Tag: FWIBF19

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FWIBF19 – Best of the Awesome

You have to try really hard to find a bad beer at The Firestone Walker Invitational. You also have to try really hard to highlight those that truly stand out because, well it is degrees of awesome. You could also highlight all pils, Kolsch and Helles or all IPA’s and the list would slap.

But here are the beers that punched through the general level of awesome to make me scramble to my notes to learn more.

Rare Barrel Cyboogie Sour IPA – Not super sour and more tilted to just hazy IPA with Citra, El Dorado and Nelson Sauvin, this was both soft and bitter with just a touch of tart.

Crooked Stave Sour Rose – Canned Rose is a thing but the results are all over the brewing map. This Colorado Rose was super light, super watery but that water was Rosewater and it was perfumey beer greatness.

Burial Beer / Visual Amaro – This cocktail styled beer had smoky blueberries, quinine, raisins and licorice flavors per the brewer. How that mixture works together is a mystery but this was a lovely spicy dark ale.

Great Leap Honey MA Blonde – 1st beer of the day from this Chinese brewery and it was a great choice. Bright with a big pepper note but still easy to drink. One of the most complex blonde ales I have had.

Side Project A la Table – a super low (under 3% ABV) table beer made with buckwheat, oats, pilsner and two different types of white wheat that is then aged in American oak barrels for six months.

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FWIBF Brewery # 2 – Casey Brewing & Blending

Here are some of the beers that if I see at FWIBF19, I will get a taster of from Casey Brewing & Blending which I believe is making its debut in California.

Blackberry Whiskey Sour – ” We took Biere de Garde, fermented and aged in Woody Creek Whiskey barrels, and added blackberries. Collaboration brew with our friends at Four Dogs Wine and Spirits in Basalt, CO.”

Dry Hopped Oak Theory – ” We took unique barrels of Oak Theory and added massive amounts of dry hops just before bottling to add citrus and juicy notes to the rustic funk of Oak Theory.”

Fruit Stand / Grape – “Saison base beer aged on whole Colorado grapes at a rate of over 1 pound per gallon.”

Casey Family Reserves / Plum – ” Saison base beer aged on whole Colorado plums at a rate of over 2 pounds per gallon.”

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FWIBF Line-Up

There are many ways to slice the awesome pie that is the Firestone Walker Invitational.  I bet that you (yes, you!) have already picked out multiple breweries that you will be mapping out before the doors open to the 2019 version.

I have broken the list down into (4) categories: Untasted, New, Returning Favorites, Just Do NOT Skip and Line is too Long

Untasted – These are the breweries that I, personally, have not had beer from and are new to Paso Robles

Balter Beer – from Australia, lovely and simple can designs and a beer list that looks All American

Austin Pinthouse – not many Texas breweries in attendance.

Casey – Colorado beer returns to the Fest with their open fermentation beers

Great Leap – Chinese beer?  Yup, this is great to see.

New – new to FWIBF but I have had in the past and will be visitin’ their booths

pFriem – You could argue they are the high flyers of Oregon

Odell – Old School but rarely seen.  Will 90 Shilling be appearing?

Blackberry Farm – Saisons for days.  Good combo with Fonta Flora

Returning Favorites – Don’t sleep on these breweries just because the names are familiar

Arizona Wilderness – If they had project in their name, they would be swamped

Sante Adairus – great saisons and experimental beers

Fonta Flora – great indigenous ingredient beers x2

Creature Comforts – there was a reason they had the fest collab beer

Do NOT Miss- They may be old school or overlooked but should NOT be

The Rare Barrel – I have not had a bad beer from them.

Russian River – STS Pils all day.

Barrelworks – special pours and always near the music stage

Lines TOO Long – may have the IT beers but can’t waste time in these lines

WeldWerks, Garage Project, Monkish, Trillium, Side Project

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FWIBF19 Featured Beer

For those holding golden tickets to the 2019 version of the Firestone Walker Invitational, the brewery list went live at the start of this month and now the collaboration beer which ticketholders get a special ticket for is now known….

It looks like the new beer plays to the strengths of both Firestone Walker and Cigar City.