People escaping the heat at Paso Robles brewery with beer tasting's

PASO ROBLES, Calif. (KFSN) -- Beer tasting is complimenting wine tasting in the Paso Robles area.

"We've been wine tasting before and we figured we've never been beer tasting so we wanted to check it out and see what all the hype was about, " said Vanessa Imani, from San Luis Obispo. "It was great it was fun."

There are about 300 wineries to visit in the Paso Robles area and about a dozen breweries-- the biggest is Firestone Walker and its growing. They have just completed a major expansion, Matt Brynildson is the Brewmaster.

"These are the golden years of craft beer; there's been a beautiful renaissance in the brewing world. Consumers are really interested in flavorful, beautiful beers, they learned local fresh beer is important to the experience and we have resolved to provide it for them."

Despite its size Firestone Walker is still a regional brewery and they specialize in all kinds of beers. Their premier varieties are aged in oak barrels that once held bourbon.

"Yeah, a lot of really cool flavors come from the barrels. Obviously the bourbon character, but vanilla, coconut, chocolate-- it's a beautiful thing," said Brynildson.

The tasting room brewery tours and restaurant give folks a chance to discover the really unique flavors of craft brewing

"It's delicious, it's fun to try the different ones and see which one I like the best. We bought it in the grocery stores a lot but it's fun to see where it comes from," said Becky Bower, Pismo Beach.

Firestone Walker now produces 300,000 barrels of beer a year in dozens of varieties.