Serious craft fans from sea to shining sea know the 4x World Beer Cup Champion Brewery, Firestone Walker.

What many folks don’t know is that this California powerhouse began in a small shed in the backlot of a vineyard in Santa Barbara County — at a time when no one could have dreamed local craft beer would one day rival the region’s wine game. 

And, the brewers have never forgotten their roots. 

Today, a lucky 350 Tavour members can snag a special three-beer tasting of Firestone Walker’s wine country influence. 

Kicking off your tasting is Sour Opal (Batch #3). The brewers put a tremendous amount of dedication into this “American Geuze,” blending a combination of Ales aged in American and French Viognier barrels between 12 and 50 months. They bottled this one up back in 2017, and it’s been undergoing further delicate conditioning ever since! 

Every sip offers clean, quenching acidity and mild white grape fruitiness, leaving the palate both satisfied and refreshed! And, at only 5.9% ABV, you could dive right into the next beer if you like, or kick back and slowly savor every precious drop.

When you are ready to proceed, crack open Krieky Bones (Batch #3). Tart and complex, this Wild Ale began life as a Flanders Red-inspired brew that the brewers aged for over a year in French oak foeders. Then, they added Sour Montmorency cherries for a secondary fermentation and bottled it up. 

That was in 2016, and the years-long conditioned result is dessert-meets-funk! Each 5.9% ABV mouthful is surprisingly robust, brimming with cherry pie aromas and flavors of fresh-baked pastry crust. Underlying barnyard and earthy notes weave in and out between fruity whispers. 

It’ll be tough to move forward from the experience of Krieky Bones, but just wait until you check out the third and final brew!

The base beer of Bretta Rosé (Batch #4) is impressive enough by itself – a highly drinkable Berliner Weisse matured in French oak puncheons for 6 months. But, the Firestone Walker crew took it to upper echelons of exquisite flavor by adding 1,000 lbs of fresh raspberries straight from the Santa Maria Valley!

Then, they let the brew undergo a secondary fermentation on the fruit – over the span of four whole months. Finally, they bottled it up (in 2017) and allowed the brew to develop further complexity while conditioning inside the bottle.

Bretta Rosé is brightly effervescent and highly aromatic with raspberry character. It washes down clean and pleasantly tart, and it’s all too easy to keep exploring more 5.3% ABV sips. 

Hopefully, you’ve already reserved your taste of this Firestone Walker excellence. We don’t know when they’ll unleash the wine-inspired brews from their cellar again, but one thing’s for certain – now is likely the only chance you’ll get to taste all three of today’s masterful beers!

With Tavour, it's easy to beer it forward! Just head over to Tavour.com/gifts to send a gift box or gift card to the craft beer lover in your life. Cheers!

Tavour strictly supports independent beer. Firestone Walker Brewing Company is certified independent by the Brewers Association