It began innocently enough: a couple of brothers-in-law sitting around and dreaming of ways to rule the world. Instead, their search for a decent ale to accompany their plotting led them to brew their own. Given Mr. Firestone’s winemaking bias and Mr. Walker’s complete lack of fermentation experience, they believed 60-gallon oak barrels were the appropriate vehicle in which to create their perfect elixir.

OK, so initial attempts weren’t even good as shampoo. But like so many great ideas, out of that disaster was born a brilliant invention – the Firestone Union. Based on classic brewing traditions from Burton-Upon Trent, this bizarre and unlikely system of linked barrels has the ability to produce some of the most rich and complex ales in the world. In 1996 the dynamic duo gave up their schemes of world domination and settled for building a world-class brewery on California’s Central Coast.

Today the Firestone Walker Brew Dogs, coached by Matt “Batman” Brynildson and led by Dustin Kral, brew consistently brilliant and award-winning ales. The passion for the pale that drove Adam “Cap’n Puffy” Firestone and David “Oddman” Walker to attempt the unthinkable drives the entire team to create the oh-so-drinkable.