Saturday 11th of February 2017 04:08:16 PM

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As wife Persimmon & I made our way cross country in 2016-17, there were certain "have-to's", but not many.

One of them was to stop at Firestone-Walker in hopes of sampling, at the brewery / tap-room, some of those delicious seasonal that we were certain, they kept on tap year-round.

With that in mind, we left beautiful Morro Bay behind one Wednesday, drove over the "mountain" and dropped down into Paso Robles...where the brewery was easy to find. (When you produce this much beer, those fermenting & mash tanks are easy to see from the interstate.)

A few pictures later, we sat at the bar...almost crowded for a very early afternoon in mid-week and scanned their beer list. No Sucaba. No Helldorado. No Stickee Monkee. Only Velvet Merlin on tap. Disappointed? Absolutely. But the seasonal were in bottles and decidedly less expensive than your local liquor store price.

So we opted not to eat, share the one brew (not our favorite) buy a bottle of Stickee and open it when he reached our next destination....or for our next triumph.

Didn't have to wait long. Landed in Pacific Grove when, a day later, an ocean gale hit "forcing" us to stay inside and imbibe. Such a grand brew...but will always remember Firestone-Walker itself as a let-down. It's big and modern and a bit pricey with a train of beers running overhead on a track. Customer service is terrific...the food looks delicious...and there's plenty of varied merchandising to ponder and purchase...but lacks atmosphere, a certain character.

Still, for you beer geeks, this is one of those "places" -- like Brooklyn Brewery, Dogfish Head, The Bruery, Hoppin' Frog, Cigar City and Russian River that must be visited.

But when you do, be sure to leave with a bottle of your choice in hand

Thursday 12th of January 2012 07:19:09 PM

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Firestone Walker is in a warehouse district south of downtown Paso Robles. From the street, you can pick out the the brewery by large grain silos. The tasting room is a pleasant, good sized space in the front of the complex. It is divided into three sections. The first is the gift shop and the bar, which has a brushed aluminum top with corrugated aluminum beneath and no chairs. The same aluminum forms the bar back. Also in this section is a large window that gives a view into part of the brewery. You can see the brewkettle and fermenters in a large room.

The second section has double high ceilings and clerestory windows. A walkway with dark wooden railings runs along the perimeter of this space on the second floor, giving brewery employees a path through. The bar continues into this section and there are a few tall dark wooden chairs. The rest of the area has dark wooden tables and chairs and on one side a long padded bench with tables. The third section opens through a large slide-up glass garage door. This section is small, is lined with windows, and has the same dark wooden chairs but with aluminum tables. Floors are concrete throughout.

There were twelve beers on tap on our visit, covering Firestone Walker and Nectar Ales brands (both brewed here). The quality of the beers is quite good and it’s a good range of styles as well. Refreshingly, the half pint price is half that of a pint, rather than the more typical higher price per ounce, making it more economical to taste a broad range of beers. 4 ounce sampler trays and growler fills are also available.

Food is minimal: chips, pretzels, and some flat bread “pizzas”.

Parking is available in a large lot in front. Tours are available (but not on the day we visited).

Sunday 29th of November 2009 11:43:28 PM

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This is my favorite brewery to visit since it is just off Hwy 101 and on a route I drive alot. They have an impressive selection of beer styles available and always have a couple of their special ales available. Their Union Jack, Pale 31 and Nector IPA are my favorite regular beers(the brew the Red Nector Ales as well as the Mission St ales sold at Trader Joe's). Their anniversary beers are among the best beers in the world. They are typically 12-13% and made by blending strong ales aged in bourbon barrels. The tasting room is very nice as are the server staff. They also sell most of their beers by the bottle (and growler). The brewers often come into the tasting room and the place has a very comfortable vibe. The only issue I have with them is that the tasting room is only open from 12 to 7pm....and I often drive by later than that. This is a must stop for any beer lover. They don't serve food but they had chips for sell the last time I was there.

Sunday 11th of January 2009 02:32:13 PM

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This is a return southbound visit for me and I was lucky to make the last hour of tasting for the day. On previous visits I had opted for premium brews but on this occasion, I settled for a four glass sampler so my travel companions could appreciate the range of styles. While they expressed their "Passion for the Pale" ales, I savored the snifter of Walker Reserve. The tasting area has a mix of bar and table seating but be sure to venture into the back where you can view the brewing and canning facility (pretty much a given since that’s where the restrooms are). There is a parking lot out front but it can become crowded during evening tasting when many locals enjoy this friendly taproom.

Sunday 18th of May 2008 07:44:11 PM

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I was in PR for a few days of business and was looking forward to a trip to FW. I found it very easy to locate. Outside there was a dump truck under a pipe that was slowly getting filled with spent grains.

Inside I found a very comfortable tasting room. there were very few patrons there sampling. My friend and I ordered a couple of pints of the Double Barrel. Later we had the Nectar and the Barleywine.

I asked about 220z bottle sales, and was told that I could receive a discount since I had come such a long way. However, i could not receive a discount on a mixed case.

I found all beers to be very good. Only the nectar seemed a little thin, though well within style guidelines. the Barleywine was nothing short of Dominating. At 13.5% it was rich in bourbon and vanilla flavors. truly a wonder in a glass. (8 oz goblet for $6.00)

Wednesday 13th of February 2008 11:53:03 PM

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Feb 12, 2008

I stumbled onto the Firestone Walker Brewery tasting room in Paso Robles, Ca while looking for reasonably priced gasoline off I-5 in Southern California. Fate was with me. The tasting room closes most days at 7pm so I had only 1 ½ hrs to make an evaluation.

The brewery has won a Brewery of the Year award in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007. The brewery is dog friendly and I was greeted by a friendly dog. Pints are $3.50 and 25 oz mugs are $5.00. The most popular is the Double Barrel Amber which is fermented and aged in Oak barrels. This is quite labor intensive but is worth the effort. Kim, the barmaid, was friendly and knowledgeable. One can help oneself to pretzels and mustard. The tasting room is clean, organized, well lit and warm. This is a working brewery. Matt the brewmaster after seeing me taking pictures, offered me a tour of the brewery. It is obvious employees take pride in what they do. At the time they were having a problem with the mashing and, as a team, were trying to remedy the problem. The brewery is very modern, well designed and can brew 8 batches a day. They brew only 5 days a week “as a quality of life issue.” The local water is reduced to just water through processes ending in reverse osmosis, then salts are added to mirror the waters needed for a particular beer. Matt’s tour was open, informative and impressive.

The products from this brewery outsell Bud in the county.

As I remember the Nectar ale line is a separate label of more hoppy beers. I ended the early evening with both of the IPA and Union Jack, India Pale Ales and small tastes of the Parabola (14 %) and Hemp Ale with hemp seeds.

As I was visiting with another patron, I noticed she was flushing and turning red. I asked if she was allergic to beer and she said to the hops in the IPA (of which she had a 25 oz mug). She said in the summer, when she is taking Alegra, she does not have the reaction.

I would put this on my do again list.

Mike Kiester