Unfiltered Double Barrel Ale - Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

MasterSki

Illinois

3.89/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

On-tap at Norse Bar. Served in a pint glass.

A - White foam settles to a thick collar, partial cap, and splotchy lacework. Hazed orange body.

S - Sharp oak, toasted grains, very low sweetness, fruity English yeast. There's some nebulous earthy hop character too. A bit rough - I can see why they blend this, as the oak really takes over.

T - The taste is much sweeter, with toffee, sugar cookie, oaky vanilla, fruity yeast, toasted grains. Better balance here between malts and oak. Fairly low hop bitterness, but enough to keep things from being cloying.

M - Medium body, zesty carbonation, oaky and tannic texture, no alcohol, and a dry finish.

D - Solid brew, albeit a bit too okay for my tastes, particularly in the aroma. I had no problem putting down a glass, but I wouldn't actively seek this out. Still, it's always neat to get more insight into Firestone Walker's blending process.

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2013 02:25:20 | More by MasterSki

Samuel906

California

2.75/5  rDev -31.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

This was the second time I've had this, and the first time and the only time I've seen it outside of the Firestone brewery. Looks very similar to the normal DBA, but slightly lighter in color, with some mild sediment and lots of head. Smell is slightly more bready and yeasty than DBA, but disappointingly mellow. Taste is sweet, slight oak, a touch bitter, but very similar to the normal DBA. Very smooth. Overall, underwhelming.

Serving type: on-tap

03-04-2013 05:26:20 | More by Samuel906

denver10

Colorado

4.11/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Pours a hazy translucent yellow with an amber hue, a nice thickish off white head, and solid retention. Aroma offers some sweet bread and toffee, the oak from the barrels are present, and just a touch of some grass. Flavor is similar; malt is very influential with some sweet breadiness and some toffee, there is a nice dose of the oak barrels (much more so than in the regular DBA, that is for sure), a hint of a little sweet fruits, and slight hints of grass. A creamy, medium bodied. Overall, FW with another winner. Tons of great flavor packed into 5%...consider me impressed. Would happily drink again.

Serving type: on-tap

02-28-2013 21:41:48 | More by denver10

BeerBuckeye

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from tap as part of flight at Blue Palms Brewhouse in Hollywood, CA.

A - Hazy amber/copper color, small ring of head

S - Sweet malt, good amount of esters and breads, toffee, and a touch of fruit.

T - Earthy malt base with good amounts of toffee, light fruit hops, and a decent helping of oak. Very nice complexity.

M - Smooth, full-bodied, well carbonated.

Overall - Incredibly good beer by FW. Really enjoyed this one.

Serving type: on-tap

11-29-2012 12:04:56 | More by BeerBuckeye

FosterJM

California

3.98/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1538th Review on BA
Draft to 6oz Snifter

@Firestone Walker, Paso Robles

App- A very pretty amber with some lively carbonation and a tame 1/2 in head that was not inclined to stick around for long. This when the head faded really looked like a spirit or a whiskey.

Smell- A bit of earthly english malt, a faint citrus. I get most of the toffee and oak on the aromas. It was quite pleasant and aromatic. The regular DBA seems a bit lost and more leaning towards a small DDBA.

Taste- I enjoyed this one better than the base and less than DDBA. This was a very good addition of the oak. The base malts sing a little bit more and there is more definition of the hops and a bit of vanilla as the last flavors to come up. A bit creamy and smooth.

Mouth- It was a bit bitter on the finish but it was a nice feeling especially with the oak residual flavors. A bit of a medium solid body with a good low/medium carbonation feel to it..

Drink- Like I said. DDBA>UDBA>DBA. Its the middle brother of the family. The silver medal if you will.

Serving type: on-tap

10-01-2012 02:28:03 | More by FosterJM

BucannonXC5

California

3.85/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a tap into an imperial pint glass (20 oz.) at Firestone Walker Brewery in Paso Robles, Calif., on Aug. 9, 2012 for $5.50. One finger of head when I got it. Beer color was caramel honey. Good retention on top, a bit foamier on the sides.

Smelled slight hops, dark fruits, light fig, wheat and toffee. Pretty light altogether.

Tasted much better than the smell. Oaky, smooth, toffee, caramel, dark fruits. Lots of other tastes as well, but all come together nicely.

