Firestone Walker's Oaktoberfest Returns!

A FALL CLASSIC RETURNS

Firestone Walker’s “Oaktoberfest” Reborn This Month in New 16-Ounce Can Format

Paso Robles, CA: After a one-year hiatus, Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s seasonal Oaktoberfest makes its packaged return this month in a dashing new 16-ounce can format.

“We brewed a single batch of Oaktoberfest for select draft accounts last year, but that was it,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “It’s cool to have this beer back in the package, particularly in this new four-pack. You might be tempted to retire your stein and quaff it straight from the can.”

Oaktoberfest is a “Paso Märzen Bier” made to honor the classic Märzen style while exhibiting just a hint of extra West Coast hoppiness. All of the ingredients are sourced from Germany, including Vienna and Pilsner malts as well as Hallertau Tradition hops.

“Malty sweetness and subtle honey-like aromas take the lead on this beer, but there’s also a subtext of noble hop spiciness,” Brynildson said. “It’s mellow and rounded, and has a beautiful autumn orange hue.”

Oaktoberfest is a seasonal offering for late summer and fall, and will be available in all Firestone Walker markets starting in mid August. While Oaktoberfest has long been a fall staple at the brewery, this latest release marks only the second time it has been packaged.

The name Oaktoberfest is a nod to the brewery’s hometown of Paso Robles—Spanish for “Pass of The Oaks”—as well as the longtime presence of oak barrels as a central part of the Firestone Walker brewing operation. The checkered blue and white pattern on the label echoes the Bavarian flag and pays homage to the Oktoberfest style.

Also on the homefront, the third annual 2016 Madonna Inn Oktoberfest presented by Firestone Walker Brewing Company takes place on October 1 in San Luis Obispo. As always, Oaktoberfest will be racked to oak barrels and ceremonially tapped to punctuate the festivities.

Small and Independent Brewers Continue to Grow Double Digits

Boulder, CO--The Brewers Association (BA), the trade association representing small and independent American craft brewers, today released 2015 data on U.S. craft brewing² growth.  With more breweries than ever before, small and independent¹ craft brewers now represent 12 percent market share of the overall beer industry.

In 2015, craft brewers produced 24.5 million barrels, and saw a 13 percent rise in volume³ and a 16 percent increase in retail dollar value.  Retail dollar value was estimated at $22.3 billion, representing 21 percent market share.

"For the past decade, craft brewers have charged into the market, seeing double digit growth for eight of those years," said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association.  "There are still a lot of opportunities and areas for additional growth.  An important focus will remain on quality as small and independent brewers continue to lead the local, full-flavored beer movement."

Additionally, in 2015 the number of operating breweries in the U.S. grew 15 percent, totaling 4,269 breweries--the most at any time in American history.  Small and independent breweries account for 99 percent of the breweries in operation, broken down as follows:
2,397 microbreweries, 1,650 brewpubs, and 178 regional craft breweries.  Throughout the year, there were 620 new brewery openings and 68 closings.  One of the fastest growing regions was the South, where four states--Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, and Texas--each saw a net increase of more than 20 breweries, establishing a strong base for future growth in the region.

Combined with already existing and established breweries and brewpubs, craft brewers provided nearly 122,000 jobs, an increase of over 6,000 from the previous year.

"Small and independent brewers are a beacon for beer and our economy," added Watson.  "As breweries continue to open and volume increases, there is a strong need for workers to fill a whole host of positions at these small and growing businesses."

Note:  Numbers are preliminary.  The Brewers Association will release the list of Top 50 craft brewing companies and overall brewing companies by volume sales on April 5.  Additionally, a more extensive analysis will be released during the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America--in Philadelphia from May 3-6.  The full 2015 industry analysis will be published in the May/June 2016 issue of The New Brewer, highlighting regional trends and production by individual breweries.

¹An American craft brewer is small, independent, and traditional.  Small: Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales).  Beer production is attributed to the rules of alternating proprietorships.  Independent: Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.  Traditional: A brewer that has a majority of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation.  Flavored malt beverages (FMBs) are not considered beers.

