§ucaba (Abacus) - Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

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BA SCORE
100
world-class
-
1,864 Ratings

rAvg: 4.54
pDev: 8.37%
Reviews: 620
Hads: 1244

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Brewed by:
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

California, United States

Style | ABV
English Barleywine | 12.50% ABV

Availability: Rotating. bottle (497), on-tap (114), growler (9).

Notes:
2011 Reserve Series Bottle Notes:
O.G. 27 Plato
F.G. 4.7 Plato
I.B.U. 42 units
Yeast: British Ale (House)
Cases: 1500 produced
Color: 36SRM (Dark Ruby)

View: Beers (48) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by seaoflament:

seaoflament

California

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

Finally! I've wanted to try this one for so long and it's been around in a couple bars in San Diego but I've just never been able to make it over to taste this. After sharing a few beers with fellow BAs floydster and hophead84 on Oct.31st we decided to head over to Hamilton's for a pint or two. I had been checking Hamilton's tap list pretty much every day for at least a month because they had Abacus on their "On Deck" list and to my good fortune something tapped out while we were there and what do they replace it with? Abacus! I still wasn't done drinking my first pint but I went over to the bar right away and got me a nice 10oz pour of Abacus to warm up while I finished my first round.

This beer was pitch black for a barleywine, seemed more like a stout than a bw. No head adorned the top of the beer as it was poured too cold.

The aroma was pretty darn good and the beer first greeted me with some roasted malts, toast, chocolate, vanilla, oak, bourbon, raisins, brown sugar, and hints of grapes. A subtle note of alcohol hid in the background.

Wow, didn't think the taste would be better than the aroma but it was. Bold toast flavor, chocolate, raisins, toffee, almonds, flaked toasted coconut in the finish with vanilla and oak. Notes of bakers chocolate. This beer was delicious. A low carbonation helped to bring a creaminess to the beer, making it run down smoothly down the tongue. I could have easily had another one of these if we didn't have to leave so early. Will have to try harder to make it to any bar that has this one next time.

Serving type: on-tap

11-24-2009 21:24:28 | More by seaoflament

More User Reviews:

Joenajera

California

4.75/5 rDev +4.6%

05-24-2013 18:16:36 | More by Joenajera

Andrew61923

Connecticut

4.7/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

2012 vintage poured into my Sierra Nevada tulip. Toasting the graduates of 2013 with this one.

A: Pours a deep ruby red with a finger's worth of cream colored head that fades to a nice halo along the edges of the glass. Nothing groundbreaking, but a good start.

S: A lot going on with the nose. The barrel makes its presence known for sure with big hints (oxymoron?) of vanilla, toasted coconut, and caramel. A lot of sweetness, which makes sense given the style of the brew and the daunting ABV.

T: Wow. This is an amazing, and a big, beer. The bourbon that I picked up is a bit more subdued on the palate, but is still definitely there. Much of the same sweetness with a lot of vanilla and some more raisin coming through. I'm excited to see how this develops as it warms up.

M: There's no way this is 12.5%! Incredibly smooth and velvety on the tongue, the flavors last incredibly long and make me yearn for another sip. I think I'll have to indulge...

O: There's a reason this has such a strong reputation. It has the impressive ability to meld together a smooth drinkability with an amazingly complex taste, and is truly a unique drinking experience. I have a 2011 bottle sitting around too...I'll have to see how that's drinking soon.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 03:17:02 | More by Andrew61923

IHyphySF

California

4.75/5 rDev +4.6%

05-24-2013 00:32:27 | More by IHyphySF

Michael_20P

California

4.75/5 rDev +4.6%

05-23-2013 23:07:16 | More by Michael_20P

zoober911

New York

4.5/5 rDev -0.9%

05-23-2013 03:05:47 | More by zoober911

Abrengle

Washington

4.75/5 rDev +4.6%

05-23-2013 01:29:04 | More by Abrengle

firecrack0r

California

4.5/5 rDev -0.9%

05-22-2013 23:05:06 | More by firecrack0r

ThirdEyePA

Texas

4/5 rDev -11.9%

05-22-2013 20:00:19 | More by ThirdEyePA

grover37

District of Columbia

4.5/5 rDev -0.9%

05-22-2013 04:20:48 | More by grover37

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

4.75/5 rDev +4.6%

05-22-2013 01:10:59 | More by mikeincharleston

PalatePilot

Colorado

4.75/5 rDev +4.6%

05-21-2013 22:44:58 | More by PalatePilot

Justinsosmart

California

4.68/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On-tap as part of a Firestone tap takeover. Pour is a dark chestnut brown. Very barrel-forward in the nose and in the beginning. Lots of vanilla is present. Mouthfeel is amazing, i can drink this all day. Warming towards the end, I would love to see this after a year.

Serving type: on-tap

05-21-2013 22:03:37 | More by Justinsosmart