Dozens of artisan beer makers have sprung up all over this sunny region of Southern California. Riverside and the Temecula Valley (already a popular wine region) are the two big centers where you’ll find craft breweries and restaurants with local brews on tap.
In the Western-style town of Temecula, breweries serve up some unique—and uniquely named—craft brews: Aftershock Brewing serves its Candied Yam Brown Ale; Black Market Brewing pours Aftermath Pale Ale, Stone Church Brewing has Eucharist Wheat, and Relentless Brewing serves Roses Are Dead, a fruited sour.
In the sprawling university city of Riverside, Euryale Brewing Company serves up Cyclopes Coconut Porter and Perseus Pale Ale, among others, while Route 30 Brewing Co. has an impressive two locations from which to treat guests to such pours as Crushtoberfest Märzen and Salty Springs Sour. Gastropub the Salted Pig exclusively features local craft beer alongside its menu of hearty burgers and pasta dishes.
Other Inland Empire towns are getting into the brewing boom too. Visit the appealing college town of Redlands to sample what’s on tap at Hangar 24 Craft Brewery (one of their “core brews,” Orange Wheat, pays tribute to another local industry) and Ritual Brewing, where you can feast on a Monk’s Lunch Belgian-style ale.
In the town of Upland, pick your favorite from at least eight house-brewed beers at Last Name Brewing (formerly Dale Bros. Brewery); drop by Rescue Brewing to imbibe a few pints of their Fluthered Shenanagins Irish stout or Sneak Attach Belgian-style Tripel; and in Rancho Cucamonga, stop by Hamilton Family Brewery, where they aren’t afraid to make a light beer (“Hammy Lite” 4.2 percent ABV) as well as a 7.2 percent ABV West Coast IPA (“Young Fool”).