²Absolute figures reflect the dynamic craft brewer data set as specified by the craft brewer definition.  Growth numbers are presented on a comparable base.  For full methodology, see the Brewers Association website.

³Volume by craft brewers represent total taxable production.

Founders Brewing Orange County Launch

This coming Monday, January 18th, Hollingshead's Deli in Orange, CA will be celebrating the official launch of Founders Brewing Company in Orange County.  I love Founders Brewing beers, among my favorites are their All Day IPA and Centennial IPA.  Being able to get some of my favorite beers in California makes me so happy, because it saves me money from having to travel out of the area, which means I have more money to spend on beers.  I'm super excited to have the chance to try some new to me beers as well as some old favorites.

When:  January 18th, 2016 from 4:00-8:00 p.m.

Where:  Hollingshead's Deli, 368 South Main Street Orange, California

What:  13 beers will be available as well as guests from Founders Brewing who will be available to answer questions.

Beers:

All Day IPA

Centennial IPA

Dirty Bastard

Pale Ale

Porter

Red's Rye IPA (draft)

Nitro Oatmeal Stout

Mosaic Promise

Breakfast Stout

Blushing Monk 2015

Backwoods Bastard

Project PAM

KBS

Pink Boots Society Los Angeles to Host L.A. Beer Week Charity Beer Garden

Celebrate women in the craft beer industry at Three Weavers Brewing on June 22 

Join the women of Pink Boots Society Los Angeles for a charity beer garden at Three Weavers Brewing Company on Monday, June 22nd from 4pm­-9pm. The event will celebrate women in the beer industry with a stellar lineup of guest brews hand­selected by Pink Boots LA Chapter Lead and Three Weavers Brewmaster Alexandra Nowell. 

The event will also mark the official release of the Three Weavers collaboration with the yet­to­open Arts District Brewing. Return of Sassy Rye IPA is a super dank (and super sassy) rye forward IPA generously hopped with Simcoe, Mosaic, Galaxy, and Equinox hops. The collaboration brew welcomes award­winning female brewer Devon Randall back to her hometown of Los Angeles and is a new iteration of the beer they originally brewed by Nowell and Randall at Pizza Port Solana Beach in 2014. 

Ticket Details:

• Tickets are $20 and available for purchase through Eventbrite.
• Five 5­ oz tasters (which includes a Three Weavers glass!) are included with tickets.
• Additional tasters will be available for $4 each. 
• 100% of proceeds from the beer garden will be donated to the Pink Boots Society scholarship fund which was founded to empower women in beer through education and community building.

Taplist includes: 

• Three Weavers/21st Amendment-We Saw Them Coming Watermelon Saison 
• Three Weavers/Arts District Brewing-Return of Sassy Rye IPA 
• Three Weavers/Prosthetic Records-Blood Junkie Imperial Red 
• Arizona Wilderness-Prunus Persica Peach Saison 
• 21st Amendment-Down to Earth Session IPA 
• Highland Park-Bonkers IPA 
• Eagle Rock-Cold Shillin’ 60 Shilling 
• Smog City-Unity Tart Saison 
• Noble Ale Works-Naughty Sauce 
• Golden Road-Heal the Bay IPA 
• Beachwood Brewing-Hopular Mechanics 
• Drake’s-Omega Session 
• El Segundo Brewing-Mayberry IPA 

PLUS:​  Confirmed participation from Cascade Brewing, The Bruery, Figueroa Mountain, Stone Brewing, Ladyface Ale Companie, and Kinetic Brewing! 

Collaborative Cross-Continental Dark Saison to Debut at Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest

Paso Robles, CA: Multiple versions of the same collaborative dark saison wild ale—called La Piccola—will be unveiled at the 2015 Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest on May 30, capping off a year of cross-continental brewing hijinks between brewmasters Agostino Arioli of Birrificio Italiano and Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker Brewing Company.

“With most collaborations, you start the beer together at one brewery, and it gets finished there, resulting in one beer,” Brynildson said. “Agostino and I decided to do something different. We sat down and designed the recipe together, then went back to our respective breweries to brew them on our own. We’ve been emailing back and forth for a year now, trying to replicate what the other was doing.”

