Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest Returns To Paso Robles with Events Leading Up To the Festival

With Memorial Day now behind us, the summer beer festival season kicks in and boy does it with the return of the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest on Saturday, June 1st. But prior to the 11th installment of the Invitational, Firestone Walker is set to host a few pub crawls, brewery block party and post-fest brunch.

The pub crawls and brewery block party will lead into the sold-out FWIBF and are free and open to the public. It is another way that Firestone Walker wants to engage the local community. During the pub crawls, Firestone Walker will be offering up free passes to the festival as well as some rare beers being served.

“Together with our friends at Paso Robles Pioneer Day, we are excited to host the 11th Invitational Beer Fest and a handful of surrounding events for an epic celebration of artisanal beer culture,” said Nick Firestone.

The Invitational Pub Crawls began on Tuesday and continue through Thursday evening at locations from the SLO-Pismo area all the way up Hwy 101 to the Paso Robles area. These pub crawls will culminate on Thursday, May 30th with a celebratory gathering in Atascadero at the Ancient Owl Beer Garden. The event will be hosted by Matt Brynildson and his friends at Chicago’s Half Acre Beer Company. On tap will be beers from breweries like Side Project, Trillium, Boneyard, and more! Brewmaster Matt and the brewers will be in attendance from 5:00 – 7:00pm so don’t miss your chance to have some face time with these awesome brewers!

Then on Friday, May 31st, Firestone Walker will host the Invitational Brewery Block Party out in front of the brewery in Paso Robles, California. This event is also free to attend and will feature more rare beers, live music and BBQ. The fun begins at 1:30pm with outdoor barbecue offerings, beer sampling, guest taps, special bottle pours and games. The street between the brewhouse and Taproom restaurant will be open to foot traffic, with abbreviated brewery tours, merch stations and satellite bars serving Firestone Walker classics and guest taps from visiting breweries. The live music slate features Cloudship from 2:00 – 4:30pm, Bearded Uke from 4:30 – 6:00pm, and Soundhouse from 6:00 – 8:00pm. Again, this event is free to attend and will be a great time, as it was a highlight last year.

On Saturday, June 1st, the sold-out 11th annual Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest takes place. Yes, it is sold-out, but there may be a chance to score a ticket out front. If you’re lucky enough to have tickets you are in store for one great day of beer drinking!

This year’s edition will showcase an international cast of more than 60 leading craft breweries, as well as live music by singer-songwriter The White Buffalo and Mark Adams and food from more than 25 local restaurants and purveyors. Proceeds from the sold-out 2024 Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest will benefit Paso Robles Pioneer Day, a beloved local tradition.

“It’s an incredible feeling to bring this global all-star cast of brewers here to Paso Robles for an epic celebration of beer culture,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “Together we are shaping the future of beer here on the Central Coast and beyond.”

The Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest will serve as a community-wide celebration that draws beer lovers from all over to discover and enjoy all that Paso Robles has to offer. 

“The proceeds that are raised from the beer fest are critical to the ongoing mission of Paso Robles Pioneer Day, which is to preserve and showcase our local heritage and agricultural roots through events such as the Pioneer Day Parade that happens every October,” said Sarah Kramer, Chairperson of the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest committee. “Firestone Walker’s generosity in assisting with the production of the beer fest never ceases to amaze us and they have been an incredible partner over the years. We look forward to another great celebration this year.” 

And to prepare for the FWIBF, we highly recommend downloading the FWIBF App as it lists all the breweries and beers and so much more! To get you prepped, here’s the final list of breweries pouring at this year’s FWIBF!

2024 Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest Brewery List:
3 Floyds
Alvarado Street
Bale Breaker
Balter
Beachwood
Bierstadt Lagerhaus
Birrificio Italiano
BKS Artisan Ales
Blackberry Farm
Boneyard
Breakside
Burial Beer
Cellarmaker
Chuckanut
Cigar City
Cloudburst
Creature Comforts
Faction
Fonta Flora
Fraugruber
Garage Project
Ghost Town Brewing
Gigantic
Great Notion
Green Bench
Green Cheek
Half Acre
Heater Allen
Highland Park
Hop Butcher For The World
Humble Sea
Jester King
Lervig
Liquid Gravity
The Lost Abbey
Mahrs Bräu
Maine Beer Company
Monkish
Mountain Culture
North Park Beer
Other Half
Oxbow
pFriem
Pinthouse
Private Press
Revolution
Russian River
Sante Adairius
Schilling
Side Project
Sierra Nevada
Surly
The Bruery
There Does Not Exist
Threes
Tiny Haus of 10 Barrel Brewing
Topa Topa
Toppling Goliath
Trillium
Urban Roots
Von Ebert
Weldwerks
Westbound & Down
Wild Fields
Wildflower
Yo-Ho

Then if you’re still wanting a bit more come Sunday morning, swing by the Firestone Walker Paso Robles taproom for its Brews & Brekky Brunch. With extended brunch hours from 9:00am – 4:00pm, the brewery will be serving up a menu that’ll feature eggs on a burger and breakfast burritos. This tasty menu is designed to whip you back into shape after Saturday’s festivities. Normal menu service resumes at 4:00pm.

And with that, another FWIBF will be in the books! Unfortunately for us here at Brewpublic, this will be the first festival that we have missed as we were stricken with a slight bout of Covid.