Medium body. Slick texture. Average carbonation. Long and smooth finish, which kept wanting me to have more.

Just so much better than the regular DBA. I had another one of these later. Really enjoyed this.

Serving type: on-tap

08-15-2012 09:15:03 | More by BucannonXC5

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Draft at Monk's Cafe in Philadelphia, PA.

Pours a slightly cloudy, dark copper color with amber edges and a one finger off-white head that quickly settles into a thin ring. Spotty lacing left behind.

Sweet malt aroma with a touch of grassy hops and a subtle oak barrel presence. Hints of caramel, toffee, rye and biscuit followed by floral line notes and toasted oak.

Medium bodied and surprisingly hop forward with spicy, earthy bitterness that lingers over the sweeter notes and oak barrel into a slightly dry finish. Decent amount of dry bitterness with grassy pine flavor that's coutered by caramel malt, toffee and hazelnut. Sutle toasted oak presence that isn't as strong as the nose suggests.

Serving type: on-tap

08-14-2012 20:54:31 | More by corby112

peacebone116

California

4.7/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed this brew on 6/27/12 at the Paso Tap Room from an imperial pint glass.

A: Pours a cloudy light brown, copper-like color, with little off-white head.

N: Sweet malt and aromatic yeast esters and subtle hop florals.

T/M: The taste follows the nose with added oak characteristics. The body is medium to light with a smooth character. The carbonation is present but definitely not overbearing.

This is a fantastic beer. It seems to remind me of the Abacus with its malt tones. This is significantly more tasty than the standard bottled version of Double Barrel. I would love try this on cask. (Can you make that happen, Firestone?)

Serving type: on-tap

07-31-2012 22:03:34 | More by peacebone116

DocJitsu

California

4.03/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a medium dark cider color with a perfectly formed white head. Head retention is better than any other FW brew I've had. The beer is extremely cloudy. I like how home brewy the appearance is. The nose is so reminiscent of Christmas pull candy from back home. The flavors are very smooth with oak and vanilla. I like this beer a lot. I'll be having a lot of it.

Serving type: on-tap

06-24-2012 03:43:26 | More by DocJitsu

DoubleJ

California

4.28/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at The Surly Goat, and what a great way to reach beer review #2000, on the same visit I made place review #400! The orginal DBA already has a cult following in the area, and is one of the first craft options I even knew about not named Sam Adams. Now the unfiltered version, and now it's on to the beer:

It's an amber orange colored beer, one with pretty good head retention and more than a few strings of lace clinging to the glass. The nose is a little harder to get. You need to dig it up, but eventually the aromas of earth and woodsy characteristics arrive.

Now we're talking. The flavor comes out in spades, and it's very complex. Flavors of earth, caramel, minerals, oak, woody notes create a beer that is not only flavorful, but also very reefreshing and drinkable. It's medium bodied, somewhat clean, with a pleasant mineral woody and mineral combination in the aftertaste.

Between the original and unfiltered version, it's like night and day. There's so much more going on in the unfiltered DBA. This is one to be on the lookout for.

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2012 17:28:10 | More by DoubleJ

kojevergas

California

3.45/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on-draught at Firestone Walker's new taproom (not the tasting room) in Paso Robles on its grand opening day. They ran out by the time I returned on the night of its second day of operation. Reviewed from notes.

A: Pours a one finger head of slight cream, decent thickness, and okay retention. Colour is a hazy semitransparent copper-gold. No yeast particles are visible.

Sm: Very fresh orange peel, clove, citrusy notes, and clean malts. A mild strength aroma - but also a pleasant and fresh one.

T: Orange citrus fruit esters - very fresh and brilliant. Quite enjoyable and pleasant. Simple but very balanced. Some floral hops. Very well built for what they're going for. The orange peel is really incredible. There's a note here that's almost cidery. Refreshing.

Mf: Smooth, wet, crisp, and fresh. Adequately carbonated. Very pleasant. Near perfect thickness. Complements the flavours well by not intruding on them. No oak comes through.

Dr: Very drinkable. I'd definitely have it again. Refreshing and enjoyable. Great for what it's trying to do, but it fails to be great due to its relative lack of both complexity and subtlety. There's nothing unique here, but it's one of Firestone Walker's better beers.