It all started at last year’s beer fest, when Arioli and Brynildson hatched their plan to brew a dark saison that would be made with debittered black malt, then soured via secondary fermentation and aged in barrels—and also spiced up with an unlikely twist.

“Like many Italians, Agostino is a true gourmet, and he takes a chef’s approach to brewing,” Brynildson said. “He’s really into exotic spices and he wanted to play around with these Sichuan peppercorns, which are really weird and unique. We had to contact a spice hunter in Italy to get our hands on them.”

After Brynildson brewed his base version of La Piccola, he sent it down to barrelmeisters Jeffers Richardson and Jim Crooks at Firestone Walker’s Barrelworks wild ale facility, where they initiated secondary fermentation and maturation for 12 months in French oak barrels.

In the end, they decided to create one version with the peppercorns (La Piccola Pepe Di Sichuan) and one without (La Piccola Virtuosa). Meanwhile, Arioli is finishing up his own La Piccola made with the peppercorns. All three beers will be first presented at the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest on May 30 in Paso Robles. Bottles of the California-brewed beers are limited to 250 cases each, and two-packs will be available for purchase at the Paso Robles brewery and Barrelworks in Buellton starting at 3 p.m. on May 30.

The base beer was brewed with the same Belgian yeast used to make Firestone Walker’s Opal saison, giving it classic fruit and spice notes. The debittered black malt provided dark color without assertive bitterness. The souring and barrel aging layered in just the right amount of earthy funk. And the peppercorn version presents its own distinctive qualities.

“The Sichuan peppercorns are pretty intense,” Brynildson said. “If you pop one in your mouth, your face goes numb. In the beer, it adds black pepper and lemon zest notes, and it also gives this subtle tingle on the tongue.”

He added, “I can’t wait to try Agostino’s version. It will be fascinating to compare and contrast the final results between the same beer made separately in California and Italy.”

Beer News: Firestone Beer in Cans

CAN DO

Firestone Beers Available in Cans for First Time

Paso Robles, CA—Even after 18 years of brewing, there’s a first time for everything…

Indeed, Firestone Walker Brewing Company is set to release its first-ever canned Firestone beers, with Union Jack (IPA), Easy Jack (session IPA) and Pivo (hoppy pilsner) all being introduced in six packs starting in mid February.

“We could have rushed into canning a few years ago, but we wanted the timing to be right,” said brewery co-proprietor David Walker. “The market for canned craft beer is now hitting its stride, and canning technology has come a long way in a short period. Also, cans are a perfect fit for life here on the Central Coast. All of these factors converged to finally reach a tipping point for us.”

The brewery’s new canning line was made by leading beer packaging company KHS based in Dortmund, Germany.

“It was the best—and most expensive—solution,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “You can make the best beer in the world, but if you run it through a substandard packaging line, you end up with a beer-wrecking machine. With this KHS line, there are no worries about beer integrity.”

The canning line was first fired up last year to produce cans for the brewery’s 805 brand. The cans are dry-rinsed with ionized air and purged with CO₂, then filled. The cans next run through a bubble breaker to remove any air bubbles before being surface purged with CO₂ to eliminate oxygen from the head space. They are then seamed with a Swiss-made Ferrum seamer and inverted for a short period to detect any leaks as they exit the seamer. After a final rinse, cardboard carriers are auto-assembled around the cans. At full speed, the canning line produces 400 cans (12-ounce) per minute.

“I think there are advantages to both cans and bottles,” Brynildson said. “Cans do a great job of blocking UV light and maintaining a great seal, but on top of that they’re just fun. They’re light and they carry anywhere. I get goosebumps just thinking about having these beers in cans.”

# # #

Firestone Walker Brewing Company is a pioneering regional craft brewery founded in 1996 and located in the Paso Robles wine country on California’s Central Coast. The brewery specializes in iconic pale ales and vintage barrel-aged beers. See FirestoneBeer.com. 

