My first Firestone Walker Beer Fest

I had heard the Firestone Walker Beer Fest is off the hook, but I hadn’t had a chance to go over the last five years. The stars aligned at the last minute and I got a couple of media passes to check it out…

…so, I took mom on “All Access” tour of the fest.

I’m not a huge beer fan and rarely drink it, but I made an exception for this afternoon of excitement. I learned a lot about the immense variety of beers and tasted several. I was surprised to find brews made with grapefruit, sour cherry, bourbon, coffee and chocolate. They tasted pretty wild!

Bucket list item ✔

Here’s my report:

Brewer Chris Winne of Jester King from Austin Texas serves up a farmhouse ale with flavors of dried grapefruit with hints of rosemary, serrano and jalapeno pepper.

– The Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest was celebrated Saturday for the 6th year in a row. The Paso Robles Event Center became the epicenter of the craft beer world, drawing more than 50 international breweries and more than 2,000 guests. Many lined up hours before the noon opening. Once inside, the crowds lined up to sample new beers, many with intense fruit flavors like orange, cherry, grapefruit and even coffee, chocolate.

The net proceeds of the event will again benefit Paso Robles Pioneer Day. The proceeds are utilized by the non-profit organization to help fund antique tractor restoration and other local initiatives, including the annual Pioneer Day Parade.

“We are honored to host some of the world’s best breweries to this festival and introduce both brewers and attendees to this amazing place we call home,” said Jamie Smith, Director of Marketing & Brand at Firestone Walker Brewing.

A brewer from Garage Project of New Zealand serves up its Yuzi Rising Sun beer. It’s a blend of Yuzu beer topped with a raspberry sour beer. It was the most popular beer of the festival based on the long lines of beer lovers waiting for a taste.

Tickets to the popular fest sold out in just minutes when they went on sale a few months ago.

The south end of the Paso Robles Event Center was packed with beer lovers who lined up to sample new flavors.

Breweries at the festival included the following:

Allagash Brewing Company
Bagby Beer Company
Beachwood BBQ & Brewing
Bear Republic Brewing Company
Beavertown Brewery
Birrificio Italiano
Boneyard Beer
Boulevard Brewing Company
Cervejaria Bamberg
Cigar City Brewing
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Garage Project
Half Acre Beer Co.
Highland Park
Hollister Brewing Company
Jester King
Nebraska Brewing Company
New Belgium Brewing
Other Half Brewing Co.
Russian River Brewing Company
Side Project Brewing
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Societe Brewing Company
The Bruery
The Lost Abbey
Trillium Brewing
Uberbrew
Wicked Weed Brewing

Over a dozen Central Coast restaurants and food purveyors served delicious treats to accompany the beers.