Parabola - Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

Wetpaperbag

Washington

4.88/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A- jet black with dark brown head and lacing. Pours thick and moves slow.

S- very complex! Lots to smell. Chocolate vanilla sweet and malty. Something buttery is here as well. Nice woody (not just in my pants) smell from the aging process.

T- wow this is great! Buttery creamy oak cherry chocolate vanilla roasted malts with a great gooey molassas cookie taste. Simply amazing.

M- great plus side morbidly obese body. Yeah its thick, chewy and gives the tongue something to play with.

D- hell yes we need to get some road beers.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2010 00:13:52 | More by Wetpaperbag

MrTopher

California

4.9/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Served in a tulip at the Surly Goat on May 18th.

A - Pitch Black, impossible to notice any other color other than black. Head is a dark rich mahogany color that fades away very slowly. But leave a nice lace around the glass.

S - Oak, Bourbon, Molasses, very complex but inviting.

T - The first taste is an explosion of chocolate that doesn't overpower, but invites the taste buds in for more and more. The next flavor that is present is a hint of coffee with some oakyness to the party, followed closely by a hint of bourbon with some molasses and vanilla. Every taste gets better and better.

M - Balanced and even, never to think or to flat, constant happiness from the front to the back all around the palette. This gets a 5 without a doubt. As described below velvet is spot on.

D - One of the smoothest Imperial Stouts on the market, easily!

Serving type: on-tap

05-24-2010 22:36:36 | More by MrTopher

PittBeerGirl

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thanks Kevin for sharing this!

A- Body is big, thick, opaque and black. Pours with a soapy light brown head, which fades quickly, to a thin collar and leaves behind little lacing in the glass.

S- Nose is all about the bourbon barrel. Very woody, quite boozy, with a mild cocoa and bourbon sweetness.

T- Upfront is a big dose of roasted chocolate malt-which isn't present in the nose really at all and a pleasant surprise in the flavor. There is also a lot of oak and some bourbon. The alcohol becomes prominent for the finish in both flavor and heat.

M- Body is fairly heavy with a moderate weight and a lot of astringent alcohol consistency.

D- This brew, much like the full sail BBL stout, showcases the aspects of the barrel rather than the stout itself. Nothing wrong with that-but I prefer more balance. Its a decent, above average brew overall.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2010 20:03:54 | More by PittBeerGirl

Beerzebub

District of Columbia

4.47/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured in a big wine glass at 57F.

Almost a true black, and quite opaque. Small tan head quickly subsides to a ring of froth. Delicate smattering of lace.

Aroma like molasses cookie dough, floating in some red wine and vanilla-y oaky bourbon. Deep, dark, sweet, chewy, heady. Quite alluring.

Huge molasses-chocolate flavor up front, very tasty, with some complex coffee notes coming in, and underlying bourbon that gradually grows but never dominates. Flashes of red wine, more subtle than in the aroma. Long finish, coffee-chocolate-bourbon-molasses, with some slight burnt bitterness. Cohesive and very tasty.

Smooth medium-full body, with the extreme tininess of the bubbles ratcheting up the richness. A pleasure to drink.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2010 08:02:23 | More by Beerzebub

billshmeinke

California

4.75/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a 22oz. wine glass. Gotta say the packaging on this is really classy.

Fairly hard pour yields an almost 2 finger mocha head that fades to a soapy looking cap of foam. Nice lacing left behind, and some oily legs.

The nose on this evokes raisin pudding, chocolate fudge, cocoa nibs, a bit of plumb, and a roasted malt characteristic reminiscent of espresso. There is also caramel, vanilla, and bourbon. Whiffs of alcohol.

The taste is of raisins/raisin pudding, bitter dark chocolate, chocolate fudge, pecan or praline nuttiness, caramel, and english toffee. Some peat, roasted espresso, vanilla and bourbon flavor finish and linger. Wonderfully complex without being too sweet, and sporting a nice bitterness to balance things out. Everything you would want from a barrel aged imperial stout.

