805 Blonde Ale is Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s flagship and the best-selling craft beer in California, accounting for more than half of the Paso Robles brewery’s total production. Our notes listed it as “805 ale” at 14 IBU; the verified beer is 805 Blonde Ale at 4.7% ABV and 15 IBU. Released in 2012 and named for the 805 area code of Firestone Walker’s Central Coast home, it began life as the brewery’s taproom-only Honey Blonde Ale before getting its now-famous black-and-white minimalist branding. Firestone Walker, founded in 1996 by brothers-in-law Adam Firestone and David Walker, built the beer to compete with light lagers while keeping the flavor of a real ale.

The basics

• Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Company (Paso Robles, CA)
• Style: Blonde Ale
• ABV: 4.7%
• IBU: 15

What to expect

805 pours crystal clear and deep golden, with an ample off-white head. The aroma is lightly sweet, with honey malt and a touch of grass. On the palate it is light-bodied and crisp, with subtle malt sweetness led by honey malt, a gentle touch of hops, and a clean finish that never lingers. The carbonation is lively, the body is light, and the bitterness is low, which is exactly the point: this is a beer designed to be refreshing first and interesting second. It drinks like a light lager with a little more malt character, and it goes down very easily on a warm day.

Our rating

7.0/10

Rated by Alex (7) and Nick (7). Alex and Nick both landed on a 7 for this one, and we think that is a fair read. 805 is not a beer that tries to impress you, and judging it against bigger, bolder craft beer misses the point. It is a clean, well-made, endlessly drinkable blonde ale that does its job better than almost anything in its lane. A reliable fridge beer and a great introduction to craft beer for lager drinkers.