"The Bear and The Lion...Firestone Walker"
The Firestone name is one that is steeped in being entrepreneurial and adventurous and these guys are definitely keeping that spirit alive. The Firestone family is mostly associated with the tire industry. Harvey S. Firestone founded the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company and was one of the first global tire producers. Leonard, his son, established a family ranch in Santa Ynez and planted a vineyard. The Firestone Vineyard was the first Santa Barbara County Estate Winery. Adam, Leonard's grandson, was having a family debate with his English brother-in-law about good and bad beer and thus begun a new Firestone adventure.
In 1996, Adam "the bear" and his brother-in-law, David "the lion", established Firestone Walker Brewing Company. The beers are based on the Burton Union system, a system of fermentation in oak barrels and to date, I believe there are only two brewers in the world doing so. The beers were an immediate success and expanded two times in six years and eventually purchased former SLO Brewing Company in Paso Robles in 2002. Currently, the company houses beer in two facilities. The Paso site is the main brewing site with fermenters, keg lines and bottling lines. The Santa Ynez site houses their "Barrelworks" project. All barrel aged beers are kept on site along with a taproom and restaurant. The food is quite good too!
*Entrance to Santa Ynez' "Barrelworks"
*Shhhh ...the beers are resting!
It is said that it takes a lot of beer to make great wine...the Firestone family definitely knows this to be true. Their line up is solid and offers quite a wide range of beers. These days you almost don't see a tap in California without one of their beers...the 805 is easily recognizable.
*This one happened to come straight from the brewery...with IPA, fresh is best!
*Don't mess with the Bear!...just sayin'
Thank you Firestone Walker for the hospitality!
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