Thick and full bodied. A bit syrupy, and sticky. Coats the mouth. On the lower end of medium carbonation, but still quite creamy. Very smooth, and almost no trace of heat. A tiny bite on the end.

The drinkability is pretty unreal for 13% abv. Ridiculous how little heat this beer has. Definitely alcohol present, but well hidden.

Firestone Walker knocked this one out of the park. You can tell the influence this beer had on Firestone Walker 13.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2010 06:16:15 | More by billshmeinke

youradhere

Arkansas

4.88/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Had at Jakes on tap, presented in a nice 8oz glass. Pitch black with no head. Smells like chocolate and burnt marshmallows, thick caramel malt and puppy kisses. Tastes like chocolate and burnt marshmallow, light char and a slight bitterness on the tail end. The alcohol warms just right and collaborates with the flavors decadently. Mouthfeel is perfect and the alcohol is sneaking up. I can see why there is so much hype on this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-24-2010 01:10:48 | More by youradhere

popery

California

4.6/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

City Beer Store, Parabola release party. Two incredible barrel-aged beers from Firestone Walker in one night. Parabola pours a wall-to-wall black with a great brown head, thick and creamy. The aroma is complex and wonderful. Bourbon and oak are probably the strongest notes, but they don't dominate quite as much as in Parabola. There's a ton of dark chocolate, a healthy dose of roasted malt and a touch of vanilla. Brown sugar, molasses and caramel round it out. The flavor is all barrel-aged imperial stout goodness. All of those roasty sugars did their magic in the barrel, changing and blending with the barrel notes. It's not exactly sweet, but there are plenty of sugars present. There's definitely no unpleasant cloying sensation, despite its viscous feel. The finish gives a mild hop bite. This is a wonderful imperial stout.

Serving type: on-tap

05-23-2010 05:20:06 | More by popery

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Mr. Chopin for sharing this one.

A-pours jet black liquied with a nice mocha colored head that is quite dense

S-the nose is quite big, nice dark chocolate up front, notes of smoke. the wood kicks in, hint of vanilla with a good bit of booze in the back.

T-the taste is quite nicely balanced. lots of roasted malts and dark chocolate. the oak comes in behind and shows signs of vanilla. hints of alcohol in the back.

M-the body is huge, thick, soft and and velvety. carbonation holds the body, a little chalky in the feel with a good bitey finish.

D-this is a nice imperial stout with some good balance between the roasted malts and the barrel aging. not hugely complex and a little boozy but not bad.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2010 20:34:35 | More by cpetrone84

SShelly

California

4.53/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On draft at the Surly Goat, cant wait to secure some bottles.

Aroma is dark and chocolaty, lots of roast and dark malt, vanilla and booze creep in around the edges.

Pour is solid black with a thick brown cascading head.

Flavor follows along with the aroma fairly closely, dark chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, roast, some backend sweetness, heat in the throat and chest but not really hot in the mouth.

Simply delicious, like I said really cant wait for a bottle or 5 to make it my way, damn fine offering.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2010 21:09:32 | More by SShelly

Overlord

California

4.55/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

On tap near me. Finally.

Pours black. Completely opaque. Sucks light from the surrounding area. Dark brown crust and foam that quickly dies down to edging. Just light swirls of foam coats the brew's top.

Smells, oddly enough, somewhat muted. Hmm.. Some roasted malt, a bit of dark chocolate, more roastiness ... not exactly an aroma bomb.

Taste is much more robust. Superlative, in fact. Layered bourbon with dark and milk chocolate, some roasted cocoa, a ton of vanilla (yum), some bitter aftertaste that's almost like burnt coffee or maybe some sort of hops.

Mouthfeel is awesome. Just pure viscous velvet. One of the best I can recall.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2010 07:50:42 | More by Overlord

callmescraps

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap for the bottle release (kind of ironic) at the Goat.

