Firestone Walker

since founding our brewery in 1996, we have specialized in the rare art of brewing beer in oak barrels. in the fall of 2006, we released a limited edition oak-aged strong ale called 10 to commemorate our 10th anniversary. the experience was greater than any one of us could have ever imagined. we now present xvi, our seventh release in what has become an annual autumn rite at our brewery.

As a finished beer, XVII is dark, rich and complex. The lead beers of the blend are Bravo, a lean and oak-forward imperial brown ale and Stickee Monkee, a huge brown sugar infused barley wine. These beers are beautiful on their own but together they bring rich molasses drenched oak flavors and cinnamon glazed almond aromas lifted by high alcohol. In the middle of the blend are our two favorite stouts, Parabola and Velvet Merkin, working in concert to provide a dusty cocoa mocha aroma and bitter dark chocolate flavors. Somehow together in this blend I am reminded of Bourbon-soaked chocolate chip cookie dough! Double DBA makes the blend again this year, bringing its signature vanilla-infused crème brulée flavor. Helldorado, our blonde barley wine, helps to bring balance with its honey notes and light leather nuances. Like last year, a dash of Wookey Jack made the cut bringing with it some fresh hop notes derived from bold Citra and Amarillo creating even more interesting complexity. All together I find XVII to be full of soft chocolate and warm spice perfectly balanced by toasted coconut, bourbon barrel notes and smooth creamy malt mellowness. The finished blend is unfiltered and unfined, so there will be a small amount of sediment in the bottom of the bottle. XVII is best enjoyed poured carefully into a half-filled brandy snifter or red wine glass. Allow it to warm to 55F to fully enjoy the pleasing and complex aromas. It takes a while, but as this beer sits and breathes in the glass, more rich chocolate and spice character is revealed as the ethereal spirit characters dissipate - 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. It was an absolute pleasure in the making and I truly hope you enjoy our eighth oak-aged blend. The journey continues and it’s just as fun and exciting now as it was back in 1996. Thank you so much for spending a little time with us!

Final Blend: Parabola (13% ABV) Aged in Bourbon Barrels (38% of the final blend) Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout OG=30P FG=7.5P IBU=80 Color=Black / Hopped with Magnum, Styrian Golding and Hallertau Tradition Helldorado (11.7% ABV) Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels (16% of the final blend) OG=24.8P FG=4.0P IBU=24 Color=8 / Brewed with buckwheat honey & El Dorado hops Bravo (12.9% ABV) Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels (16% of the final blend) Imperial Brown Ale OG=26.5 FG=3.7 IBU=35 Color=32 / Hopped with German Magnum Stickee Monkee (12.3% ABV) Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels (14% of the final blend) English Barley Wine OGP FG=5.4P IBU=45 Color=34 / Brewed with Belgian Candi Sugar and Mexican Turbinado (Brown) sugar Velvet Merkin (8.5% ABV) Aged in Bourbon barrels (5% of the final blend) Traditional Oatmeal Stout OG=15+P FG=5.5 IBU=32.5 Color=Black / 15% Oats / Hopped with 100% US grown Fuggles Hydra Cuveè (10.5% ABV) Aged in Bourbon Barrels - A Collaboration brewed with Flying Dog for Savor 2014 (4% of the final blend) Blended Hybrid ½ hoppy dark beer (Gonzo and Wookey) and ½-blended barrel aged beer (DDBA and Bravo) OG=24+P FG=5.5+ IBU=32.5 Color= Black Wookey Jack (8.5% ABV) 100% Stainless Steel (3% of the final blend American Black Ale – Black IPA OG=17.8P FG=2.5P IBU=80 Color=45+/ Dank and Dark Ol’ Leghorn (12.5%ABV)Aged in New American Oak - A Collaboration brewed with Three Floyds for the FWIBF (2% of the final blend) English Barley Wine OGP FG=5.1P IBU=45 Color=28 / 50% 1 yr. barrel aged English Barley Wine + 50% fresh dry hopped stainless produced Double Jack (9.5% ABV) 100% Stainless Steel (2% of the final blend) Double India Pale Ale OG= 20P FG=2.5P IBU=100 Color=8 / Extremely hoppy triple dry hopped DIPA The Finished Piece 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 character is 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. It was an absolute pleasure in the making and I truly hope you enjoy our ninth oak-aged blend! The journey continues and it’s just as fun and exciting now as it was back in 1996. This beer is dedicated to Jake and the rest of the amazing Wolfe family who have supported this community, our brewery and me personally since the beginning. We love you dearly. Matt

