Pacific
Firestone Walker 2023 Brewmaster’s Collective Opens for Enrollment
December 6, 2022 | Tristan Chan
When it comes to national breweries, Firestone Walker is the baseball equivalent to a five-tool player. Not only have they been wildly successful in capturing the attention of casual craft beer fans with commercial hits like Mind Haze, Union Jack and Hopnosis, while also gaining the respect of their peers with industry icons like Pivo Pils and Wookey Jack, but they’ve also proven their ability to gain traction with casual beer drinkers through their 805 series.
However, all of that might pale in comparison with what they’ve accomplished through their ever-evolving barrel-aging and specialty release program. While beer fanatics are likely familiar with classics like Firestone Walker’s Parabola, Sucaba and their yearly Anniversary blends, over the past three years, the Paso Robles-based brewery has quietly continued to breathe new life into their barrel-aging and small-batch release programs through the Brewmaster’s Collective membership program. Think of them as the Shohei Ohtani of brewing.
Barrel Room Spotlight | Horus Aged Ales
November 30, 2022 | Eric Griffin
Welcome to Round 3 of the Spotlight! For this installment all eyes are on Horus Aged Ales, a one-man operation out of Oceanside, CA. Kyle Harrop, the mastermind behind Horus, originally established himself in 2015. From there, he progressed it from a humble homebrew operation into what it has become today. Through experimental barrel-aging, unique adjunct additions, and countless collaborations with breweries all over the country, Horus has been able to stand out in one of the most competitive beer regions in the United States. We had the opportunity to pick Kyle’s brain and learn more about the methods and techniques he uses, and gain some further insight into what makes his barrel program successful.
5 Questions with Jacque Fields, Wild Fields Brewhouse
November 21, 2022 | Robert French
There are not too many breweries that have had this kind of success in such a short period of time. Located strategically between Los Angeles and San Francisco in the town of Atascadero, Wild Fields Brewhouse is just three years old and has captured numerous gold medals. You would be hard-pressed to find two nicer people. Jacque & Ryan Fields are the real deal.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. | Colonel E.H. Taylor Bourbon Barrel Aged Bigfoot Barleywine
November 16, 2022 | Ruvani de Silva
As we officially enter Big Beer season, craft beer giants Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. has brought out the biggest of big beer guns to welcome winter in. The Colonel E.H. Taylor Bourbon Barrel Aged Bigfoot Barleywine is a masterful creation, prepared with delicacy and dedication, and bringing together two of the most respected alcohol brands in the U.S.
Broken Boundary Brewery | Bear Box Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
October 18, 2022 | Dylan Hochstedler
Honolulu-based Broken Boundary Brewery takes a unique approach on both traditional styles and creative innovation. Their Detective Stout series is an ongoing experiment which Broken Boundary started brewing soon after opening its doors in March, 2020.
Fort Point Beer Hall Turned Seafood Spot in San Francisco
October 13, 2022 | Danielle Engel
On August 25, Fort Point Beer Company relaunched their menu for their Valencia Beer Hall in the Mission District of San Francisco. Valencia had a rocky start, opening in the fall of 2019. They unfortunately had to close their doors like so many others. With this menu relaunch they wanted bring a sit down seafood experience to another part of the city that holds a special place for Dina Dobkin, Chief Brand Officer. “The neighborhood has definitely changed over the years but it continues to feel like the heart of food, beverage and art in SF,” says Dina. “…opening a location there just felt like a no brainer. We were super lucky to find an incredible historic building with great bones, and very special neighbors: local bakery Craftsman & Wolves and fellow manufacturer, Dandelion Chocolate.”
BREAKING | New Laws Bring Relief to California Breweries
October 11, 2022 | Danielle Engel
The end of September brought great news out of Sacramento, California, as Governor Newsom signed the final bills of the ’21-’22 congressional session. Among the various bills signed were AB 2301 and 2307, which have removed several hurdles for the ever-expanding brewery industry in California. The first added some nuance to the three-tiered system to allow breweries some self-governance, and the second allowed breweries to continue to expand the communities they serve.
Off the Rails Brewing | Yolo IPA
September 20, 2022 | Dave Drury
Off the Rails Brewing is situated on historic Murphy Avenue, right by the Caltrain rail station, in Sunnyvale, California, a larger ‘burb in the South Bay area between San Francisco and San Jose. For the longest time, they were draft-only, but all that changed a few weeks ago when they began canning a few of their brews, including Yolo, their signature “fruity” IPA. Read More
Sierra Nevada | Cold Torpedo Cold IPA
August 22, 2022 | Britt Antley 1
Cold IPA is one of the coolest styles of the summer, and Sierra Nevada Cold Torpedo Cold IPA is looking to legitimize the IPA varietal with national distribution in a mixed sampler pack. Building on the tradition of Torpedo Extra IPA, Cold Torpedo is a new interpretation of the storied West Coast IPA.
Celebrate IPA Day with Firestone Walker’s Hop Dreams: A Brewer’s Journey
August 4, 2022 | Tristan Chan
The idea of craft beer is often romanticized around the idea of artisan-grown hops, grain, and locally sourced water. But over the years as the craft beer movement has exploded and craft beer’s base has grown wider, some of that sense of craftmanship may have gotten lost in the messaging.
