Firestone named ‘Mid-Size Brewing Company and Brewer of The Year’
Back row, left to right: Patrick Hayes, brewer, Atascadero ; Robert Emery, sensory analyst lab technician, Atascadero; Charlie Papazian of the Brewers Association; Grandpa Brynildson, Minnesota; Matt Brynildson, brewmaster, Paso Robles; Tim Miller, brewer, SLO. Bottom row, left to right: Ryan Hamill, Brewer, Grover Beach; Dustin Kral, head brewer, SLO; Jason Pond, cellar manager, Atascadero. Photo by John Holzer.
Firestone Walker earns top honors at Great American Beer Festival for 4th time in 10 years
— Firestone Walker Brewing Company has captured the title of “Mid-Size Brewing Company and Brewer of The Year” at the Great American Beer Festival for a fourth time in less than 10 years.
“Matt (Brewmaster Matt Brynildson) and his band of brothers and sisters on the brewing team are writing history,” said co-owner David Walker. “They are Central Coast residents who are making a global mark on the craft beer industry, and who are proud to represent our region.”
Firestone Walker’s achievement at the Great American Beer Festival now matches the brewery’s record as a four-time recipient of the “Champion Mid-Size Brewing Company” award at the World Beer Cup. Firestone Walker has also earned top honors at the past three European Beer Star competitions.
The 2015 Great American Beer Festival was held in Denver. There to receive the award was Brynildson, a Paso Robles resident, along with several members of his brewing team, including Head Brewer Dustin Kral of San Luis Obispo, cellar manager Jason Pond of Atascadero, brewer Ryan Hamill of Grover Beach, brewer Patrick Hayes of Atascadero, brewer Tim Miller of San Luis Obispo, and sensory analyst lab technician Robert Emery of Atascadero.
Firestone Walker’s Pivo Pils and DBA each earned gold medals in their respective categories for the third time at the festival, including three in a row for Pivo since its inception in 2013. Hammersmith IPA earned a bronze medal. Feral One and Sour Opal from Firestone Walker’s Barrelworks also earned silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Only one gold, silver and bronze medal were awarded per beer category. Medals were chosen from 6,647 competition entries from 1,552 breweries hailing from 50 states plus Washington, D.C. This year’s competition saw its biggest panel of judges ever, with 242 beer experts from 15 countries.
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