This year, 17 winemakers convened in late August to help create the blend for XX. As always, they were tasked with creating their own preferred blends, with all of these initial blends later being blind tasted on the group. After votes were cast, the blend by Scott Hawley of Torrin Vineyard was deemed the winner and became the basis for XX. “It’s always a friendly but competitive gathering,” Brynildson said. “Collectively, the winemakers’ input is invaluable, because they are practicing experts in the art of blending.” With XX, this proven process yielded a beer for the ages. “There is just so much going on in this beer,” Brynildson said. “It’s big and complex, with all of these different facets from our barrel-aged program that are so seamlessly integrated. We wanted to produce something really special for our 20th anniversary, and I think we did it.” The Final Blend: Parabola / Aged in New Oak and Bourbon Barrels / 40% of Final Blend Stickee Monkee / Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels / 20% of Final Blend Velvet Merkin / Aged in Bourbon Barrels / 17.5% of Final Blend Bravo / Aged in Bourbon Barrels / 12.5% of Final Blend Helldorado / Aged in Bourbon Barrels / 10% of Final Blend

THE FINAL BLEND Stickee Monkee | 28% Parabola | 28% Bravo | 20% Bourbon Barrel Helldorado | 15% Velvet Merkin | 5% Tequila Barrel Helldorado | 4%

It’s not a unique idea, but one that everyone on the Central Coast understands… Call something “805” and it means local. As a regional craft brewer we have always known that the closer the beer is to where it was brewed, the fresher it is. In fact since 1996 our brewery has been built on fresh, local beers for the Central Coast…. so we created a beer just for our locals in the “805”.

Prodigiously hopped yet nimbly brewed with pilsner malts, Adversus ultimately achieves the improbable: a big, bold IPA made for summertime sipping. A hard-charging blend of Pacific Northwest hops leads the way, loading the nose with notes of stone fruit, pineapple, mango and earthy pine resin. Meanwhile, the use of traditional pilsner malts adds levity and dryness to the palate, allowing for a refreshing texture through the finish. The result is a double IPA that is high on hop aromas, balanced in bitterness and perfect for the long, warm days of summer.

American red wild ale.

Barrel Aged Wild Ale fermented with Blueberries

The first beer brewed for the barrel aging program and has been brewed every year since. Originally named after an experimental variety of hops but now brewed with US grown Fuggles which are earthy and resinous. A lean, simple barley wine brewed to showcase barrel flavors with massive bourbon barrel notes that morph as the beer warms in the glass.

Wild ale fermented with White Grape Juice

Imagine yourself in Berlin’s Tiergarten enjoying this refreshing Berliner Weisse inspired beer on a warm summer’s day. Bretta Weisse honors the traditional beverage of the great Prussian capital, Berlin. Fredrick-the-Great was trained to brew it, and Napoleon’s troops called it “The champagne of the North”. Firm estery notes of stone and tropical fruit lead to Funky, yeasty, citrus aromas. Soft cereal and Oak flavors are enveloped by a firm acidity and tartness. The finish is dry and crisp; a thoroughly enjoyable beverage. At 4.9% ABV, one could imagine enjoying several Bretta Weisse’s in the Tiergarten, or anywhere else. This Berliner Weisse inspired Wheat beer was aged in 1700 gal French Oak horizontal foeders for 8 months.

Brewed with real blood orange for maximum refreshment. A crisp beer with juicy orange flavors and fresh citrus flavors, that always go down easy.

Flagship hazy IPA with loads of coconut!

The story of this beer begins when we racked a select lot of Parabola to premium rye whiskey barrels for extended aging. A year later, we toasted shaved coconut over coals of rum barrel wood, then comingled it with the rye-aged Parabola for a period of one month. The inclusion of the caramelized coconut amplifies the natural coconut qualities found in our regular bourbon barrel-aged Parabola, while the influence of the rye whiskey barrels adds a distinct peppery character

Our patented Firestone Union uniquely incorporates 60-gallon American oak barrels into the fermentation process that yields beers of extraordinary character and complexity. This system improves the fullness of the palate, balances hop character and lends a clean briskness to the finish. The influence of the toasted oak also imparts unique hints of smokiness and vanilla, as well as a subtle fruitiness to the flavor profile.

