(Firestone Walker’s Micaela Yeo)

A successful beer project is seldom by accident, and we’re pretty sure Micaela Yeo Firestone Walker’s Beer Club & Specialty Brands Manager would agree. After all, she’s the project head behind what we consider the finest beer club in the country, the Brewmaster’s Collective.

And maybe because Micaela was so distracted putting the final touches to Firestone Walker’s 2026 Brewmaster’s Collective beer club, which opens enrollment on November 5 and is limited to 1,250 members, that she agreed to subject herself to American Craft Beer’s “5 Stupid Questions.”

And since she was so accommodating, we snuck in a couple of bonus questions, because that’s how we roll…

ACB: Micaela, thanks so much for making time for us. Can you tell us a little about your background and how you ended up at Firestone Walker? Was the brewing biz always in the cards for you?

MY: Hi Tom, thanks for having me, happy to be here! The beer world definitely wasn’t the plan, but that changed the day I had my first pint of Firestone DBA back in college. I know it sounds cliché, but it really did spark something.

A friend of mine was working at Firestone Walker’s Barrelworks at the time, I started volunteering for their releases, got completely hooked, and before long, I was on the Firestone Walker team. Over a decade later, here we are!

ACB: Every beer offered as part the Brewmaster’s Collective is a unique one-off that’s worth looking forward to, so it’s probably not fair to ask about some of the highlights. But we will anyhow, “what are some of the highlights that members can look forward to in 2026?”

MY: 2026 marks 30 years of Firestone Walker, so we’re digging into the cellar and honoring some of the beers that have been flooding the suggestion box to bring back a few legends. Some will stay true to their roots, like Double Jack and Pale 31 out of our Propagator R&D brewhouse, while others are getting an amped-up twist.

Personally, I’m stoked for 3(DB)²A (read: Triple Barrel-Aged Double DBA) and Stickee Ickee, a double barrel-aged version of Stickee Monkee, our classic Quad. It’s a nostalgic nod to our roots, with that same spark that keeps us pushing forward.

ACB: Special collaboration beers were an exciting part of last year’s offerings, can we expect more beers like this in 2026?

MY: Absolutely. The collabs are always some of my favorites—not just because they’re fun, but because we pick partners we want to learn something from. There’s always some technique or idea that carries forward into future beers, which is exactly what makes the beer community so cool; we’re all a part of the same game.

This year, we’re teaming up with three California heavy hitters: Everywhere, Bottle Logic, and Cellarmaker. I think fans of theirs can guess the directions those might go.

ACB: Barrel-aging beers is an artform as is blending them. We’ve got to think the Firestone Waker brewing team really enjoys the creative process. Who oversees these artisan blends and who decides what makes it into this year’s final offerings?

MY: It’s definitely an art form. Jordan Ziegler leads the charge on our barrel-aged projects in Paso Robles, and Molly Reed steers the wild ales down at Barrelworks. Both are total pros and continue to outdo themselves with every release. Brewmaster Matt Brynildson – the originator of our barrel program dating back to 2005 – is always at the center of it all, and together the three of them are really the creative force behind everything we do for the club.

My role is more about shaping the outline; looking at member feedback, logistics, and the overall flow of the year, then handing it over to them to bring it to life. The beauty of these small-batch beers is that we have room to play, no massive sourcing hurdles or material limits, so almost anything’s possible. And it shows in the glass.

ACB: Now entering its sixth year, the Brewmaster’s Collective continues to impress. What sets Firestone Walker’s beer club apart from others?

MY: The community, hands down. This club has become about so much more than just drinking great beer. It has built real friendships and traditions—people who plan their vacations around events or send bottles to each other across states. That sense of connection is something really special.

But it’s also about how members bring it into their own lives. They crack open a collection of beers for birthdays, holidays, or random Tuesday nights with friends. It’s about creating togetherness; giving people a reason to gather, share, and make memories around something they love. That’s what I love most about it.

ACB: Unlike most craft beer clubs, membership to the Brewmaster’s Collective comes with all kinds of additional perks, wanna run some of those by us?

MY: Oh yeah, especially if you’re near one of our taprooms or just need an excuse for a little beer travel. Members get 15% off all purchases and dining, VIP treatment at our taprooms (comp tasters, special flights, front of the waitlist), and complimentary brewery tours in Paso.

My favorite part, though, is the events. Each quarter, there’s a complimentary tasting of the newest collection, plus a ticketed event that switches up concept and location; dinners, workshops, cellar deep dives, you name it.

We’re also cooking up a few new experiences for 2026 to celebrate our 30th Anniversary, so members will definitely want to stay tuned.

And of course, the most coveted perk: early access to Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest tickets. It’s not guaranteed, but most members who want them end up scoring some.

ACB: And finally, do you have one beer in particular that you are especially excited about? C’mon, give it up!

MY: Oof, that’s tough. I just took a long look at the lineup, and it’s impossible to pick one. We’ve got a few concepts still under wraps that I’m really excited about; those are often the ones that end up being the biggest hits. The beers that take a little more time to figure out, how to do them, and how to do them right, usually turn out to be the magic ones.

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