The grandeur of Yosemite deserves a suitably grand craft beer. So it only makes sense that the national park’s Ahwahnee Hotel would have its own.

Mammoth Brewing bottles Ahwahnee Amber exclusively for the lodge. It’s a particularly tasty beer — and if you want to take some home, you can pick up bottles at the market in Yosemite Village.

But there’s plenty of local beer to be found outside the park, as well.

The small town of Mariposa, just west of Yosemite, is home to two of the area’s three breweries, including my favorite, Prospectors Brewing Company (http://prospectorsbrewing.com).

The company, which opened in 2012, quickly became a local hangout, operating a production brewery near the fairgrounds and a tap room in downtown Mariposa on Seventh Street. They recently added a second tasting room in Murphys, about 75 miles north.

Prospectors brews four year-round beers, Bootjack Black, Long Tom IPA, Pistol Whipped Wheat and Mariposa Midnight, an oaked and smoked stout.

In addition, they make limited-edition seasonals throughout the year, including the currently tapped Dirt Nap, an American barley wine that is 10 percent alcohol by volume.

At the area’s smallest brewery, a one-man operation known as Chappell Brewery, Scott Chappell was that one man until the recent drought caused his well, the source of his brewing water, to run dry. The brewery has closed down for the time being.

But across the street, a local musician and brewer has opened Yosemite Ale Werks (www.facebook.com/YosemiteAleWerks).

You can taste the beer at Mariposa’s Alley wine bar and the Hideout Saloon or head for the Stumble Inn — the Yosemite Ale Werks’ tasting room at 5029 Highway 140, Suite B, which is around back. The Stumble Inn has a pool table, foosball and beer. Live bands often play there, too.

If you’ve spent the day snowshoeing in the park, you might want to wander north to Arnold, where Snowshoe Brewing (http://snowshoebrewing.com) is situated, right on Highway 4.

Founded in 1995, Snowshoe is the oldest brewery in the area. The spacious restaurant offers an extensive menu and at least five regulars on tap, including Snoweizen Wheat Ale, Apricot Wheat Ale, Thompson Pale Ale, Lodgepole IPA and Grizzly Brown Ale.

They do 10 or so seasonal offerings, as well, so there’s always a good selection to choose from — and several Snowshoe beers are available in bottles, if you’d like to take some home.

Most people who visit Yosemite stay on the western side, in and around Mariposa County, but Mono County runs down the eastern side. And there’s at least one good reason to go there beyond good skiing, hot springs and natural wonders, such as Mono Lake and the Devil’s Postpile.

The county’s only incorporated town, Mammoth Lakes, lies 32 miles south of Yosemite’s east gate — and it’s the home of Mammoth Brewing (www.mammothbrewingco.com), an awesome brewery in the middle of nowhere. It’s hard to get to but worth it once you’re there.

The brewery was started in 1995. Current owners Sean and Joyce Turner took over the brewery in 2007 and turned it into one of the jewels of the Sierra.

The brewery makes and bottles a number of really fine beers. Now, there’s a tasting room where you can sample all of them, enjoy some snacks and buy brewery swag.

They brew a number of year-round beers, including some great hoppy beers, including Epic IPA and the imperial version, IPA 395, and some wonderful specialty releases.

I’m particularly fond of the Blondibock, whose name is a parody of Goldilocks, and the delicious Lair of the Bear, a bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout that is perfect for warming you up after a day on the ski slopes.

Or you can just unwind at the Ahwahnee with a bottle of their Tuolomne Meadows IPA.

Contact Jay R. Brooks at BrooksOnBeer@gmail.com. Read more at blogs.mercurynews.com/eat-drink-play.