Beer News: Firestone Walker's 2015 Sucaba

FIRESTONE WALKER RELEASES 2015 §UCABA

ON JANUARY 17

Brewmaster Spills Secrets on Barrel-Aged Tongue Twister

Paso Robles, CA—Firestone Walker Brewing Company is set to release its first Proprietor’s Vintage Series beer of 2015 with the return of §ucaba—and Brewmaster Matt Brynildson is now spilling a few secrets on the tongue-twisting, barrel-aged barleywine that has been a brewery staple since 2006.

“We’ve never talked about it, but §ucaba is actually a blend of two separate beers,” Brynildson said. “The base beer is what you would call §ucaba, but each year the final blend also includes around 10 percent of another barrel-aged beer, which gives it this chocolaty, dark cherry dimension.”

Brynildson wouldn’t reveal the identity of the other component beer, but he did share some insights into the name §ucaba.

“Back in my early brewing days at Goose Island, I had this massive handheld calculator,” Brynildson said. “I would break it out when we were doing brewing calculations, and the guys would laugh at me and say, ‘Uh, oh, Brynildson’s firing up his abacus again.’ I always liked the word, and finally got to use it as a name for this beer.”

Alas, that original name was later undone by a legal challenge, and so the brewing team simply reversed it to §ucaba as a defiant yet virtually unpronounceable way to maintain the beer’s lineage.

So what’s the official pronunciation? “There is none,” Brynildson said. “SUC-a-buh, SOO-cah-ba, SOO-cab-uh, you hear it all, so it’s kind of fun. But in the brewhouse, we still call it by its original name.”

2015 §ucaba Lowdown

Release Date:  January 17, 2015

ABV: 13.5%   IBU: 42   Color: 36 (Dark Ruby)

Malts: Pale Ale Malt, Maris Otter, Munich, Dark & Light Crystal, Chocolate

Hops: Magnum (bittering), East Kent and Styrian Golding (late kettle)

Aging: Barrel-aged for one year on average in retired Bourbon barrels

Production: 3,500 cases (22-ounce bottles)

Retail: $16.99 (22-ounce bottle). Available while supplies last in select markets across the United States.

Tasting Notes
Big, boozy bourbon and American oak aromas combine with soft chocolate malty undertones. Complex malt flavors are framed in oak with hints of dark chocolate, vanilla, tobacco, coconut and just a touch of dark cherry. 

Cellaring
§ucaba is built to last and will reward careful cellaring (ideal aging temperature: 45F) for years to come. We recommend counting the years with an abacus.

WINEMAKERS SQUARE OFF TO BLEND EPIC BARREL-AGED BEER

 14 Vintners Help Create Firestone Walker’s New Release XVIII Anniversary Ale

Paso Robles, CA: As the summer turns toward fall, you can count on two things in the Paso Robles wine country—the seasonal grape harvest and the annual blending of Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s next Anniversary Ale with guiding input from local winemakers.

The result this year is XVIII—a barrel-aged blend composed of nine distinct component beers, as determined by a friendly yet fiercely competitive blending session attended by 14 winemakers (see full list below). XVIII will be available in select markets across the United States starting in November.

The Anniversary Ale blending session has become an annual rite, with Brewmaster Matt Brynildson enlisting his closest friends in the local winemaking community to help create a beer that is greater than the sum of its parts.

“These winemakers are practicing experts in the art of blending, so it makes perfect sense to seek their counsel,” Brynildson said. “It’s like bringing in the ninjas.”

The winemakers are paired off and presented with numerous different component beers spanning an array of styles. The pairs are tasked with creating their own preferred blends from among the components. The preferred blends are then presented to the entire group and blind tasted. Individual votes are cast, and the blend with the most votes becomes the basis for the next Anniversary Ale. Russell From and Philip Muzzy of Herman Story Wines are credited with creating the winning blend that became XVIII, granting them possession of the coveted cardboard crown that is awarded to the winning team each year.

“It got pretty competitive this year,” Brynildson said. “There was a lot of smack talk leading up to the session. A few of the winemaker teams were caught stuffing the ballot by creating more than one blend, and there were accusations of performance enhancers leveled against the winners, but it didn’t result in any arrests or suspensions.”

