Beer(s) of the Week: A breakdown of Firestone Walker's best pale ales

Welcome back to FTW’s Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage (or food) that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.

Firestone Walker is extra, and that’s a good thing.

The California brewer goes above and beyond in several ways. Its never been content to rest in the regional-turned-national world of craft beers, exploding beyond the hop-heavy borders that box in many microbreweries.

Beer Advocate lists more than 500 beers, past and present, that have had enough of a tap and shelf presence to necessitate a review. The company offers a $400 subscription box (it’s worth it) and promotes an international beer festival that sells out each summer. The company motto, printed on bottles and cans shipped across the globe, states “beer before glory,” which, alright settle down guy.

That’s a lot. But it’s almost all good.

Firestone Walker’s average beer review on those 500-plus options? More than four stars out of five despite a range that covers everything from light lagers to hop-heavy pale ales to barleywines. The brewery has spent the last three decades building a reputation, earning a place in the circle of trust when it comes to my liquor store shelf. Can’t decide what to buy? Hell, here’s something from Firestone Walker. I’ve never had it before, but I bet it’s good.

With that in mind, I attempted to pull together a guide for the brewer’s pale ales. Not all of them, because I have neither the page space nor the alcohol tolerance to handle that, but the national releases you can likely find on shelves across America. Let’s talk about these beers, ranging from merely good to impressively great.