Pacific
Pure Project | Otter Romp
February 27, 2025 | Zeke Ottemiller
When it comes time to select a spirit animal, one might gravitate toward a lion, tiger, or bear… oh my! Solid choices of course, but a little reflection helps reveal the unsung hero of the animal kingdom. Enter, the otter. A sign of peace, a symbol of endless curiosity, and never one to turn down having some fun. With this new spiritual enlightenment, there’s no better beer to reward yourself with than Otter Romp, a recent collaboration between Pure Project and Humble Sea.
Firestone Walker Announces 2025 Brewmaster’s Collective
November 4, 2024 | Britt Antley
Membership is open for Firestone Walker’s 2025 Brewmaster’s Collective, a legendary beer club that gives members access to exclusive brews that explore the depths of Firestone Walker’s lauded barrel aging program. “With the 2025 edition, the club is rounding into form with mindblowing collaborations and deep explorations into the art of barrel aging that will excite our most avid beer aficionados.” says Matt Brynildson, Brewmaster at Firestone Walker.
Firestone Walker Brewing | ParabaNoche
August 23, 2024 | Britt Antley
Oftentimes when the old school meets the new, a natural clash occurs. The old knows what they want and is set in their ways, while the new is non-traditional and experimenting with modern trends. When it comes to old school beer in the barrel-aged space, it doesn’t get much older than Firestone Walker Brewing Parabola, a legendary barrel aged Stout that has been in existence for over 15 years. On the newer side of the spectrum, there is WeldWerks Brewing Medianoche, a beer that helped launch — and is one of the most recognizable faces of — the Pastry Stout revolution. Firestone Walker (FW) and WeldWerks chose not to clash over these beers and instead combined forces to create a hybrid called ParabaNoche. Classical yet modern, this collaboration encapsulates the ethos of both beers while creating something wholly new.
Bay City Brewing Co. | Fiesta Island German Pilsner
August 6, 2024 | Jason Murphy
“We serve great beer with the freshest ingredients all across the county,” said Rob Vetere, chief operating officer for San Diego, California-based Bay City Brewing Co. He believes the brewery has something for everyone — from its Fiesta Island Pilsner on a beach day, to their Jucci Gang Double IPA when it’s time to crank it up a bit.
“There’s a broad spectrum of beer styles we offer,” Vetere said.
Fort Point Beer Company | KSA Kölsch
June 27, 2024 | Jason Murphy
There are many different things you can see and do while visiting San Francisco. Perhaps you take a tour to check out the world-famous Golden Gate Bridge, or maybe while sightseeing, you are able to see Alcatraz Island, which was home to the infamous Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. You could even spend time catching a cable car around certain areas of the city. While San Francisco offers a multitude of attractions and things to do, we want to recommend a place for you to visit!
Most Outstanding Beers from the 2024 Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival
June 13, 2024 | Tristan Chan
As throngs of attendees patiently huddled shoulder to shoulder in a scene more reminiscent of the starting line to a marathon than the kick-off to beer festival, an palpable buzz … Read More
Pour List Preview | Can’t-Miss Beers at the 2024 Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival
May 30, 2024 | Tristan Chan
Among all of the innumerable reasons why the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival sits firmly atop the pantheon of the nation’s best beer festivals, it would be irresponsible to ignore the most obvious element… the beer. Throughout the years, brewmaster, Matt Brynildson and the Firestone Walker team have spared no expense in ensuring the best festival-going experience, not just for attendees, but more importantly for the world’s best brewers.
2024 Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival Adds Local Flare to Up Its Fest Experience
May 21, 2024 | Tristan Chan
The Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival has perennially proven why it endures as one of the country’s premier craft beer festivals. Elements that have distinguished it above the thousands of other festivals that take place each year range from the festival’s carefully curated list of participating breweries along with brewers/founders who make the trip to interact with attendees, its stellar lineup of food purveyors, dishing out all-you-can-taste high-level culinary bites ranging from charcuterie to lobster rolls, mac and cheese to artisan ice creams, its inherent advantages of showcasing one of the country’s preeminent brewing campuses located in the picturesque setting surrounded by the natural splendor of wine country, special festival-only Firestone Walker beers; with too many more to list.
2024 Firestone Walker Invitational Announces Brewery List & On-Sale Date
February 9, 2024 | Tristan Chan
How does the country’s best annual beer festival possibly get any better? Part of the answer lies in the brewery’s plans to expand its footprint by incorporating a month of programming and by adding a fresh wave of exciting breweries.
The Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival is officially BACK! Taking place on June 1, 2024, with ticket sales going on sale this upcoming Tuesday, February 13 at 10 a.m. PST, the iconic festival, which artfully pairs over 60 of the world’s most prolific breweries with over 20 of Southern California’s most impressive culinary purveyors, is primed for an even bigger year.
Horus Aged Ales | Built Different (CrystAle)
January 31, 2024 | Britt Antley
Continuing a trend of California brewers developing new Barleywine-based beer styles, we now visit SoCal where Kyle Harrop of Horus Aged Ales has developed CrystAle. This 100% Crystal Malt riff on Barleywine began as a self challenge and morphed into something truly unique, combining elements of several styles into a new barrel aged option in Kyle’s repertoire. Built Different is the first CrystAle Kyle released, giving a peek into the philosophy and method behind developing a new beer style.