Appearance- Black. About a quarter inch of dark brown, mocha head. Settles into a ring. No lacing to speak of.

Smell- Subdued. Roast. Coffee grounds. Some burnt char. As well as some bittersweet chocolate. Toffee.

Taste- Roastiness. It's pretty hot, could certainly use some time to mellow out. Hint of sweet cherry but it's lost behind that roast. Oak and lots of char, like the barrel it was aged in was burned. Similar to the 13th Anniversary, for obvious reasons, but it's less sweet/balanced. There's a reason that beer is blended, because by itself the Parabola is a little intense. Bitter chocolate lingers.

Mouthfeel- Silky smooth. Coats the tongue beautifully. The best part of this beer for sure.

Drinkability- The first third of the pour was very pleasant, but it became a chore to finish. Probably took about 45 minutes. It was quite intense. It tasted like burning. The alcohol really kicks you in the teeth.

This beer needs some time to mellow out. It's pretty hot right now, and the roast is intense. I'd love some more bourbon or vanilla or something to even things out. Basically, I want it to be 13, which it isn't. On it's own it's a good beer, but I just know how much better it could be.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2010 03:57:22 | More by callmescraps

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to Skuter for getting this out to me.

A: Pours near-black with a nice tan head that sticks around with a bit of lacing.

S: Very, very nice. The first thing I notice is quite a bit of oak alongside some vanilla and bits of char. In the background there are notes of chocolate and roasted coffee.

T: Much the same as the nose, but the roasted malt and oak take over a little bit, not allowing many of the subtle complexities to come through. It is very clear that this played a big role in the final FW13 blend.

M: Nice and creamy. Medium to full body.

D: Quite drinkable, although I really wish that the flavor profile was as well-integrated and complex as the nose. I'm definitely looking forward to trying this with a bit of age on it.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2010 00:45:34 | More by Thorpe429

djmichaelk

Florida

4.68/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Firestone taproom in Paso Robles, May, 2010. 4oz tasting snifter (several of them).

A - Good two finger head, mocha in color, medium bubbles. The folks at the taproom know how to pour a beer. Very dark, as expected. Just a bit of light around the edges, coffee colored, of course. Decent lacing down the glass -- patchy, no rings. Nice looking beer.

S - Oh my! This is why I drove all the way down here. Strong french roast coffee and dark chocolate in the aroma. More of the coffee as you go along, with the bitterness fading toward the end. Excellent.

T - WOW. This is hard to drink slowly. The coffee is more forward, just how I like it. The sweetness is there in decent amounts, like a chocolate dessert, but the dryness keeps it from being overbearing the some stouts are. I didn't get a whole lot of barrel or bourbon in this, only hints of them, but that didn't hurt it at all. Everything seemed just right. I would have loved to try this with a food pairing, but no luck. Delicious.

M - Velvety. Definitely full bodied, and coats the mouth but then gets out of the way. Carbonation seems just right.

D - Unbelievable that this is 13%. I had four 4oz snifters, and while I definitely felt it, it was all I could do to not just sit and keep ordering more. If I hadn't had to drive two hours to get home, I probably would have. (Edit: just read some of the other reviews, and realized that others said almost the same thing. Nice to know I wasn't the only one.)

Overall -- I want to go back to try it again to be sure, but right now I'm about ready to say that this is the best stout that I've tried to date. Absolutely fantastic.

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2010 17:32:19 | More by djmichaelk

olympuszymurgus

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A fine stout, a good showing from the boys in cali. The roast is big, the fruits present, it feels lacking though. I want more vanilla, more licorice, more fire. Stupidly smooth for such a virginal imperial stout, take that as a positive or negative or moot point from whatever your vantage.

I think my hesitation with this beer is the lack of identity. Its like so many other RISs, its just a fairly smooth one. A fine showing, but not one I would put in a fancy box and charge too much for.

