Silva and Toro Creek breweries open Paso Robles tasting rooms

To the delight of local craft beer fans, acclaimed brewer Chuck Silva has opened his new brewery and tasting space behind the Pour House in Paso Robles.

Silva Brewing debuted Dec. 3 with Paso Pale, a hop-forward combination of Simcoe and Cascade hops on a pale malt backbone. The following weekend came 1st Gold, a German-style blonde inspired by Silva’s first gold-medal winning beer at the World Beer Cup in 2000.

An American IPA called 525 Pine and a German-style amber called Suite B — both named for the brewery’s street address — are set to be released this weekend.

The small, 333-square-foot brewery’s opening coincided with a tap-takeover at the Pour House featuring Green Flash Brewing Co., the San Diego brewery where Silva helped herald the craft beer revolution over the past decade.

“It worked out really well,” Silva said. “We had a good crowd throughout the day.”

At a sleek bar overlooking the compact brewery’s 10-barrel brewing system and 20-barrel fermenters, Silva offers 2-ounce samplers for $2 and 10-ounce pours for $4. For those seeking fresh beer to go, the brewery offers 32-ounce crowlers as well as 64-ounce stainless steel Miir growlers.

Rather than brand and fill only the brewery’s own growlers, as most do, Silva stamped his growlers — $45 to buy, $20 to fill — only with #CaliforniaCraft. He plans to refill any nonbranded swing-top growlers and hopes to get other breweries to adopt similar practices.

“One growler to rule them all,” he described his goal with the vessels.

Keg distribution to area bars and restaurants will kick off soon.

The brewery at 525 Pine St., Suite B, can be accessed from the Pour House or from the alley behind the buildings and is 21-and-over because it shares bathrooms with the bar. Hours are 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

A few blocks away, a 3-year-old microbrewery opened its first tasting space at 1111 Riverside Ave., Suite 103.

Toro Creek Brewing Co. has been pouring its brews — made with farm-grown hops and barley — primarily at festivals and events, with occasional tap appearances around the county.

The opening of the airy tasting room, by Cool Hand Luke’s Steakhouse, marks the first time the beers will be readily available to the public. Hours are 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, 2 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday.

This story was originally published December 16, 2016 at 4:08 PM with the headline "Silva and Toro Creek breweries open Paso Robles tasting rooms."