools, it’s difficult to describe the amount of history that this small California location holds. Oh yeah, in case you don’t know, the gold rush is what first put Kernville on the map!
While there’s not much gold metal left in the ground these days, there’s a liquid-form of gold being churned out at Kern River Brewing Company. Without further ado, let’s talk sips!
The Shuttle Bunny Double White IPA is a go-to of mine when I visit Kern River Brewing Company. I think this brewery excels in creating well-balanced, hop-forward brews, and the Shuttle Bunny is no exception. The name is also pretty catchy, too.
Speaking of name, all of Kern River Brewing’s beers are named in honor of a Kern Valley site, experience, or tradition.
For example, the can River Buddy Pale Ale shows a hop in an inner-tube floating down the Kern River! But if you’re like me, you may be wondering what the heck a shuttle bunny is… fear not! The Shuttle Bunny beer can explains that a shuttle bunny is a term for someone who transports adventurers, like bikers, boaters, or river floaters, to the starting point of their activity, and then picks them up again at the end (preferably with cold beer in tow). Shuttle bunnies are essential for some good Kern River rafting!
The Shuttle Bunny Double White IPA is packed with fruit-forward flavors, and balanced with a strong hop profile. It’s a well-rounded beer suitable for any IPA lover that likes their hops served with hints of citrus and tropical fruit. The Shuttle Bunny was brewed as Kern River Brewing’s 8th Anniversary beer, and is a great drink choice on tap, in a growler fill, or even from the can. Every time I sip it I’m reminded of just how stellar of a beer the Shuttle Bunny is!
Now, I can’t write about Kern River Brewing Company without talking about their most pure form of gold for at least a moment: the Citra Double IPA.
This beer is in such high demand that it can only be consumed and purchased at the brewery. It’s made once every year (around spring time) and it’s sold like hotcakes from the second it’s released. I’ve been lucky enough to have a few pints of Citra in my time, and, in my opinion, it’s worth a drive to Kernville just for that.
Flavor-wise, the Citra is a dry-hopped beer with lots of citrus and fruit flavors. It runs at 8% ABV, and took home a gold medal in the Imperial IPA category at the Great American Beer Festival in 2011. I wasn’t kidding when I said this is Kern River Brewing Company’s most pure form of gold! Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to snatch one up this season before it’s tapped out…
So, my travel tip for this week is to make a visit to Kernville, California for some epic sips from Kern River Brewing Company. P.S. The brewery is known for having some GREAT food, too!
Have you ever tried a Kern River beer? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below!