I like it, I like it a lot in fact, I just would rather have an abyss.

Serving type: on-tap

05-11-2010 21:02:36 | More by olympuszymurgus

ThreeWiseMen

California

4.13/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Following review (written by Nick) based on notes from Saturday, April 3, 2010. Sampled at the Firestone Walker Brewery in Paso Robles, CA.

Served in a 5oz. snifter.

Appearance: A tall, brown, foamy, head emerges from a syrupy, pitch black body (looked like chocolate syrup coming out of the tap). Absolutely no light penetrates the thick, oily, body. Head retains nicely, but loses some of its color with time. Light, sudsy lacing. (4.5)

Smell: Huge toffee, chocolate cake/fudge, and bourbon. Wow! Charred oak, dark chocolate, and loads of malt add to the mix. Absolutely massive! The bourbon burn grows stronger as the beer warms, but never to a point where it's offensive. This would pair fantastically with a rich desert or cigar. I love it! (5.0)

Taste: Lots of dark chocolate, accompanied by bourbon, chocolate mousse, vanilla, and roasted malt. The bourbon is really assertive, and the roasted malt produces some solid bitterness, too. Extremely rich and cake-y. (4.5)

Mouthfeel: I struggled scoring this one; if allowable, I'd give it a 4.25. I love the robust, malty body, but the bourbon burn is pretty harsh. Not as syrupy as expected. Very heavy, warm, and dry. (4.25)

Drinkability: Addictive. I ordered three snifters back-to-back-to-back, and would have kept it going if my ride didn't have to leave. The burn is completely tolerable with all of the other flavors and aromas coming out of this beer. What a beauty! Can't wait til it's bottled! (4.5)

Overall Score from Wiseman Nick: A+ (4.58)

///

The following review is written by Wiseman Justin. He (I) sampled it earlier today (04-14-2010) Following review written from notes. It was hard to average these two reviews due to the disparity however I know Wiseman Nick wouldn't give out a 5 on smell haphazardly as such I did not average out the scores for smell.

Served in a snifter.

Appearance: Dark with a tight head. Looks like an exemplar of it's style. Nothing flashy going on. Very light lacing and very little head. 4.0

Smell: I get bourbon and some slight ash/smoke. Slight chocolate. Somewhat boring actually. 3.5

Taste: Taste a lot like a barleywine. The alcohol is very prevalent; chocolate is there along with bourbon and a slight burnt aftertaste. 3.75

Mouthfeel: Slick and slimy. I guess it 'feels' more like a barleywine then it 'tastes' like one. Although this is not necessarily a bad thing at all. 4.0

Drinkability: Not as high as I would hope. There are far more drinkable beers for this style. I will say this; I want the beer Wiseman Nick got. 3.5

Overall Score from Wiseman Justin: B (3.75)

Serving type: on-tap

04-06-2010 02:53:55 | More by ThreeWiseMen

hoppymcgee

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Had on tap at Spuyten Duyvil in Brooklyn on 3/22/10.

A: I really shouldn't even rate (I mean review) the appearance because the lighting is dim in Spuyten. Poured black with a beige head with big bubbles and swirls throughout. Good lacing too.

S: Wow! Vanilla, oak, maple leaf, faint rum aroma, and most of all ooey gooey caramel - sort of like a Caramello bar.

T: Bittersweet chocolate layered with oaky and vanilla flavors, a caramel filling, and a coffee finish. The taste gets dramatically better as the beers warms up.

M: Silky smooth. I would even go as far to say this was luxurious or elegant.

D: There's no way this is 13%! Not a hint of booze until its already down warming your chest.

What a treat! Thanks to the guys at Spuyten Duyvil!

Serving type: on-tap

03-24-2010 01:18:57 | More by hoppymcgee

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.78/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at The Stone Brewing Bistro & World Gardens on 11/13/09 during their Firestone Walker 13th on the 13th event. Served in a snifter.

