The Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival returns to Paso Robles on June 4, and with it comes an annual rite: the next FWIBF collaboration beer.
On that note, we introduce Parrotphrase, a limited-edition Dry-Hopped Grisette made with Evan Price at Green Cheek Beer Co.
And this year, you don’t have to be on-site to get a crack at our FWIBF collab beer, as it’s available now online and at our three locations in Paso Robles, Buellton, and Venice.
Keep reading to learn more about both Parrotphrase and our festival collab beer tradition.
A Tradition of Collaboration
Ever since our first Invitational in 2012, the annual collaboration beer has been a centerpiece served at the event as well as at all Firestone Walker locations during the festival weekend.
For the 2022 beer, Brewmaster Matt Brynildson turned to his friend Evan to create a beer that will keep everyone cool at a time when the weather turns warm in Paso Robles.
Traditional grisette is a crisp, citrusy, and low-alcohol beer from the Hainaut province of Belgium. As such, it is a subset of the saison style–or as Evan calls it, “a small saison.”
“I really let Evan drive this one,” Matt says. “I respect him so much as a brewer. Grisette is not something I would have thought of, and I was really excited by the idea.”
Of course, with Matt and Evan at the helm, our own grisette comes with a few West Coast twists.
Rad Sniffs & Sips
First and foremost, Parrotphrase (the name itself a nod to Green Cheek’s eccentric name and logo) is inspired by the beer fest season.
“It can be hot at the fest, so we wanted this beer to be quaffable, sessionable, and hoppy,” Evan said.
And about those hops? “It’s a super secret blend of Southern Hemisphere hops that we can’t tell you about quite yet,” Evan said.
To create their grisette, Matt and Evan also went deep down the rabbit hole of “thiols,” the aroma-active compounds that come from hops and even grains. Matt and Evan geeked out on all of the latest science to come up with a brewing plan that would maximize the beer’s thiol character.
“For us at Firestone Walker, there are a lot of cool ‘firsts’ with this beer, and credit for that goes to Evan,” Matt said.
We could go deep into innovations such as yeast selection, grain profile and enzyme reactions, but at the end of the day, Parrotphrase (4.5% ABV) is simply a beer made for easy drinking. “It’s a light, sessionable saison-style beer that has a bit of a hazy IPA vibe as well,” Matt says.
We leave you with Evan’s tasting notes: “The beer is all thiol-driven, with some rad sniffs and sips that may make ya think of things like passionfruit, NZ Sauv Blanc, and guava. The beer will not only make ya smile, but may even help quench your thirst on a very specific hot day in June, surrounded by some of the best people on earth.”