Firestone Walker Brewing | Dividing Time (Munichwine)
January 18, 2024 | Britt Antley
Beer styles reflect the times in which they originate. Once upon a decade or so ago in craft beer, the idea of a pint glass filled with opaque orange juice-looking liquid whose taste most closely resembles a tropical smoothie would be preposterous. Alas, over the past 10+ years Hazy IPAs have come to dominate the craft beer landscape. Some styles are but a blip on the map – Brut IPAs sought a dry easy drinking alternative to the Hazy but had no staying power. This more easily palatable yet still juicy desire has led to the recent proliferation of Cold IPAs and modern West Coast IPAs utilizing lager yeast and modern hop varietals to reach that desired end. Despite this constant evolution, some beer styles seem timeless despite only recently being developed. Such a style is Munichwine developed by Brad Clark of Private Press Brewing. Having tweaked and perfected the style to his liking, Clark worked with Firestone Walker Brewing to brew a collaboration Munichwine at their facility and then age it in bourbon barrels, resulting in Dividing Time – an exclusive release for members of Firestone Walker’s beer club, the Brewmaster’s Collective.
Wondrous Brewing Co. | Keller Pils German Style Pilsner
December 5, 2023 | Jason Murphy
We love to hear stories about people turning their dreams into reality. People who are so passionate about what they want to do and fully pursue it from the very beginning. Such is the case for Wynn Whisenhunt, owner and brewer for Emeryville, California-based Wondrous Brewing Company.
Firestone Walker Announces 2024 Brewmaster’s Collective
October 5, 2023 | Britt Antley
Beginning today, Firestone Walker has opened up membership to its 2024 Brewmaster’s Collective, an exclusive beer club that allows members to dive deep into the minds of the brewers and experience the barrel-aging mastery that Firestone Walker has obtained. “If you’re into barrel-aged beers, you’re going to love what we have in store for you,” says Matt Brynildson, Brewmaster at Firestone Walker.
2023 Firkenstiein, The Latest Incarnation of FirkFest Beer Festival
September 29, 2023 | Robert French
What type of beer festival do you get if you cross Oktoberfest and Halloween and some of the best California breweries? Firkenstein! Read More
Anderson Valley | Fall Hornin’ Pumpkin Ale
September 5, 2023 | Scott Grossman
As the annual fall beer rollout begins, Anderson Valley Brewing Company’s Fall Hornin’ Pumpkin Ale blends all of the best flavors of the season. Fall Hornin’ is a perennial favorite at the Boonville, California, brewery and presents an enjoyable balance between malt and spice. Read More
Firestone Walker 2023 Tropical Hazy Mixed Pack Includes the New Mind Haze Tropic Rocket
August 23, 2023 | Mathew Powers
Firestone Walker first joined the Hazy IPA trend in 2019 with the release of Mind Haze IPA. Its success led to Double Mind Haze (DIPA), Mind Haze Light, and a few creative reinterpretations of the original Mind Haze found in its Tropical Hazy Mixed Pack. The 2023 version includes two familiar Mind Haze varieties — Tiki Smash and Citrus Cyclone — and an all-new Mind Haze Tropic Rocket IPA.
GOAL. Brewing opens in San Diego
August 22, 2023 | Robert French
A new, but returning player is back in the San Diego brewing scene. GOAL. Brewing opened in July and at the helm of the brewhouse is Derek Gallanosa. Read More
Barrel Room Spotlight | Moksa Brewing
July 19, 2023 | Eric Griffin
It’s been long overdue to have another brewery join us in the Spotlight. So without further ado, enter Moksa Brewing Company out of Rocklin, CA. Established in 2017 and opening their doors in 2018, Moksa is another very young brewery that has had a lot of success in a very short period of time. Seeking to showcase beer and brewing as its own unique art form, Moksa has never hesitated to push the boundaries. We had the privilege of chatting with Head Brewer Cory Meyer, focusing on the growth and successes of their barrel program, some of the ins-and-outs of their processes, and their hopes for the future.
Firestone Walker | Rum Barrel CocoRado
June 26, 2023 | Britt Antley
Not content to rest on its niche beer style laurels, Firestone Walker has taken its classic Helldorado, a barrel aged Blonde Barleywine, and applied a tropical treatment, aging the beer in a combination of rum and rhum agricole barrels before conditioning it on coconut. The result is Rum Barrel CocoRado, a delightfully unique subset of a subset within beer styles. If you’re being different, you might as well dial the eccentricity up to 11.
Top Finds from the 2023 Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival
June 13, 2023 | Britt Antley
Another wildly successful Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival is in the books, and PorchDrinking has lived to write about it. Over 65 breweries from across the U.S. and various international locations descended on Paso Robles, California, with their best beers to delight thousands of beer fans. While it’s primarily a beer festival, it would be a disservice to not mention the incredible lineup of local food vendors who slang their wares as well, providing some much-needed sustenance to soak up the suds being poured.
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