Pours an inpenetrable dense black, with a 1/2 finger mix of reddish burnt and chocolately brown head. The retention on this is VERY rich, on the edges, with some thinner wisps in the center, leaving a strong latticework of heavy spotty lacing and brown gooey residue behind. Bourbon, vanilla, and oaky tannins jump out of the aroma at me first. This in no way overruns the nose, as a velvety smooth layer dwells underneath the barrel character, just dripping notes of chocolate syrup, molasses, roasted coffee, flaked oats, licorice, and coconut. Some alcohol hangs heavy with a pang of warmth in the nose, but it never does get overly intrusive or stinging.

The taste starts out with a rich & thick base of dark gooey chocolate, which the other flavors then seem to quickly gather around. Roast, coffee, vanilla, chewy oats, licorice, dark cherries, and finally shredded roasted coconut (which really puts this over the top), all wrap around that big chocolate sweetness, making for about as decadent of a flavor profile as I could hope for or want from this. Bourbon is flavorful (char and molasses are poking out at me) yet it is still fairly restrained in the finish, along with that every present slick woody character. It is just so WELL balanced in here with the other flavors, with the majority of the barrel coming out with a dry flush in the backend of the profile. The mouthfeel is full bodied, with a huge creaminess to it from the oats. That powerful ABV is present (you can literally feel it raging underneath each sip) but the flavors are so equally mammouth here, it just perfectly masks any actual alcohol taste. It pretty much just leaves a slight haze on the breath, with much of any alcohol flavor coming from the bourbon and not the ABV.

Wow, the flavor and complexity of this was just outrageous and it's no wonder that the Anniversary blends are always so awesome with this being a big part of each one. This is one of the finest barrel-aged Stouts I've that I've had this year and I personally think that this is a bit underrated on here. Just fantastic stuff all around!

Serving type: on-tap

12-14-2009 17:59:28 | More by Kegatron

slaintemhor

Oregon

4.35/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap at the anniversary of Bailey's Taproom in summer of 2009. The colour was black with some caramel coloured edges. The aroma was brimming with toffee, dark chocolate and burnt caramel. On the palate, there was little CO2, but no matter as there was such a viscous character that CO2 seemed trivial. Loads of dark chocolate, coffee, treacle, toffee, caramel, molasses and I think a hint of lust and greed just for good measure.

Serving type: on-tap

12-01-2009 02:13:59 | More by slaintemhor

nickd717

California

4.3/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had a bunch of this at GABF. All in all, it's a pretty kick-ass imperial stout.

A - Pitch black and viscous with no head to speak of.

S - Aroma is roast, chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, and wood. Not too much bourbon.

T - Flavor is intense, awesome, and fairly sweet, with roasted malt, coffee, rich chocolate cake, hints of dark fruit, bourbon, oak, and vanilla. Nicely balanced. This is, as I would have said 10 years ago in my awkward youth, "the bomb diggity."

M - Mouthfeel is smooth, slick, and viscous with low carbonation.

D - Good for a -bal aged imperial stout.

Serving type: on-tap

10-18-2009 23:53:02 | More by nickd717

womencantsail

California

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

On tap at the Blue Palms 1st Anniversary

A: Dark as night and wonderful viscosity to it. No head and no visible carbonation.

S: Vanilla, chocolate, licorice, some graham cracker, and slight booze.

T: A truly amazing beer. Very smooth vanilla flavor from the barrel, lots of chocolate, and some graham cracker. The booze is very well hidden in this monster, as well.

M: Huge body, velvety smooth.

D: I was expecting this one to be really overwhelming, but it wasn't at all. A fantastic beer, one that I wish I could have more often, and I actually ended up buying two glasses of it today.

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2009 08:55:08 | More by womencantsail

JoeySchlitz

California

4.55/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Recently enjoyed this on tap at Tornado with abfraser.

A: A great looking stout with a small mocha colored head which recedes to lacing that lasts to the bottom of the glass. Pretty much black - no light getting through this one.