High B-

Serving type: on-tap

03-23-2012 03:58:06 | More by kojevergas

spicelab

Australia

3.4/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pint from FW brewery taproom@Paso Robles. Reviewed from notes.

Deep amber. Little to no head. Steady bead.

Strong toffee and dark fruit malt character gives good aromas of plums and prunes, while a pronounced grainy element and a sweet floral edge round out a suitably English nose.

Melange of maltiness, with ginger nut biscuits in spades, alongside nutty and mild caramel notes. Faint floral hops. Nicely balanced.

Moderate but spot on carbonation provides a nice lifted vibrancy.

Quaffable session beer. Clean, crisp and hits the spot. An able exposition of English styles.

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2012 11:38:29 | More by spicelab

UCLABrewN84

California

3.85/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the ColLAboration beer fest at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles, CA.

Pours a slightly hazy honey orange with a foamy off-white head that settles to an oily film. No lacing on this one. Smell is very malty and fruity. Taste is of malt, fruit, and some woody flavors. There is a mild bitterness on the palate after each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp and prickly mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer and I enjoyed this one much more than the regular Double Barrel Ale.

Serving type: on-tap

02-27-2012 04:17:09 | More by UCLABrewN84

Brewermeister

California

4.33/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured a dark orange amber color. Had a nice head with good retention. Tasted sweet and citrusy just like it smelled. Light to medium body; smooth going down. I like the original but this is so much better than the filtered version. I tried some at the end of the brewery tour.

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2012 09:01:59 | More by Brewermeister

elNopalero

Texas

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This pours a roasty amber color. There’s a pleasant biscuit-malt aroma and a light toasty biscuit flavor rounded out by a gentle honey finish. I didn't pick up a major contrast between this and the regular DBA on tap, but in terms of nuances I felt this was very smooth, very drinkable, well-rounded and one of the treats from visiting their tasting room.

Serving type: on-tap

12-08-2011 20:42:15 | More by elNopalero

Douglas14

California

4.35/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The 100% Oak DBA looks similar to its "regular" counterpart: it has a nice amber color and a slighty off-white head. The aroma is strongly of fresh oak...nice but almost too much. The taste follows the aroma. Lots of oak. This beer is so freaking good in it's original form it's hard for this one to be better, but it's such a nice experience to get to drink this beer unblended. Truly a unique and memorable experience.

Serving type: on-tap

11-08-2011 17:38:52 | More by Douglas14

washburnkid

New York

3.2/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Enjoyed at the brewery. Reviewed from notes.

Just barely hazy light copper/dark amber hues. Not much head retention and minimal lacing at best. Very fruity on the nose, with a huge aroma reminding me of apples. The flavors really fell flat for me here. There is apple and then a lightly toasted malt, but nothing is very prominent and I'm having a really difficult time discerning more flavors. The mouthfeel is thin, and the carbonation is lightly slacking. The brew leaves behind a nondescript film over my palate. I'm a little disappointed with this one. What I tried at the brewery tastes very little like what others have described. It was my first beer of the day, so I know my palate was fresh and ready to discern flavors. I would easily try this again, but that'll have to wait until I can get to the brewery again.

Serving type: on-tap

04-11-2010 18:55:26 | More by washburnkid

JBogan

Nevada

4.05/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Firestone brewery. A hazy orangeish brown with a small head which quickly receded and left minimal lacing.

Caramel malt aroma, with a hint of citrus.

Taste was also mainly caramel, with a hint of vanilla and citrus. Not especially complex but it was enjoyable.

Mouthfeel was slightly thinner than I remember their "regular" version of this being. Still it was very smooth and somewhat creamy.

Overall this wasn't a huge departure from their "standard" DBA. It was nicely drinkable and worth a try if you ever happen to come across it.

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2010 03:33:29 | More by JBogan

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a dark amber color with plenty of head.

S: Lots of bread from the malt with a decent amount of hops.

T: Lots of caramel, brown sugar, sweet malt, and a bit of hoppiness.

M: Nearly full bodied with lots of malt and a good amount of carbonation.

D: A good brew, but not something I'd like to have too many of.