A Firestone Walker classic is recast in our 20th anniversary year as DBA gets nitro treatment for the first time ever. DBA is the beer that started it all for us 1996, but you might say that Nitro DBA is its truest form yet. The caramel malts and noble hops are delivered with unprecedented smoothness, and new intricacies are revealed along the way. A fresh twist on a beloved favorite.

DDBA is our flagship beer brewed at double strength. It is amazingly similar in many respects to our barrel fermented DBA and possesses everything we love about that beer times two. English caramel malts lend rich toffee character that pairs well with assertive medium toast American oak barrels.

Double Jack IPA is our first ever Imperial IPA. It features a big malty middle to cloak the high alcohol and mouth puckering hop bitterness. Huge tangerine, grapefruit and juicy fruit aroma blossom over the herbal blue basil and malt earthiness of this aggressive beer. Best enjoyed in moderation.

Fortem is a new-age imperial IPA that draws upon a range of influences, all while exhibiting DNA from our own forays into the IPA style. As such, it blends newer hop varieties from the Pacific Northwest and Hallertau, Germany along with pale malt, wheat malt and flaked oats for a full body and rounded mouthfeel. Fortem has been left unfiltered for a full hop impact.

Brewmaster Matt Brynildson went to the mountain and returned with a vision for a different kind of Session IPA, one that would be brewed and dry hopped with a globetrotting selection of new hop varieties from Europe, New Zealand and North America. He foresaw a beer that would deliver massive hop aromas, a signature malt balance and an empty glass before you knew what hit you. And so the newest member of our Jack IPA family was born.

Everything you want from a hazy IPA with nothing to weigh you down. This is Flyjack, Firestone Walker's new 96-calorie beer. Maximum flavor, minimal calories, no compromises

Fortem is a new-age imperial IPA that draws upon a range of influences, all while exhibiting DNA from our own forays into the IPA style. As such, it blends newer hop varieties from the Pacific Northwest and Hallertau, Germany along with pale malt, wheat malt and flaked oats for a full body and rounded mouthfeel. Fortem presents an expressive mix of aromas, including mango, blueberry, raspberry, lime zest and lychee. After time in the glass, it opens up to reveal stone fruit blossoms and mandarin oranges, finishing with just enough bitterness to encourage your next sip. Fortem has been left unfiltered for a hazy appearance and full hop impact.

Straight from the R&D program at Firestone Walker’s Propagator pilot brewhouse comes Generation 1—an unfined and unfiltered IPA. Generation 1 is aggressively hopped with Citra, Mosaic and Mandarina hops, yet maintains a soft, agreeable texture. The result is a new generation IPA that is loaded with bold aromas and devilish drinkability.

Hefeweizen is a traditional Bavarian wheat beer brewed using a classic German recipe. The malt bill is 60% wheat resulting in a light approachable beer with a hazy opalescent appearance and a soft gentle texture. A special Bavarian yeast strain was selected for this beer which imparts a beautifully fruity flavor and aroma with hints of tropical fruit, banana, light citrus and undertones of clove like spice. The hopping rate is very low allowing the wheat and malt character to shine through. A perfect example of a 100% natural and traditional wheat ale. A true session beer. Paired with Anything Seafood, very refreshing on hot day.

An Imperial Blonde Ale or Blonde Barley Wine; Helldorado has the lightest color of any of the beers in our barrel program but carries a great deal of interesting barrel character: vanilla, light char and amazing lavender-honey notes. Rich boozy honey liqueur character and loads of smooth sweet toasted malt to finish. The El Dorado hops dance in the background without playing a dominant role in the flavor profile. This beer gets better and better the longer it is in barrel.

Wild Ale fermented with sour cherries

Inferos is an imperial rye IPA that is fiery in color and hellacious in hoppiness. Forged with 25 percent rye grain and loaded with more than four pounds of hops per barrel, Inferos is ultimately a big, spicy beer that will keep the soul warm when a chill is in the air.

Featuring two hops from the Pacific Northwest & two from the Southern Hemisphere, the latest in the 'Luponic' series offers notes of mango, peach, & ruby grapefruit.

Luponic No. 13 delivers a seemingly impossible array of fruit flavors derived solely through hops, without any flavoring or adjuncts. The lead hop in No. 13 comes from a three-acre experiment plot planted exclusively for Firestone Walker in Washington's Yakima Valley, creating bright flavors of piña colada, key lime, and nectarine.

Revolution 002 is loaded with an exotic multitude of hops—but the hops have been remixed to deliver new twists of aroma and flavor.

