For years, Brewmaster Matt Brynildson dreamed about creating a beer club that would directly connect Firestone Walker’s most interesting beers with the brewery’s most passionate fans. That time has now come with the launch of Brewmaster’s Collective—a beer club dedicated to “the best of the best” from Matt and his team.
2021 membership is now closed. Join the 2022 waitlist here.
— Brewmaster Matt BrynildsonBrewmaster’s Collective is our way of connecting with our most passionate fans and diving even deeper into beer culture.
Exclusive Beers & Benefits
A 2021 membership in Brewmaster’s Collective costs $599 plus tax, and shipping is included. Members will receive eight curated collections spanning 27 individual small-batch beers, including 14 member-only exclusives. Each collection will also come with glassware chosen by Brynildson to match the selected beers. Brynildson and his team—including Barrelworks Master Blender Jim Crooks and Barrel Program Manager Eric Ponce—will present each collection via online tasting sessions.
Members will also be entitled to other benefits, including a 15 percent savings on Firestone Walker beer and merchandise purchases; early access to online beer releases; priority access to cellared library beers; a 10 percent savings on dine-in and takeout at Firestone Walker’s Taprooms; and opportunities to re-order their favorite Brewmaster’s Collective exclusives.
Membership begins with a Welcome Box that includes a stainless steel membership card; custom playing cards; two leather coasters and Dark Ray—a Brewmaster’s Collective exclusive barrel-aged ale blended with premium vanilla, cocoa nibs and toasted coconut. The Welcome Box will be accompanied by the first Brewmaster’s Collective Collection: the 2021 vintage of Parabola along with two new variants, Double Barrel Parabola and Amburana Parabola. The collection will also include two Glencairn glasses.
— Brewmaster Matt BrynildsonThe most exciting thing for me is that we will be creating a series of exclusive beers that will only be available to club members. This is where we can get decadent and have some fun. Basically, it’s our very best small-lot creations shared directly with the folks who will appreciate them the most!
A Peek at Dark Ray
Matt gave us a peek into the first Brewmaster’s Collective exclusive beer – selected barrels of one-year aged Parabola and two-year aged Velvet Merkin, another beloved beer in our barrel-aging program. These barrels were pushed into stainless steel tanks and infused with three delectable ingredients.
First, milk chocolate flavors found in Velvet Merkin were reinforced with freshly toasted cocoa nibs. Madagascar vanilla beans were infused into the brew next, sourced through local 3rd generation vanilla merchant living in Paso Robles – Josephine Lochhead.
Matt shared, “Josephine invited us to rub and smell an array of different vanillas and taught us a lot about growing and curing the beans. Absolutely fascinating!” Finally, massive amounts of freshly toasted coconut were added to the beer, creating the closest thing to a pastry stout Firestone Walker has ever made.
“This beer is all about amplifying the flavors that we get naturally through our use of specialty malts (chocolate) – and the wood (vanilla and coconut),” Matt affirms. “It just seems to be the perfect demonstration of our journey of beers made in wood. We focused on getting these ingredients dialed to the perfect level and I’m super happy with the result.”
Read more about Walker’s Collective exclusive beers here.
Driven to Connect
Matt said that Brewmaster’s Collective is partially inspired by his winemaking peers in the Paso Robles wine country, who have long maintained wine clubs as a way to share their finest wines with their most ardent customers.
“We collaborate quite a bit with our winemaker friends, and I’ve always admired how these wine clubs give them a runway to make these really interesting small-batch or one-off wines for those who want them most,” Matt said. “It has been in the back of my mind for a long time.”
He also noted that the postponement of the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest for the second year in row lit a fire under the lingering idea to launch a beer club. “The fest has always been an opportunity for us to personally connect with our biggest fans and with those who drive beer culture,” he said. “World events have really dampened our opportunities for intentional interaction, so we decided it was time to create a new way to connect.”
2021 Membership is now closed. Join the waitlist and be notified about 2022 membership opening later this year.