S: Fantastic smell - getting a load of candied sugar, chocolate, actually smells somewhat like an almond joy bar put into a blender and mixed with coffee and bourbon. The alcohol smacks you in the face with this one - you can tell it's a bit hot.

T: Taste follows the smell and the alcohol is again very apparent. Has a strong kick at the beginning followed by a rich, chocolaty mocha aftermath. There is a bit of a bite on the tail end with the higher abv warming its way into your stomach. Given that this is the base beer for the 12th anniversary blend the two are very similar.

M: Great creamy texture with good level of carbonation - not too thick but coats the mouth and leaves a bit of coffee aftertaste on the palate.

D: I'd love to put back this stuff all day but with the high octane it will put you on your ass. The only detriment and one thing that could improve it just a bit is to dial back some of the heat. One of the best imperial stouts out there.

Overall an awesome brew that I'm glad to have had the chance to try.

Serving type: on-tap

07-18-2009 00:43:16 | More by JoeySchlitz

bulletrain76

California

4.33/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Draught at The Blue Palms. Black with a small tan head. Smooth deeply roasted malt and bourbon aroma. The flavor is an integrated blend of dark chocolate cake, caramel, vanilla, and light bourbon. The wood shows lightly but the overall barrel character is very integrated into the whole presentation of the beer, and the heat from the bourbon doesn't approach the richness of the malt. Thick with a silky texture. Probably the best bourbon-aged stout that I've had. The aging adds lots of complexity without drowning out the base beer. Firestone Walker needs to quite wasting all of this in the anniversary blends and bottle it as a separate release.

Serving type: on-tap

06-10-2009 19:42:16 | More by bulletrain76

barnzy78

Illinois

4.55/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at For The Love of Hops Festival - Two Brothers Brewing Co, Warrenville, IL. 9oz serving in a plastic cup (unfortunately).

Poured black with a light brown head that dissipated quickly, but expected given the ABV. Aromas were rich with hints of roasted malts, bittersweet chocolate, and coffee. Tastes were full and rich also - bold roasted malts, dark chocolate sweetness that lingers with notes of coffee, anise and maybe some bourbon. Mouth-feel was thick, smooth, creamy and chewy - excellent! Finished with a hint of pepper as the dark chocolate lingers on the palate. I had no clue this was 13% ABV while drinking it, and would recommend this to anyone who can get their hands on it! Excellent treat to have this one on tap!

Serving type: on-tap

06-06-2009 21:45:02 | More by barnzy78

tjthresh

Indiana

4/5  rDev -13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I tried this beer at The Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beer 08. This beer pours black with a brown head. The aroma is light toast with plenty of chocolate and fruit. Well balanced bourbon, oak, and chocolate flavors. The mouthfeel is oily and the finish is sweet.

Serving type: on-tap

02-13-2009 18:04:39 | More by tjthresh

SacoDeToro

California

4.47/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Beachwood BBQ.

The beer was a dark coal black with a dense brown head.

The aroma of the beer was of roated coffee, intense malt, licorice, chocolate, vanilla, and alcohol.

The flavor of the beer was intesely malty. Chocolate, coffee, chewy malt, and notes of licorice made up the bulk of the flavor. The bourbon notes peaked through with some vanilla and oak accents. The hops hit towards the finish and helped balance out some of the sweetness of the beer.

The carbonation was soft and complimented the flavors well. The slightly viscous mouthfeel was not quite as heavy as I would have expected for a beer this beer. This beer coated your mouth with intense flavors that seamlessly cascaded from one to the other. The 13% alcohol was very well hidden.

This is a wonderful beer with tremendous complexity. Enjoyed best over an hour's period to allow it to warm and transition through a myriad of rich flavors. Very drinkable for such a big beer. I had no trouble enjoying a full-sized glass.

Serving type: on-tap

01-21-2009 19:09:04 | More by SacoDeToro