Out of the frying pan, into the fire
We left our last Paso Robles winery feeling no pain. A little bit like our bodies were packed in cotton. We desperately needed to find a close place to chill out for a while. We needed some food and to get our heads straight before continuing the 40-mile drive to Pismo.
Almost immediately after entering southbound 101 from Paso Robles, we spotted Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s restaurant and taproom. It was on the east side of the Freeway and was easy to access.
My wife really wanted to stop there. A few years ago, she had been to Firestone Winery’s tasting room in Los Olivos, CA and was excited to report that none other than Andrew Firestone had greeted her. (For those of you who don’t follow reality TV, An
drew Firestone was The Bachelor’s eligible bachelor/star during the third season of the popular program). I think she secretly hoped for the possibility of running into him again. Hey, he’s a handsome and charming guy.
So we walk in to find a pretty ordinary restaurant. Except, just beyond the dining area is the actual brewing facility for their beers. It’s pretty impressive!
Something about the place reminded me of trips I’ve taken to Mexico. I always like to forgo the touristy-type places like Cabo Wabo, Papas and Beer and Senior Frog's. They’re fun but really don’t represent Mexico. I prefer to find the local neighborhood bars. It never fails, whenever I’m in a south-of-the-boarder coastal town, I’ll find a little tavern (usually called something unique, like “Bar”), and I’ll walk in and find interesting people. If it happens to be early in the day, I’m sure to find a handful of out-of-work locals, expatriates, and a few seasoned tourists. Later in the day, I tend to find a handful of blue-collar locals, expatriates and a few drunken tourists. Usually, the people are friendly and the beer is cold and cheep. The decor, the smell and the stories are always the same too. It’s an experience that I never tire of and always enjoy. I like to think of it as cultural tourism at its finest. Living the way the locals live - or at least, drinking the way the locals drink.
For some odd reason, Firestone Walker had this same appeal. Since it was lunchtime on a Friday, there was a mixture of local workers having lunch, out-of-work locals drinking the day away, and a variety of tourists. There was even a group of guys clearly on their way back from a morning of golf at one of the local courses.
Jaci and I found a couple of bar stools and started asking questions about the food and the beer. After settling on a Grilled Mushroom & Goat Cheese pizza from their “Wood Oven Pizzas” menu, the bartender let us sample several beers. We tried Pale 31 (aromatic California pale ale, 4.6% alc.), Double Barrel Ale (barrel fermented British pale ale, 5.0% alc.- also available unfiltered), Union Jack IPA (aggressively hopped India pale ale, 7.5% alc.), Walkers Reserve (darker, chocolate malt porter, 5.9% alc.). A couple of locals were sitting to my right and began to chime in with their suggestions and recommendations. In the end, Jaci chose a pint of Union Jack IPA and I had a pint of Walkers Reserve. We were not disappointed. As a matter of fact, we purchased a growler (half gallon glass jug) of each to take home. The pizza was good too and exactly what we needed before continuing our journey.
Although Firestone Walker Brewing Company, by itself, is not an End Destination tourist attraction; it is definitely part of the recipe of an overall experience that easily fits into that category of tourism.
(next: Our Continued Journey into the Heart of California’s Central Coast)
We left our last Paso Robles winery feeling no pain. A little bit like our bodies were packed in cotton. We desperately needed to find a close place to chill out for a while. We needed some food and to get our heads straight before continuing the 40-mile drive to Pismo.
Almost immediately after entering southbound 101 from Paso Robles, we spotted Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s restaurant and taproom. It was on the east side of the Freeway and was easy to access.
My wife really wanted to stop there. A few years ago, she had been to Firestone Winery’s tasting room in Los Olivos, CA and was excited to report that none other than Andrew Firestone had greeted her. (For those of you who don’t follow reality TV, An
drew Firestone was The Bachelor’s eligible bachelor/star during the third season of the popular program). I think she secretly hoped for the possibility of running into him again. Hey, he’s a handsome and charming guy.So we walk in to find a pretty ordinary restaurant. Except, just beyond the dining area is the actual brewing facility for their beers. It’s pretty impressive!
Something about the place reminded me of trips I’ve taken to Mexico. I always like to forgo the touristy-type places like Cabo Wabo, Papas and Beer and Senior Frog's. They’re fun but really don’t represent Mexico. I prefer to find the local neighborhood bars. It never fails, whenever I’m in a south-of-the-boarder coastal town, I’ll find a little tavern (usually called something unique, like “Bar”), and I’ll walk in and find interesting people. If it happens to be early in the day, I’m sure to find a handful of out-of-work locals, expatriates, and a few seasoned tourists. Later in the day, I tend to find a handful of blue-collar locals, expatriates and a few drunken tourists. Usually, the people are friendly and the beer is cold and cheep. The decor, the smell and the stories are always the same too. It’s an experience that I never tire of and always enjoy. I like to think of it as cultural tourism at its finest. Living the way the locals live - or at least, drinking the way the locals drink.
For some odd reason, Firestone Walker had this same appeal. Since it was lunchtime on a Friday, there was a mixture of local workers having lunch, out-of-work locals drinking the day away, and a variety of tourists. There was even a group of guys clearly on their way back from a morning of golf at one of the local courses.
Jaci and I found a couple of bar stools and started asking questions about the food and the beer. After settling on a Grilled Mushroom & Goat Cheese pizza from their “Wood Oven Pizzas” menu, the bartender let us sample several beers. We tried Pale 31 (aromatic California pale ale, 4.6% alc.), Double Barrel Ale (barrel fermented British pale ale, 5.0% alc.- also available unfiltered), Union Jack IPA (aggressively hopped India pale ale, 7.5% alc.), Walkers Reserve (darker, chocolate malt porter, 5.9% alc.). A couple of locals were sitting to my right and began to chime in with their suggestions and recommendations. In the end, Jaci chose a pint of Union Jack IPA and I had a pint of Walkers Reserve. We were not disappointed. As a matter of fact, we purchased a growler (half gallon glass jug) of each to take home. The pizza was good too and exactly what we needed before continuing our journey.
Although Firestone Walker Brewing Company, by itself, is not an End Destination tourist attraction; it is definitely part of the recipe of an overall experience that easily fits into that category of tourism.
(next: Our Continued Journey into the Heart of California’s Central Coast)
For more information on Firestone Walker Brewing Company, visit http://www.firestonewalker.com
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