The lead hop in Revolution 003 is a new German variety that Brewmaster Matt Brynildson first encountered in its experimental infancy while traveling through the Hallertau region during the hop harvest three years ago. “I fell in love with it then, and I’ve been following its development ever since,” he says. “It’s just loaded with this juicy mandarin orange character that is so distinctively German, unlike anything you could grow here in the states.” Luponic Distortion Revolution 003 offers a mandarin orange and ripe peach character with ample supporting notes of citrus, stone fruit and pineapple. The overall profile is round and juicy, leaning heavily on ripe fruits with minimal dank or piney edges.

a mind-bending craft beer mix of seven different hop varieties, led by a pair of experimental South African hops.

True to form, Luponic Distortion Revolution No. 005 is driven by a mix of five different hop varieties, led by an emerging American cultivar that will have hop heads rejoicing.

Kiwi, Lychee, Feijoa.

Luponic Distortion is not a single beer, but rather an ongoing series of beers that will evolve and revolve approximately every 90 days. It all kicks off with Revolution No. 001, to be followed by Revolution No. 002 and so on. The base beer will remain the same with each new release, but the hop blend will change every time, so that no two releases will be exactly alike. In other words, there will be a common thread, but also some turns in the road as different hops are pushed to the forefront. Luponic Distortion is an intentional departure from the heavier style of many IPAs. Instead, it aims for a razor-like brightness, providing a clean platform for the hop aromas to pop as vividly as possible. As many as nine different hops will be included in each release, with up to six used in the dry hopping alone. However, with each release, the brewing team is going to turn up the volume a different featured experimental hop, which will be dry hopped in greater quantity than the others. “We can completely evolve, change and redirect this thing as new hops come to us and as we get to know the hops better,” says Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “Luponic is this beer that can keep morphing and stay interesting and remain out in front of this crazy hop wave.”

Offers notes of exotic tropical fruit, coconut, earthy pine, & citrus.

From the coast of California comes Mind Haze, a free-spirited beer made to elevate your perceptions—juicy yet balanced, hazy yet lasting, and loaded with an imaginative array of tropical hop flavors. In the words of Brewmaster Matt Brynildson, “Mind Haze offers the best of what you expect from a hazy IPA. But we’re going about it a little differently, and that’s what gives Mind Haze its own unique signature. We’re finally ready to do a hazy IPA the Firestone way.”

Mixed 12 pack

With an infusion of local roast coffee, a dash of cocoa nibs and touch of seasonal sorcery, our signature Velvet Merlin milk stout has been transformed into Mocha Merlin for fall and winter enjoyment. This beer is brewed with the Colombia La Granadilla blend from our friends and neighbors at HoneyCo Coffee Roasters. The Colombia La Granadilla coffee meshes perfectly with the chocolaty character from the cocoa nibs, providing an oatmeal stout experience like no other.

From our Propagator R&D brewhouse in Venice, California comes Motueka - the first release in our new Propagator Series, available exclusively in the Crafted Thru Hops mixed pack. The Propagator sets the pace for what's next from Firestone Walker - including this new series of single-hope IPAs. Motueka is a New Zealand-grown hop that delivers punchy flavors of tropical fruit, white grape and lemon zest

A new take on the saison, we aged Napa Saison for eight months in retired red wine barrels from Napa Valley.

Oaktoberfest is a true German Marzen bier brewed with premium imported Pilsner and Vienna malts and is spiced with Bavarian hop from the mother land. Light Amber in color, soft malty profile, full bodied lager beer. Fermented with the famous Bavarian Augustiner Lager yeast from Munich. We utilized German Hallertauer Traditions for both bittering and aroma additions adding a rich, noble hop presence to this beer.

Our interpretation of the rustic Wallonian Saison style is a harmonious blend of rustic grains, spicy yeast and unique sauvignon blanc tones. Inviting lemon grass and gooseberry meet peppery spice and fresh grain aromas. Spicy Belgian yeast create a complex yet dry and refreshing canvas with splashes of citrus and stone fruit with a bright tropical white wine finish. Hop bitterness is assertive yet harmonious rounding out slightly tart and refreshing.

Barrel aged with aromas of sweet vanilla, banana, cloves and bourbon

Pale 31 is an ode to our home California, the 31st state to be added to the union. Beer may not be associated with terroir the way wine is, but we believe that where we’re from impacts how our beers taste. This dry-hopped California Pale Ale represents the bold yet approachable spirit that embodies our state.

