Over 65 breweries joined ‘the best beer fest in the West’
PASO ROBLES — The Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival took over Paso Robles on Saturday, May 31, welcoming more than 65 breweries from around the world for what has become known as “the best beer fest in the West.”
This year’s festival featured a record 15 first-time participating breweries, making it the largest and most diverse lineup in the event’s history. Breweries from as far as Japan, Switzerland, Finland, and Belgium poured alongside celebrated American craft brewers, all offering a curated selection of more than 300 beers.
“It’s so fun. It’s so cool. I get goosebumps every time I think about it. And everybody’s just so pumped up, it draws such a great crowd. It’s just beer people … it’s just the right people show up for these things,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson.
Brynildson also shared how meaningful the festival is for the brewing community: “These are personal friends of mine from being in the beer industry for over 30 years. We want you to bring special beers, and you have to send the owner of the brewmaster to pour the beer. So you’re not only just tasting these selected beers that we’ve air freighted here, and they’re super fresh and super special, but you’re meeting the artisan who created them.”
The festival included not only exceptional beers but also fresh bites from more than 20 award-winning restaurants, “Behind the Beer” brewer panel sessions moderated by the Brewing Network, and live music performances throughout the day.
To commemorate the 2025 fest, Firestone Walker collaborated with Odell Brewing Company of Ft. Collins, Colorado, to create Wandering Don IPA, a limited-edition West Coast IPA brewed especially for the occasion. The weekend kicked off with a lively Brewery Block Party on Friday evening, complete with live music, barbecue, and special brews, and concluded with a relaxed “Brews & Brekky” brunch at the brewery on Sunday.
“We’re trying to celebrate this thing throughout the community,” Brynildson noted. “For us, it’s an opportunity to just show people what beer is all about … they go away with this completely new appreciation for beer and the community that surrounds it.”
First-time attending breweries included Minoh (Osaka, Japan), Hoppy People (Sierre, Switzerland), Horus Aged Ales (Oceanside), Panimoyhtiö Tuju (Finland), Single Hill Brewing (Yakima, WA), Moksa Brewing Company (Rocklin), Uncharted Brew Co. (Antwerpen, Belgium), Alma Mader Brewing (Kansas City, MO), and Lawson’s Finest Liquids (Waitsfield, VT).
Since its inaugural event in 2012, the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival has earned a reputation as one of the world’s premier beer festivals. Proceeds from the event benefited the Paso Robles Pioneer Day Committee and other local nonprofits, including the Central Coast Honor Flight, Estrella Warbird Museum, and regional youth sports programs.
“I can’t thank the community enough for allowing us to do this, and it takes a village. We have so many volunteers and so many people inside and outside Firestone Walker. Ali Bowman and everybody from the [Paso Robles Pioneer Day Committee] that helps out,” Brynildson said. “I’m grateful that we have so many talented people in the community who could help us pull this thing off.”
Feature Image: The gang from Firestone Walker Brewery poses with the Peoples Choice winners for Brewery and Restaurant for a photo in front of a mural during the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival in Paso Robles. Photos courtesy Firestone Walker