Most of the component beers spent an average of a year maturing in retired bourbon, brandy and whiskey barrels, including two collaboration beers that Brynildson said “we probably won’t see again,” specifically: Ol’ Leghorn, a blonde barleywine brewed with 3 Floyds and aged in new American oak barrels; and Hydra Cuvée, a hoppy hybrid dark ale brewed with Flying Dog and aged in bourbon barrels.

In the end, Brynildson noted that “we got back to a stout-dominated blend this year,” with Parabola and Velvet Merkin constituting more than 40 percent of the final blend. At the same time, several other components layer in a subtle hoppy quality that Brynildson described as “really integrated and balanced.”

THE FINAL BLEND

“We blended together 227 oak barrels and nine different beers creating something truly complex and exceptional.” – Brewmaster Matt Brynildson                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Parabola / Aged in Bourbon Barrels / 38% of Final Blend

-Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout

Helldorado / Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels / 16% of Final Blend

-Blonde Barleywine Brewed with Buckwheat Honey

Bravo / Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels / 16% of Final Blend

-Imperial Brown Ale

Stickee Monkee / Aged in Bourbon and Whiskey Barrels / 14% of Final Blend

-Central Coast Quad Brewed with Belgian Candi and Mexican Turbinado (brown) Sugar

Velvet Merkin / Aged in Bourbon Barrels / 5% of Final Blend                       

-Traditional Oatmeal Stout

                                               

Hydra Cuvée / Aged in Bourbon Barrels; collaboration with Flying Dog / 4% of Final Blend

-Hoppy Hybrid Dark Ale
Wookey Jack / 100% Stainless Steel / 3% of Final Blend

-Black Rye India Pale Ale

Ol’ Leghorn / Aged in new American oak barrels; collaboration with 3 Floyds / 2% of Final Blend

-Blonde Barleywine

Double Jack / 100% Stainless Steel / 2% of Final Blend

-Double India Pale Ale

XVIII ABV: 13%

ORIGINS & AVAILABILITY

XVIII is the ninth release in Firestone Walker’s anniversary series, dating back to the release of the inaugural anniversary release called “Ten”in 2006. Over the ensuing years, Firestone Walker has developed one of the craft beer industry’s most extensive barrel aging programs, spanning upwards of 1,500 barrels. Brewing beer with oak barrels has been a pioneering focal point for the brewery since its founding in 1996.

XVIII will be available in select markets across the United States starting in November. The suggested retail price is $23.99 for an individually boxed 22-ounce bottle.

BREWMASTER’S NOTES

“As a finished beer, XVIII is a dark and complex brew full of malt and barrel derived flavors, with Parabola leading the brew into the rich darkness. The beer is unfiltered and unfined, so there will be a small amount of sediment in the bottom of the bottle. XVIII is best enjoyed poured carefully into a half filled brandy snifter or wine glass. Allow it to warm to 55F to fully enjoy the pleasing and complex aromas. As the beer sits and breathes in the glass, rich dark chocolate, toasted oak and dark fruit qualities are revealed, so take your time. If you wait to open your bottle later, store it in a cool dark place. I suspect that this beer will age well and change favorably for years to come.”

PARTICIPATING WINEMAKERS

“These are my friends and brothers in fermentation science, and practicing experts in the art of blending.” –Brewmaster Matt Brynildson

·         Neil Collins – Tablas Creek, Lone Madrone

·         Chelsea Franchi – Tablas Creek

·         Justin Smith– Saxum

·         Mark Adams – Ledge

·         Kevin Sass – Halter Ranch

·         Molly Longborg - Halter Ranch

·         Russell From - Herman Story

·         Philip Muzzy – Herman Story

·         Matt Trevisan – Linne Calodo

·         Sherman Thacher - Thacher

·         Terry Hoage – Terry Hoage Vineyards

·         Steve Martell – Kaleidos

·         Eric Jensen – Booker

·         Brock Waterman - Brochelle

Also thanks to friends Arie Litman and Bobby Fox for lending their expertise to the blending session.

Cheers to XVIII, it's an amazing beer!

