Taproom by Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

Only thing keeping this from being near perfect is the service. Both times I've been here the bartenders seemed more interested in talking to themselves than helping the patrons.

Ok, time to review another favorite. As wine drinkers, my wife have been in Paso for over 15 years, and have seen Firestone grow from a small tap house bar to what it is today (a brewery, eatery, bar, and location to find some of the best specials on the West Coast. They created a destination, but it is kind of not living up to what they expected (I am sure). The BEER saves this place. They have good specials on tap, and another store off to the side where you can buy other reserves and specials which few others every see (read: your best local Total Wine or liquor store). That makes it worth the stop. You will find fantastic specials. The restaurant / eatery, is currently in its infancy stages. QR ordering has never worked. We have seen simple food (like Wings), just sit under the heat lamps for 20+ minutes, as orders are not delivered to the tables. Service for beer or food is abysmal! But if you walk up and buy a beer from the bar, then you can get nice stuff to start with. They have a swag shop, but it does not have all of the good stuff (beer). Ask around where you can get better beers (aged Parabolas', Anniversaries, Smoked Quads, Porters, Merkins, etc) can be found. Firestone has hooked up with the very best wine makers in Paso to create a barrel aged beer experience that I am not sure can be found anywhere else in the country. Fabulous offerings are found on site here. Their vision has always been on the beer and it shows.

Was visiting Paso Robles, California and had to stop by the Firestone Walker Tap Room just off The 101. The whole facility is impressive and worth a tour. very impressed by the solar farm out back. The tap room is a big, open, industrial-style space with lots of lion and bear iconography. Easily indoor seating for 150 and about half that outside. Up to 24 beer offerings on tap, served in flights, ha' pints, and pints, although most are available commercially, and, among those that are not, they are a pretty mixed bag. I had the Taproom Chopped salad, my wife had the Pastrami: both were delicious. If this we in my area, I'd be by frequently.

 

Really everything you could want for enjoying some of the highest quality beer around and some really great food. Only thing is the service is a little less than optimal which honestly wasn't a terrible thing as the vibe is so good in this taproom that if you get peeved by something it's probably on you. I sat for a little bit with an empty water glass but the food came fast and my server (I wasn't sitting at the bar) was quick quick to get my beer order. I had their BBQ Chicken pizza that had Wookey Jack bbq sauce on it which was absolutely phenomenal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are a fan of Firestone Walker or California breweries in general, this place is a must spot when traveling along the 101. The food is excellent pub food and the selection of Firestone Walker products is off the charts.

had the krieky bones and loved it. great sour, refreshiing

Visiting PR for a wine tasting event with the relatives, and took a break from the wine to visit this place.

Really impressed by the size and layout of the brewery, and liked the tasting room as well. As you come inside and meander over to the left, there's a good size wrap around bar (holding roughly 20 or 30 seats I think), with a smattering of tables and chairs as well. Was here fairly early on a Friday afternoon, but there was still a fair size crowd enjoying the cool, well air conditioned, dark ambiance of the place, along with the 6 or 7 flat screen TV's on the wall. Service was a bit slow at first (to the point I was starting to get annoyed), but when I was finally served, it was pretty outstanding. The staff was knowledgeable and engaging, and when I expressed an interest in the Fortem IPA (only available in cans unfortunately), the bartender poured me a sample of a can he happened to have open.

In terms of the beer, I think there were roughly 20 FW beers on tap, along with cans to go of different items. The tap selection consisted of around 7 of the low abv., core beers (DBA, 31, Union Jack, etc.), and then a variety of limited release beer and BA stuff. Got a sample of the adversus and Generation one, along with the feral one, the hefe and the 20 anniversary beer. I was not impressed with the feral one and remain convinced that this is just not FW's strong suit. However, the IPA's were all outstanding (including the fortem), and the XX and hefe were both quite excellent.

Didn't try the food here, but what I saw looked pretty good. This place is definitely worth a pit stop any time I'm in the area from now on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Large bar area with plenty of tables. Did not have anything to eat. Classic rock played on the "radio". Very attentive and knowledgeable bartenders. They serve flights as well as beer for tasting and by the glass. Growler fills available also. Delicious year round beers on tap, as well as seasonal releases only available in the Taproom. Can't wait to go back!

 

Large restaurant space. Full selection of Firestone beers plus some local extra specials. Enjoyed two different pizzas from the menu - on a return visit I would just get one pizza for two people. Beer selection was the Velvet Merlin oatmeal stout - not too heavy.

 

Visited 04/16 after a disappointing visit at Barrelworks

Had dinner at the taproom, our server Sonya was awesome and friendly. My fiance had the ribs which she loved. I had the NY Strp ordered medium came out well (did not send it back or complain) Sonya found out it was my bday and we were visiting from AZ after finding out we drove out to pick up Parabola and they were out, plus our less than stellar visit to Barrelworks, she had the manager came out with a bag containing a bottle of Parabola and a bunch of FW stickers. Very nice touch and made up for the Barrelworks visit a little.

Beer list contained pretty much their everyday offerings and would be nice if they had at least the most recent Vintage series release on draft at the taproom. Also a bit disappointing that the visitors center closes so early (6pm) on the weekends.

 

Split from the main campus, the big bar and restaurant require a trip across the street from this joint.

Taproom is still in the polished metal vibe, like most of the stuff there. No rhyme or reason to some of the pricing structure in the gift shop. Good book selection. Seems like a friendlier vibe, more intimate here (not as good as barrelworks though).

I'm surprised I don't hear more about the FW stuff, perhaps its the way they put CA last on bottle distributions.

 

 

The Taproom is a solid brewpub experience. The decor is industrial with a lot of stainless steel and natural wood. The bar area has a number of TV screens for sporting events. The staff is friendly and prompt. The food is good. I've only eaten here a few times, so I'm not familiar with all of the options. The pizza was OK. The seared Ahi Tuna (dinner menu) was very good. The Bratwurst Mac and Cheese (lunch menu) was phenomenal. Especially paired with the Nitro Merlin Milk Stout. A great salty sweet combo!

The beer selections are mostly your standard FW options. Besides that, they do offer one seasonal, one nitro, one Library, and one Barrelworks beer on tap. This is rotating, so it just depends on what is in season. You do typically get a better selection of nonstandard offerings at the visitors center located across the street.

It's a bit tough for me to show my full opinion through these review categories so I'll elaborate here.

Firestone in general and definitely the taproom come off as very upscale and elegant. Maybe a bit too much. It feels a bit stuck up, kinda like you could get in trouble for laughing a bit too loud. The food is all very good, but can be a bit pricey. The beer is also quite tasty, but I wish they would make their beverage menus more up to date and informative. When I stopped in 3 of the Taproom exclusives listed weren't available and the menu simply said to ask the server about which rotating beers were available with no pricing or size options in sight. When told what available was I was sad to learn that a couple of beers that were available in 3 oz pours in the visitors center that I wanted more of (Why only 3 oz pours? Why? So frustrating!) were not on tap here. Oh well...

Overall, it's a nice place with some very good beer, but it caters to a different demographic than I'm used to. Bring your $ and you will have a good time.