Parabola has been a major component of past anniversary blends and is one of our most aggressive offerings. This beer features bold bourbon and tobacco aromas and a rich dark chocolate, charred oak flavor. Parabola is best enjoyed in moderation and is a perfect beer to pair with those chocolate dessert favs.

Everything we love about classic German Pilsner with a hoppy Bohemian twist. Pils is a bright straw colored lager beer with playful carbonation topped with beautiful white foam lace. Delicate lightly toasted malt flavors underscore noble German hop character. Hallertau-grown Magnum hops deliver the lupulin foundation while generous amounts of Spalter Select hops bring floral aromatic and spicy herbal notes. As a twist on the traditional Pils, we dry hop with German Saphir for a touch of bergamot zest and lemon grass. A refreshing, light-bodied and hop-driven Pils.

Everything we love about classic German Pilsner with a hoppy Bohemian twist. Pils is a bright straw colored lager beer with playful carbonation topped with beautiful white foam lace. Delicate lightly toasted malt flavors underscore noble German hop character. Hallertau-grown Magnum hops deliver the lupulin foundation while generous amounts of Spalter Select hops bring floral aromatic and spicy herbal notes. As a twist on the traditional Pils, we dry hop with German Saphir for a touch of bergamot zest and lemongrass. A refreshing, light-bodied and hop-driven Pils.

It all started with a little brewery born on a California vineyard, so you could say it was meant to be: a beer rosé named Rosalie… Rosalie taps into our brewery’s family winemaking roots, using local wine grapes to create a delicious one-of-a-kind beer rosé with bright fruit flavors and luscious acidity. Rosalie is co-fermented with Chardonnay and other wine grape varieties harvested just miles from the brewery. We also incorporate a dash of hibiscus flower to achieve a brilliant color.

Kellerbier collaboration with Russian River.

The legendary immensity of Parabola meets the potency of high-peat Scotch in this radical limited release. Aged in single-malt barrels from Scotland's Distillery Ardbeg, Aromas of toffee, chocolate and cinnamon yield to citrus and floral notes as the beer warms in the glass. A mouthful of deep peat character reveals notes of sea salt, tobacco, espresso and seaside campfire smoke.

Firestone Walker presents Solace, an ode to warmer weather in the northern hemisphere. A hint of citrus fruit and clove aroma are followed by tangy dry malt flavor and a silky finish making it an approachable and refreshing session beer. We bring you this beer unfettered, a craftily unfiltered ale full of flavor and perfectly constructed to compliment those lazy warm days ahead. Ideal for washing down fish tacos or other south o’ the border-inspired dishes.

Central Coast Quad

Big boozy bourbon and American oak aromas combined with soft chocolate malty undertones. Complex malt flavors framed in oak, with hints of dark chocolate, vanilla, tobacco, coconut and just a touch of dark cherry. This is definitely a sipping beer, best served in a brandy snifter. This ale pairs well with dark chocolate and sturdy cheeses.

Union Jack abounds with hop aroma and character. In fact this well balanced, west coast IPA is double dry hopped, giving it more and more of the grapefruit, citrus hop aroma and flavor it is known for. Overall it utilizes over four pounds of pacific-northwest hops per barrel.

This is our Velvet Merlin Oatmeal Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels and it just won the 2010 and 2011 Gold medal at the GABF for barrel aged beers!!! This beer goes into the barrels as a roasty dark chocolate, coffee accented mild mannered stout and comes out transformed as a milk chocolate, smooth dark cherry, vanilla and coconut infused masterpiece. We are incredibly proud of this beer and it seems as though it was always meant to be a barrel aged brew. 100% Oak Barrel Aged

A decadent Oatmeal Stout brimming with cocoa and espresso aromas. This beer features a rich, dark chocolate and roasted coffee flavor with a creamy mouth feel and wonderfully dry finish. The addition of U.S. grown fuggles hops contributes the perfect amount of bitterness to this exceptionally balanced beer.

A singularly distinctive beer that represents our finest brewing efforts, Walker’s Reserve is a elegant dark ale featuring robust flavors of toffee, caramel and bittersweet chocolate. This brew employs five specialty malts, as well as oat and barley flakes, for added complexity and flavor.

Wookey Jack is our first foray into the dark outer world of black IPAs. Rich dark malts and spicy rye careen into bold citrus laden hops creating a new dimension in IPA flavor. This brew has been left unfiltered and unfined to retain all of its texture and character. At 80 IBUs, Wookey Jack is gnarly on the outside yet complex and refined on the inside.