The goal behind Firestone Walker‘s new IPA project was to catch lightning in a can, rather than a bottle. The local beer giant released Electric Eagle—crafted with a mix of hop varieties—in late October.
Available only through late December in four-packs of 16-ounce cans at the company’s breweries in Buellton, Paso Robles, and LA, Electric Eagle emerged from a unique partnership between Firestone Walker and Ernie Ball, the world-renowned guitar and bass string manufacturer headquartered in San Luis Obispo.
“Collaboration is a big part of the craft brewing scene,” Firestone Walker Brewmaster and occasional garage drummer Matt Brynildson said in an email interview. “It’s not like the tech industry, where trade secrets are heavily protected and fought over. We tend to have a super open and sharing attitude and enjoy experimenting and learning through collaboration. I think the music business is a lot like that as well.”
The Electric Eagle project started with a meeting arranged by Firestone Walker’s chief marketing officer, Dustin Hinz, who previously worked for Ernie Ball. Hinz introduced Brynildson to two of the company’s leaders, Brian Ball and Brian Spoeneman, “who are big craft beer fans,” Brynildson said.
“We started talking about IPA. Something clicked,” Brynildson recalled. “‘The Brians’ had a well-informed beer lover’s idea of what they would put into their dream beer, which included Mosaic hops and a flavorful yet approachable vibe.”
Citrus, peach, and other flavors define the West Coast profile of Mosaic hops, one of a handful of varieties Brynildson, Ball, and Spoeneman zeroed in on during Electric Eagle’s development.
“We took a tour around the Paso brewery, and by the time we finished a couple of IPAs, we had the blueprint for a tasty new beer that we thought would be a hit in local pubs and restaurants,” Brynildson said. “This collaboration is perfect because we agreed on a beer style right away and have complimentary tastes.”
Along with Mosaic hops, Electric Eagle also features Riwaka and Nelson Sauvin hops, which layer in notes of white grape and tropical fruits. The new IPA highlights additional hop varieties based in the Pacific Northwest and Southern Hemisphere as well.
While Firestone Walker took care of the hops, Ernie Ball provided images for Electric Eagle’s branding, Brynildson explained.
“Brewing a hop-forward IPA is firmly in our wheelhouse at Firestone Walker. Creating super loud and cool art is firmly in Ernie Ball’s court. … These guys have a real sense of their distinctive brand aesthetic, and that really comes through in the artwork,” Brynildson said. “Collaboration is all about learning, so we had the chance to tour each other’s facility and look under the hood of each other’s production plants. I think that we both have learned a lot through the experience even though we practice different art forms.”
For Brynildson and other music buffs at Firestone Walker, the chance to collaborate with Ernie Ball’s team felt surreal, partly thanks to the manufacturer’s star-studded clientele history. Paul McCartney, Buddy Guy, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page are among those who’ve used the company’s guitar and bass strings.
“It’s mind-blowing to look at all the musicians that play Ernie Ball strings. It’s something that this community can be very proud of. So it’s been a longtime dream for many of us at Firestone Walker to collaborate with Ernie Ball,” Brynildson said. “The fact that Ernie Ball Music Man guitars are built in San Luis Obispo to this day is a very important piece of our community fabric.
“We have a lot of music lovers and amateur musicians on the [Firestone Walker] team and, as a result, a lot of Ernie Ball fans,” added Brynildson, a music enthusiast and drummer “who picked brewing over music in terms of profession, but who still has a kit setup at home and goes out to see as many shows as I can.”
He’s also the proud father of a young musician.
“Our 11-year-old son is a guitar player who is fortunate enough to take lessons from Jacob Odell—another local treasure,” Brynildson said. “So there are instruments in the house and a lot of jamming happening.” Δ
Send guitar picks and comments to Calendar Editor Caleb Wiseblood at cwiseblood@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Dec 5-15, 2024.