Beer News: Agrestic Wild Red Ale

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE 

“Agrestic” Leads Charge for Remaining 2014 Liberations from Barrelworks

Buellton, CA: The wild things are bouncing of the walls at Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s Barrelworks wild yeast facility, setting the stage for more unruly releases in 2014.

The next bottling to be sprung from Barrelworks is Agrestic, an American wild red ale that will be released at the Liberation of Agrestic event on September 20. Only 600 cases of 375ml bottles were produced, and they will only be available at Barrelworks and the brewery in Paso Robles.

Agrestic is an audacious riff on the brewery’s original flagship DBA British pale ale. It began its brewing journey as DBA, but took a mutinous turn when it was racked to oak barrels and inoculated with a proprietary collection of microflora.

To create the final blend, barrelmeisters Jeffers Richardson and Jim Crooks blended a selection of different agrestic lots matured from eight to 24 months in French (87%) and American oak (13%) barrels. Toasted oak and lemon pith swirl on the nose and palate, followed by harmonious notes of vanilla, coconut, Earl Grey tea and spice. The finish is crisp, with mouthwatering acidity and chewy tannins.  

Next Up from Barrelworks in 2014

Feral Vinifera
Feral Vinifera is an ultra-limited release also being liberated on September 20. Feral Vinifera was born of a collaborative effort with local grape growers and winemakers in Barrelworks’ backyard of the Santa Ynez Valley. Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Orange Muscat grapes were co-fermented with wheat-based wort, then inoculated with proprietary wild yeast to create this trailblazing hybrid.

SLOambic

SLOambic is Barrelworks’ foray into the funky world of lambic style beers. It was inoculated with brettanomyces lambicus, brettanomyces bruxellensis and lactobacillus, then infused with ollalieberries to create a distinctively, dry, cidery, fruity, vinuous and oh-so sour beer. November release date TBA.

El Gourdo

El Gourdo is what happens when the local pumpkin patch calls the barrelmeisters on the day after Halloween, asking if they want some orphaned gourds. Not only did the barrelmeisters take the leftover pumpkins last year, they roasted them in a pizza oven with brandy staves, bay leaf and walnuts before tossing them into a base wheat beer for secondary fermentation prior to oak barrel aging. We’ll just leave it at that for now. November release date TBA.

Reginald Brett

Big, malty, and alcoholic, this hefty brew is supported by a firm oaky backbone and slight tartness from its time in French oak barrels in the discreet company of a certain B. Lambicus. Scandalous!  Release date TBA.

Firestone Walker’s Barrelworks is a story of beer, barrels and unintended consequences, of renegade brewers, and of a pet project turning into a wild beast: www.firestonebeer.com/barrelworks.

Firestone Walker Reveals 2014 Velvet Merkin!

Paso Robles, CA: Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s Velvet Merkin barrel-aged oatmeal stout is set to make a curtain call with the release of the 2014 vintage starting on September 15.

“We let our hair down with the 2014 Velvet Merkin and changed up the barrel mix a bit compared to previous vintages,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “Velvet Merkin has always had this signature milk chocolate character, but now the vanilla notes are more pronounced as well. We’re pretty stoked on this vintage.”

The 2014 Velvet Merkin was primarily aged in bourbon barrels from Elijah Craig and Woodford Reserve, along with a selection of Rittenhouse Rye whiskey barrels. The Elijah Craig and Woodford Reserve barrels imparted fine bourbon qualities, while the younger Rittenhouse Rye whiskey barrels provided subtle spiciness with an elevated vanilla character.

The 2014 Velvet Merkin is a blend chosen from five separate batches brewed and barreled down at different times, with an average of one year spent in the barrel.

“We had more Velvet Merkin barrels to choose from than ever before, so we were able to really fine tune the blend with complementary lots,” Brynildson said. “We moved into our new barrel cellar earlier this year, and our barrel-aged program is maturing. It’s helping us get the most out of each beer, and the 2014 Velvet Merkin is an example of that.”

A total of 3,500 cases (22-ounce bottles; $16.99) were produced, with availability in select markets across the United States.