Paso Robles

TWO DOLLARS. TWO. DOLLARS. That's right, two dollars is all it costs to take home 22 ounces of Mission St. Brown Ale. Well, the sticker price is actually $1.99, but whatever... This is the cheapest bomber I've ever seen, cheaper than Stone and even cheaper than Lagunitas. I don't make a point to drink the cheapest beer on the shelf but I've had a couple really good Mission St. beers and figured I couldn't pass up this Brown Ale. I mean, $2 for a bottle of beer that's (more or less) brewed by Firestone Walker? That's just crazy cheap...

Trader Joe's recently opened up in Kansas City. There was much fanfare and at least a week's worth of massive lines as people clamored for cheap wine and slightly-better-than-Aldi-quality food. I patiently waited a couple weeks until stopping by and picking up a sixer of Mission St. Pale Ale. I'd heard a lot of good things about this beer but was always reluctant to bring any home from out of town because it's essentially just another relabeled product and I figured a beer that's contract brewed for a discount grocery couldn't be all that great, right? Well, it did kinda win a gold medal at GABF...

Firestone Walker is one brewery I haven't been able to review before because their beers aren't available in Kansas City. That's all changing in the very near future as Firestone Walker starts shipping its beer to Missouri. 22oz bombers of Walker’s Reserve, Abacus, Parabola, 14th Anniversary and Double Jack should start showing up on shelves around Kansas City within just a few weeks. More beers from Firestone Walker will arrive a little later in the form of six packs, those beers belong to the Nectar Ale brand Firestone Walker produces. All of their beers are held in high regard and I'm excited to welcome them to our neck of the woods.