Event Recap | Session Beer Fest 2022
July 26, 2022 | Danielle Engel
The Bay Area is known for its temperate climate; this past Saturday, it delivered. People enjoyed a gorgeous sunny day as they meandered through Snow Park, which sits adjacent to Lake Merrit. The chilled attitudes and low ABVs at Session Beer Fest 2022 all added up to a laid-back event that felt more like hanging out at one’s favorite beer garden rather than an organized beer festival. It’s one of the aspects that Lauren Young Mortensen, Marketing and Events Manager of Drake’s Brewing, loves about this event.
“Session Fest is a celebration of delicious low ABV beers, amazing people, and the good vibes that come with them. I love this festival because you can join in as new or seasoned drinker to experience amazing local craft beer, and inevitably contribute to the energy that is Session Fest. With an ABV cap of 5% or less, this fest shifts the focus from “what’s your highest ABV?” to amazing flavor and brewing talent.” As their motto says, Less is More.
Firestone Walker IPA Mixed Pack Featuring Melon Conspiracy
July 22, 2022 | Emma Wargolet
Much like ordering a flight at a new brewery, mixed packs are a great option when you want to have a variety of beers available to you. If you find yourself unsure what to bring to that summer barbecue or boat ride, variety packs can provide the perfect solution! Fortunately, Firestone Walker has a variety of mixed packs to choose from, including the new IPA Mixed Pack featuring Melon Conspiracy.
Event Preview | Session Fest 2022
July 21, 2022 | Danielle Engel
It’s been three years since Drake’s Brewing Co. has been able to throw their summer classic with Bike East Bay. But Session Fest is finally back for its eighth year, this Saturday. With no beer over 5% being poured, it is meant to be an easy going afternoon where you get to sample the lower-end ABVs that breweries have to offer. Hopefully, this makes for hangover-free Sunday the next day.
California Craft Beer Week Returns This July
July 14, 2022 | Robert French
California craft beer week returns! Craft beer guilds across the state have come together to bring California Craft Beer Week (CCBW) to fruition. Read More
21st Amendment & CLS Hop Farms | Close Encounters of the Hop Kind DIPA
July 1, 2022 | Danielle Engel
21st Amendment recently released their Imperial IPA collaboration with family-owned hop farm, CLS Farms. Close Encounters of the Hop Kind is a Double IPA using some of the new and innovative hops coming out of Yakima Valley. Eric Desmarais, co-founder of CLS, was on hand at a recent event to walk people through the process that brewers go through to chose certain hops. Using El Dorado, Cashmere, Zappa, and their new CLS-X14 as examples for what different hops evoke and express.
Firestone Walker’s Mind Haze Light is the Perfect Low Cal, Low Carb Summer Crusher
June 30, 2022 | Tristan Chan
As mindfulness and wellness continue to become a greater focus for beer drinkers, it often feels like having to choose one or the other when it comes to selecting beer. More often than not, drinkers are left deciding between full-flavor, full-body beers with high calorie and carb counts, or sacrificing flavor for lower-calorie, low ABV, better-for-you beers.
Top Finds From the 2022 Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival
June 8, 2022 | Tristan Chan
Over the past decade, it has become a little easy to take certain elements of the craft beer industry for granted. During that time, the country’s craft brewery count has swelled from just under 2,000 to over 9,000. Similarly, beer festivals, which were once more thoughtfully curated, intimate opportunities to interact with brewers while exploring an exciting array of newly released beers, have grown to become commodities and in many cases, a cash cow for event production companies that rarely have any actual ties to the industry.
Can’t-Miss Beers to Try at the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival
June 3, 2022 | Tristan Chan
This weekend’s Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival will once again boast one of the more impressive lineups of beer producers from across the globe. But despite being such a great problem to have, being presented with such a formidable lineup of all-star beers, can sometimes feel a bit daunting. So we decided to help sift through the sea of phenomenal beers to highlight a few that have particularly piqued our interest. More selfishly, while we could easily just stick to the incredible lineup of Lagers available at the FWIBF, this was more an exercise in helping us to plan our own routes so we’re not scrambling the day of the festival.
Claimstake Brewing | Hit Me With Your Best Hops
June 1, 2022 | Robert French
Are you looking for some old-school dank bitterness with some new school hops? Hit Me With Your Best Hops, just might be the answer. Claimstake Brewing has definitely dialed up the bitterness but did it in a way without knocking you out. Read More
2022 Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival Pour List Announced
May 25, 2022 | Tristan Chan
We are just a week and a half away from the grand return of the 2022 Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival taking place in Paso Robles, CA on Saturday, June 4. Having built a reputation as one of the most celebrated festivals within the craft beer industry the FWIBF returns after a COVID-induced hiatus with another all-star cast of breweries.
Not only are some of the best of the best breweries represented from around the globe, but a festival of this caliber always brings out the rarest beers as well. In addition to the usual hyped barrel-aged styles typically found at destination festivals, it’s refreshing to see a wider representation of world-class lagers as well.
Be sure to check back as we break down some of the can’t-miss beers to try at this year’s Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival, but for now, enjoy a look at the initial pour list. Tickets are SOLD OUT for this year’s festival as last year’s ticket holders were offered first right of refusal. Keep in mind, as with all beer festivals, pour lists are subject to change, but this serves as a nice preview of what’s anticipated from each brewery.
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