Report from #FWIBF17 – Part 1

Greetings from Paso Robles! I have been in this fine city since Thursday afternoon and it is past time to update you, the fine reader, on what I have been up to since procuring a rental car and driving up from L.A. for the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival.

I went a little nuts. I had a tasting flight of wines at Herman Story where descriptions include barbwire and kirsch marinated pancakes. Obviously, they like to poke fun at the verbal pomposity of wine. My favorite was the Milk & Honey. A pretty even mix of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

From there, I went to Silva Brewing which shares a building with The Pour House bar. The rectangular brewery smelled of grain even on an off brewing day. I will talk more about their beer in a separate post.

I also walked between Earth and Fire and Toro Creek breweries. I liked the candy citrus pale at the former and the coffee stout at the latter. I liked the vibe at Toro more though. Laid back. Comfy couches and vinyl records spinning.

Also a cool vibe was Tin City Cider in the growing Tin City beverage destination. Located next to Barrelhouse Brewing, the cider serves up a wide variety range of spins on traditional cider. None really struck me though one had a lovely potpourri aroma.

Next year might include more beer as I saw a sign in a Downtown window with the name Santa Maria Brewing on it. Now I am set to walk over to the fairgrounds for the showcase event. More posts to come.