Every once in awhile, there's an experience that's so remarkable, and so special, it brings you back to the yelp community again. Â And I feel like Barrelworks is that place for me.
After a long hiatus, and frankly, pure laziness, I finally found a place worthy of yelping about. Â Located in Buellton, CA, is a little known secret called "Barrelworks." Â A division of Firestone Walker. Â
We were on our way to Paso Robles for the Firestone Walker Invitational, and had been tipped off by our local Firestone Walker rep about Barrelworks. Â We flew in to Burbank, and rented a car to drive to Paso Robles. Â Buellton is on the way, which breaks up the trip nicely.
As soon as we landed in Burbank, I tweeted Jeffers, the genius behind Barrelworks and all of their glorious concoctions. Â I was super excited to see I got a welcoming reply from him almost instantly. Â
Entering the huge wooden door, you pass by literally barrels and barrels of beer until you enter the taproom. Â The decor is fantastic, and the room is clean and comfy. Â Jeffers instantly made us feel right at home, as well as the gal that was working behind the bar. Â Even as crowded as it was, everyone was patient and respectful. Â Chances are, if you find yourself at this location, you are a respectful of craft beer and it's culture.
The pours are small, as they should be. Â If you aren't familiar, most of their beers are high in alcohol, and are meant to be savoured and enjoyed. Â
After spending a bit more time there than we planned, we said our farewell to Jeffers and took a picture with him of course! Â We also met some new friends that we still keep in contact with. Â Lifelong friends. Â Fellow beer drinkers out to enjoy life, meet new people, and appreciate great beer.
I would have to say that my favorite part of the entire "beervaction" was our stop in Barrelworks. Â If we hadn't had such a long day on Saturday, we would've stopped by again on Sunday. Overall, here is what you should expect. Â The tasting room is small, but accomodating. Â The service that day was exceptional. Â Jeffers is one of the most humble brewers we've come across. Â There is a pub area literally connected to the taproom that serves food and the normal "Firestone Walker" list of beers (Union Jack, Pale 31, etc etc). Â They also sell bottles and merchandise.
We didn't encounter any craft beer snobs there. Â Nor did we encounter any of the "I just want to get wasted on 9% beer" variety either. Â Even if you aren't well versed in different styles of beers you can still have a good time. Â If you have a question, just ask. Â They will be more than happy to help you. Â There are also descriptions of the flavors so you aren't blindsided before you order. Â Although many of the Barrelworks beers are barrel aged or of the sour variety, you can try a small taster, and still get an IPA in the pub next door. Â There really is something for everyone.
The wife and I walked in to pick up a tulip glass. Â I wish we had time to get a growler fill and taste some beers. Â It seemed a bit pricey compared to some of the other breweries i've been too, but hey! Â Got my tulip, got my wife and got the hell out of there!
Will I again, yeah, gotta pick up a couple growlers so I can get bombed with my father in law. Â HAHA!
Small pours is the max that you'll get here; no pints due to the limited supply. Â Nevertheless, the Saison and especially the Russian Imperial Stout were phenomenal. Â Had dinner in the restaurant afterwards and I felt like I transitioned from Cristal to Cook's with going to the regular firestone offerings. Â Don't get me wrong; I'm all about regular Firestone beer, but there's no touching Barrelworks' goodness. Â
This beer is unbelievable, plus you can walk through their barrel aging warehouse! Â Not many tables (5-6 I think). Â Beer pourer knew his stuff. Â
One sip, and you'll be hooked.
My boyfriend and I walked and we were not greeted. We sat down and seriously the bartender just handed us two menus two us without saying a word. We understand  that the bar was busy but a hello could be nice. We ordered 6 samples. The bartender didn't seem quite knowledgable about the beers. Our tiny sample glass was filled with more foam than beer, it took about 5 minutes for the foam to go down. Crappy service, so two stars only because the beers are delicious.
Review Source:I 100% enjoyed my experience with the Barrelworks room at the Firestone Walker Brewery in Buellton. Â We didn't know what we were going to find once we got here, but we were ready to see/do anything. Â We entered into the main bar area of the brewery and saw they had a full restaurant with beer samplings of their traditional line. Â While this is fun and all, I really like to explore the styles that I can't get everyday nor are very common everywhere.
With that being said, Barrelworks room is the solution! Â It's a small tasting room within the building that offers a variety of their specialty, barrel aged brews that are not as common but let me tell you, definitely worth trying. Â They are fantastic and blow their traditional line out of the water. Â They have a variety of options and do not consistantly have the same styles in there every week; so you know you have the ability to have something new and different every time you visit! Â Of all the brews we tried, the Parabola 2013 was my favorite with the Sucaba as a close second. Â The rich flavors and bourbon hints that come out in each style are fantastic and I would love to try more. Â
They have a majority of their beers available for purchase on location and, if you would like, you can come and get growler fills of the traditional brews. Â I would definitely recommend this location to anyone passing through the area. Â It's easily accessible from the freeway, the space can hold groups and the barrel room is directly adjacent to the restaurant/tasting room. Â They do take credit cards and there is ample parking for everyone.
My girlfriend and I were excited to give it a whirl. Bummer !!! We had weak (no) service and $6 sips of which most was foam : ( Left there irritated, thirsty and hungry, that's a Nono ! They do not serve munchies in there. They had something in there for $100.00, What's up with that noise : / I must say the interior design is very cool. We dropped anchor at Solvang Brewing Company and we were treated like Royalty with Superb service ! Great food and a Full bar !! They have a great outdoor patio, a fire pit, Â games too. Now that's what I am talking about, Cooliosis ! Left there Happy, Fed with a Buzz on !! Woo Hoo ! Happy as a Lark so to speak and all my tail feathers in tact. Smile be Happy, its infectious : )
Review Source:Wow! This place is amazing! They just opened last weekend and they are only open friday-sunday from 10 am to 6 pm. You walk through a huge church door on the other side of the Firestone Walker brewpub into a room filled with barrels. you can walk through here to the actual barrelworks tasting room. The tasting room features 16 different barrel aged beers on draft including SOURS! You can get tasters or full pours and the prices are pretty reasonable.
We got to meet the brewer, the blender and the tasting room manager, all three were super nice and helpful.
This place is definitely worth a stop through if you love good beer!
PS. Sour Opal is AMAZING!!!
Great place for limited barrel aged beers. Â A must see!!
Breakdown:
Ambiance = 5*
Beer = 5*
Service = 5*
Summary = I wish I could give it more than 5 stars, because it was just that amazing!
This place just opened and we decided to stop by on a trip from LA to SF. It is connected to the other side of the Firestone Walker taproom/restaurant. You have to walk through the barrels to get to the taproom and its pretty cool to see all the barrels they use to age all the different beers. Â The room itself is worth the trip, but it gets even better when you walk into the tasting area.
The tasting area is a nice mix of industrial steel and barrel wood. It has a bar you can sit at and a bunch of tables. They have lots of cool black and white glossy pictures around the taproom of the brewery, the barrels and the beers that add a nice touch.
They had 16 different beers on tap and the brewer and blender were in so we got to chat with them.
They have these sets, which come with four tasters and a test tub that allows you to blend your own beer. We were the first one who got to try this as they sets just came in and it was so much fun!
I highly recommend any barrel aged beer lover to stop by and experience this fantastic place. Â Another winner by Firestone Walker!!!
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
