Bishop Creek Brewery
Bishop, California, USA
Tally's Take
Why this matters
For a long time this record held one line of evidence: an April 1891 Inyo Independent advertisement for a first-class brewery with a grove for outdoor parties, run by L. Munzinger & Co. Then a descendant of one of the partners wrote in with the citation that fills the gap — the same paper, nine years earlier, on 22 July 1882: "Louie Munzinger, Bill Hutchings and Bud Harness are the proprietors of the Bishop Creek Breweries, the largest on the Coast". So the "& Co." had names, and the brewery is documented across at least a nine-year span in the Owens Valley. The paper's "largest on the Coast" is left where it belongs — as something an 1882 local paper said about a local business, quoted rather than believed. The opening and closing years are still unknown.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1882Three proprietors named
Inyo Independent, 22 July 1882: Louie Munzinger, Bill Hutchings and Bud Harness, proprietors of the Bishop Creek Breweries.
- 1891Trading as L. Munzinger & Co.
An April 1891 Inyo Independent advertisement describes a first-class brewery with a grove for outdoor parties.
The People
Behind the beer
Named as a proprietor in July 1882. The brewery was still trading as L. Munzinger & Co. in an April 1891 advertisement, making him the one constant across the documented span.
Named as a proprietor in July 1882. Identified by his family as William Bedford Hutchings.
Named as a proprietor in July 1882.
The Beer Library
Beers
Beer
Year-RoundBeer / exact style unknown
California Pass 187. Aliases: https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=II18910424.2.63.3. 1891 advertisement verifies brewery operation; exact beer style not safely extracted.
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Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's California master, Pass 187, which cited https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=II18910424.2.63.3 for this entry. The cited page has not been opened by the archive.
Tally's California master, Pass 187 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 2026-08-19 - peopleConfirmed
Louie Munzinger, Bill Hutchings and Bud Harness were the proprietors in July 1882, per the Inyo Independent of 22 July 1882, page 3 column 3. This also identifies the "& Co." of the L. Munzinger & Co. name used in the brewery's April 1891 advertisement.
Inyo Independent and Owens Valley Progress Citizen, 22 July 1882 · Inyo Independent · 1882-07-22
NewsHigh reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 2026-08-19 - peopleProbable
The "Bill Hutchings" of the 1882 notice was William Bedford Hutchings, per his descendant, who supplied the citation. Family testimony rather than documentary evidence, and recorded as such — the newspaper itself gives only "Bill Hutchings".
Correspondence from a descendant of William Bedford Hutchings · Private correspondence to the archive · 2026
PrimaryMedium reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 2026-08-19 - noteDisputed
The 1882 notice calls it "the largest on the Coast". That is the newspaper's characterisation of a local business and the archive quotes it without endorsing it; no production figure or comparison supports it here.
Inyo Independent and Owens Valley Progress Citizen, 22 July 1882 · Inyo Independent · 1882-07-22
NewsHigh reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 2026-08-19
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about Bishop Creek Brewery
- Who owns Bishop Creek Brewery?
- Bishop Creek Brewery is independently owned — there is no parent company above it on record. It is based in Bishop, California, USA.
- Is Bishop Creek Brewery independent?
- Yes. Bishop Creek Brewery is recorded as independent, with no parent company. Independence is recorded as the brewery states it; where a stake is a minority holding or joint venture, this archive leaves it unmapped rather than calling it ownership.
- Is Bishop Creek Brewery still open?
- No. Bishop Creek Brewery has closed. California Pass 187. An April 1891 Inyo Independent advertisement identifies Bishop Creek Brewery under L. Munzinger & Co., describing a first-class brewery with facilities and a grove for outdoor parties. April 1891 is a documentary anchor only; exact opening and closure remain UNKNOWN. Extended 2026-08-19 by correspondence from a descendant of William Bedford Hutchings, supplying an Inyo Independent notice of 22 July 1882 (p3 c3) naming Louie Munzinger, Bill Hutchings and Bud Harness as proprietors. Documentary span now 1882–1891; founding and closure still UNKNOWN.
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