PASO ROBLES, CA — Firestone Walker Brewing Co. added two more awards from the European Beer Star Awards to cap off an already amazing year. Union Jack took home the bronze medal in the single IPA category, while Double Jack took home a gold in the Imperial IPA category.
These awards come just a month after Firestone Walker was named the Mid-sized Brewery of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival, where they took home six medals.
“We are unbelievably proud of how our beers have done,” said Jamie Smith, vice president of marketing for Firestone Walker. “The success of American craft brewers at this competition is proof that the craft beer revolution is sweeping across the world.”
More than 1,000 beers from 39 countries were entered in the 8th annual European Beer Star Awards. Union Jack has previously been awarded a gold and silver medal at the European Beer Awards. This was the first time that Double Jack has been entered. Firestone Walker has brought home six awards from the European Beer Star Awards in the past four years.
Firestone Walker’s Brewmaster, Matt Brynildson, was already in Germany at the time of the awards as a guest professor in brewing and was able to receive the awards in person.
“Simply participating in a European competition is an honor by itself, but traveling to Germany to collect awards and having the opportunity to meet some of the world’s most famous brewmasters face-to-face is an experience that is beyond words,” Brynildson said.
Firestone Walker is still very connected to the European brewing tradition. Firestone Walker is the only US brewery to use the traditional Burton Union system that was popularized in England in the 1800s and one of only two breweries in the world to still do primary fermentation in oak barrels.
Firestone Walker Brewing Company was founded in 1996 and is located in Paso Robles, Ca. The brewery prides itself in producing the world’s finest pale ales to a regional market. Firestone is the only brewery to be awarded Best Mid-sized Brewery honors three times at the 2003, 2007 and 2011 Great American Beer Festivals as well as World Beer Cup Champion for a Mid-sized Brewery at the 2004, 2006 and 2010 World Beer Cup competitions.