Serving type: on-tap

10-01-2009 15:21:53 | More by Thorpe429

bulletrain76

California

3.9/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Draught at the brewery tasting room. A touch lighter amber than the regular double barrel, smooth malty aroma with some oak and spicy hops. The flavor has way more oak and some vanilla. Smooth and balanced feel in the mouth. The bartender said that this version is 100% the oak fermented portion that is blended into the normal version, and I think that the extra character and smoothness that this brings sets it above. It's too bad that they don't have the capacity to bottle this.

Serving type: on-tap

06-10-2009 19:57:14 | More by bulletrain76

Floydster

California

4.22/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pint at JJ Brewsky's yesterday for six dollars, have been patiently waiting to try this for years now after seeing here at Paso Robles a few times

A-Golden amber color, 1 1/4 inch foamy slightly off white head that lasted around five minutes, some lacing towards the top of the glass
S-Wood, both floral and piney hops, caramel, mild citrus, some sweet malt, bread, biscuit, whole grains, and
T-Floral hops at first that are pretty subtle, caramel and bruned bread in the middle, more bitterness in the finish to go along with a good amount of oak, warms up with some mild citrus but mostly hops mixed with wood which would seem a little weird but worked very well
M-Slightly dry and sweet, bready, and chewy, quite enjoyable mouthfeel, medium bodied, low level of carbonation, taste does not last too long but still good and fitting for its overall feel
D-I could drink several of these, very light overall, low ABV allows you to have even more, smooth and crisp, mine was served too cold but after warming in my hand, this stuff went down with minimal effort

This is a great beer, simple but awesome, much different than the standard version with a more noticeable oak and hop character, I already want more, recommended

Serving type: on-tap

05-10-2009 19:05:15 | More by Floydster

ILikeGoodCider

California

4.83/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed on 2/7/09 - a Saturday. Served after Telegraph's California Ale, paired with Seared Ahi Tuna.

A: Nut-brown. Slightly hazy. Nice.

S: Nutty malt. Oak is forward.

T: Very different from the filtered Double Barrel. So smooth & delicious. I really dug this brew. Very flavorful w/vanilla flavors. Sweet fruit flavors abound. If you can taste this brew - GO FOR IT!

M: Creamy & full. Well done.

D: All day.

Hard to come by... I can get growlers for those that would like to trade (express shipping would be recommended - I'll foot the bill there - it's worth it!).

Serving type: on-tap

02-08-2009 05:11:01 | More by ILikeGoodCider

RidiculedDisplay

California

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From memory, on-tap at the Buellton Tap Room.

Appearance: A copper-colored beer if I ever have seen one. Very very slight head. Lacing is fizzy and transient but there.

Smell: Picked up the oak a lot more easily than I can in the filtered version. Caramel malts, sweet and slightly citric hops.

Taste: Has much more umph than the filtered version. Oak flavor remains. Caramel, bready yeast malt flavors. Hop bitterness on the back end which is predominately pine-y, but included some citric.

Mouthfeel: High carbonation, but smooth. A little astringent in that "I've been sitting in an oak barrel" sort of way.

Drinkability: Could drink them all day. As I said in my review of the taproom, the experience just left me wondering why they feel the need to filter Double Barrel Ale in the first place - this was not some remarkably strong or heavy duty beer. zorro's review below seems to indicate that this can't be bottled, which I don't understand at all, but maybe there's a reason for it. Still, nice to try, definitely.

Serving type: on-tap

12-03-2007 13:56:32 | More by RidiculedDisplay

HighOctane

California

4.38/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at JJ Brewsky's in Camarillo

Appearance is slighty cloudy with copper-amber hue. Aroma is a faint smokiness with hints of oak though I must admit to have been influenced by the aroma from the plate of BBQ ribs at the table.

Taste is a mellowed version of the filtered DB with a doughy maltiness balancing the hops. Drinkability sets this beer apart from other Pale Ales.

Serving type: on-tap

06-17-2007 21:53:10 | More by HighOctane

MiScusi

California

3.9/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Firestone Taproom in Buellton.

Came poured as a dark brown-amber, almost not able to see through with much clarity, and with no head at all. I don't think the lack of head was the fault of the bartender pouring it because swirling to regenerate does absolutely nothing.

The smell is pretty subtle but malty, toasty. The taste is malty and balanced with hops. It was pretty similar to the regular Double Barrel but this one was indeed a bit smoother. Drinkability was a little better as well.

Serving type: on-tap

05-29-2007 01:41:25 | More by MiScusi