This Saturday, May 31, marks the return of the darling of the beer festival calendar, Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest. World renowned for its collection of incredible breweries, amazing beers and inclusion of scrumptious food options, FWIBF is always a delightful treat hosted in the beautiful city of Paso Robles, California.
This year’s festival will see 65+ breweries, nearly ¼ being international, pouring over 300 beers at the Paso Robles Event Center. From little beers to monstrous beers and clean to funky, there is something for beer lovers of all varieties at FWIBF. As a quick guide, PorchDrinking combed through the pour list to find the beers we are most excited about and presents those below.
Lagers
The Alchemist – Dark: Dark German Lager from the OGs of the NEIPA
Bierstadt – Saphir Spezial: Firestone Walker collab featuring big hop presence not typically found in Bierstadt Lagers
Birrificio Italiano – Extra Hop: Whole hope cone Italian Pils from its motherland
Burial – One of Us Will Have to Bury the Other: Foudre aged Mexican Lager collab with Other Half
Heater Allen – Gold Dot Bookclub Black Beer: Bohemian Black Lager
Humble Sea – Seavo Pils: Firestone Walker collab, double decocted version of Pivo with Lorien dry hop
Moksa – Doomer Pils: West Coast Pils collab with Ghost Town
North Park – Crispy-Fu!: Crispy Pils version of their award winning Hop-Fu!
Pinthouse – New Zealand Riata: West Coast Pils with kiwi hops
Russian River – 110 Pils: West Coast masters with a West Coast Pils
Tuju – Eka Demoni: New Zealand Pils from this Finnish brewery
Hoppy
Alvarado Street – Mai Tai: White Label: West Coast Double IPA leaning on Mosaic hops
Bale Breaker – Aroma Borealis IPA: A Fest Feature beer, this easy drinking West Coast IPA should go down easy
Boneyard – All their hoppy beers are great, and Notorious IPA3 is one of the best Triple West Coast IPAs being made
Cellarmaker – Bright Intensions: Nectaron hops are sure to give this West Coast IPA some big stone fruit punch
Hoppy People – Hitchhike to Mars: Barleywine aged for 27 months in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels
Horus – too many to list: Kyle is going all out bringing tons of different beers, some of which are exclusive to the fest
Humble Sea – Barrel Aged Ryething Tides and Walkmanatee: Rye BA Stout and Cerebral collab Bourbon and Apply Brandy BA Stout with vanilla
Moksa – Moksa SEVEN: A huge variety of barrels went into blending this Double BA Stout
North Park – Double Vanilla Macaroons Before Dying 2025: This Bourbon BA Stout is conditioned on decadent amounts of vanilla and coconut
Private Press – Mizunara Beyond Forever and Plato’s Shadow: Let’s see what Brad has up his sleeves
Revolution – Oakpocalyspe Later and Rioter’s Reserve: Triple Oaked English Barleywine and Triple Barreled Stout from the Chicago greats
Side Project – 11 Candles and The Cellar Tenth Anniversary Barleywine: BA masters will be pouring a Bourbon BA Stout with vanilla and a BA Barleywine amongst what will surely be other surprises
Surly – Darkness with Friends: Revolution: Bourbon BA Stout collab with Revolution
There Does Not Exist – Feathers, Bone Chimes & Eternal Reset (Vanilla): Pastry Stout with “mucho vanilla, dude”
Three Floyds – Marshmallow Handjee: Extreme expression of vanilla BA Stout
Westbound & Down – Western Justice + Vanilla & Coffee: GABF award winning BA Stout finished on vanilla and coffee beans
Fonta Flora – Carolina Custard: Appalachian Wild Ale fermented with native paw paw fruit
Garage Project – CLM 2023 and Pickle: Spontaneous five year blend and a pickle sour – very different
Green Bench – Searching For Tomorrow: Mixed culture Dark Ale aged on blackberries
pFriem – Fruited Sponanee: Wild Ale with raspberries and cherries
Russian River – Small Batch Intinction Sauvignon Blanc Dry Hopped with Nelson Sauvin: Pilsner aged in Sauvignon Blanc barrels with various Brett strains
Side Project – Fuzzy 2024: Missouri Wild Ale aged in Chardonnay barrels on local white peaches
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