Four beers brewed by Firestone Walker Brewing Co. earned gold medals at the 2007 California State Fair Commercial Craft Brew Competition - including a gold medal for Firestone Pale Ale for first place in its category.

The medals were announced this week, said a spokesman for the Paso Robles-based brewery.

The 2007 California State Fair Craft Brew Competition included craft beers from throughout the state, with judges awarding gold, silver and bronze medals to the various entries, then picking the first-, second- and third-place rankings in each beer category.

Firestone Walker Brewing Co. is the brewer of Firestone Walker Fine Ales and Nectar Ales.

Firestone Pale Ale earned a gold medal for first place in the American Pale Ale category. The Double Barrel Ale won a gold medal for second place in the English Bitter category.

Firestone Lager and Pale Nectar earned gold medals for third place in their respective categories of Light Lager and American Style Pale Ale.

This marks the second consecutive year Firestone Pale Ale and Pale Nectar ranked among the top three beers in the American Pale Ale category at the State Fair competition.

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“California is home to some of the nation's finest pale ales, so we are particularly honored to have our pale ales rank so highly in this statewide competition,” said proprietor David Walker.

The gold medal follows several recent distinctions for Firestone Pale Ale. In 2006, Men's Journal proclaimed Firestone Pale Ale the “best beer in America.”

Firestone Pale Ale also earned a gold medal at the 2006 World Beer Cup and a gold medal and Best in Class honors at the 2005 Australian International Beer Awards.

Firestone Walker is operated by Adam Firestone, son of Santa Barbara County wine pioneer Brooks Firestone, and his brother-in-law Walker, a British expatriate.

June 30, 2007