As the 19th Annual Mammoth Festival of Beers and Bluesapalooza draws near at the end of July, so does the release of this year's new, limited-availability craft beer.
Along with the four-day festival, which includes more than 80 craft breweries and performances from more than 20 popular bands, the Mammoth Brewing Company brewers create an original beer to be sold at the annual festival -- a tradition that began in 2007.
This year's coveted craft beer is "Bear Garden."
"The inspiration for the beer started with a mountain bike ride in Rock Creek Canyon," said head brewer Jason Senior. "After doing some research, we found that the desert peach was the prominent flower within the canyon, with the exact aroma and flavor we were looking for in a unique craft beer." Senior and his colleagues later endured adversities including numerous bee stings as they spent more than 15 hours hand-picking the various flowers that would be used to create "Bear Garden."
The name also tributes the opening of Mammoth Brewing Company's new beer garden on July 3, 2014, in addition to Bluesapalooza, which will take place from Thursday, July 31, until Sunday, August 3, 2014. Historically, each year's exclusive Bluesa beer sells out before the festival concludes. With only around 2,000 of these 22 oz. bottles being manufactured and distributed, "Bear Garden" is guaranteed to continue this tradition.
This Kolsch-style ale concoction was brewed with Schill Cologne malt, honey malt, and Munich malt. But the element that makes it stand out from your typical craft brew is the infusion of the lavender, rose hips, and jasmine in addition to the unique desert peach hand-picked by Mammoth Brewing Company's brewers. Used by the local Bishop Paiute tribe to make jelly and tea, the desert peach embraces the archival history of the Eastern Sierra. The hope for this distinguished beer is that those who have the pleasure of enjoying it will experience a bouquet of aromas and flavors fused to create a unique, stimulating taste partnered with a piece of High Sierra history.
"Bear Garden" will be available on July 24, before Bluesapalooza, and will appear on draft in the tasting room at the brewery for limited release. Patrons can purchase the beer by visiting the MBC tasting room at 18 Lake Mary Road, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546. Bottles will cost $9.
Limited edition T-shirts will also be available featuring the exclusive beer's logo.
