Although we appreciate the art that is wine making, we have to admit that our palettes are geared more for beer than wine. And, as luck would have it, Silva Brewing and Firestone Walker Brewing Co. are located in Paso Robles, CA.
Chuck Silva was a Brewmaster at Green Flash Brewing Co. in San Diego, CA, who with his wife, MJ, opened up their own brewing business in the San Luis Obispo County (where Chuck was born). The name Silva is synonymous for quality, flavor and innovation when it comes to beer. By following Silva Brewing on Instagram, we found out that they would be tapping the Vanill-O-Boros cask and releasing the Bourbon Barrel Aged Silva Stout on Friday, Nov. 24th! We were so there!
On arriving to Silva Brewing, we took our must have picture with the logo on the brewery bay door, and then found a seat before the tapping. Not losing any time, we started with a glass of the Bourbon Barrel Aged Silva Stout and boy, was it awesome!
We bought some Silva gear, a zip-up hooded sweatshirt for me, MamaBear (MB), and a men's t-shirt for PapaBear (PB). We couldn't help but to quickly put them on for the tapping! Yeah, we were geeking out just a tad and the locals noticed with no judgement and just smiled and nodded.
The Vanill-O-Boros cask was tapped by Chuck to the cheer of the crowd in attendance, and the pouring commenced immediately. PB was one of the first in line and secured our glass to taste and enjoy
We struck up conversations with the locals sitting next to us, and come to find out that the lady who took our picture outside was also Kayla's mother! Kayla is the young lady who works at Silva Brewing as a brew master apprentice! I had been following Silva Brewing's Instagram and had seen Kayla in their postings, and just thought she was such an amazing bad ass in pursuing her career in the brewing industry! Her mom understood where I was coming from as such a career opportunity or choice would have been next to impossible in our day. I was just gushing about Kayla and how it was so forward thinking of Chuck and MJ in providing her the opportunity. Of course, I had to get a picture with Kayla and let her know this ol' crazy woman was a fan!
Before we left, we made sure to meet and thank Chuck and MJ, congratulate them on their new venture, and to wish them all the best! Also made sure to buy some Silva Brewing beer to go. These fans will definitely be making a return visit!