-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Firestone 13 - Anniversary Ale
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
- From:
- Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
- California, United States
- Style:
- American Strong Ale
- ABV:
- 12%
- Score:
- 97
- Avg:
- 4.39 | pDev: 8.43%
- Reviews:
- 228
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Jun 05, 2023
- Added:
- Nov 02, 2009
- Wants:
- 281
- Gots:
- 137
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by dirtylou:
Reviewed by dirtylou from Oklahoma
4.35/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.35/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
22oz bomber, obtained somewhere along the line and aged a few years
appearance: silver box, black foil - they royal treatment. served in a large unbranded snifter, nice mahogany body, creamy beige lace.
smell: rich aroma - bourbon, caramel and chocolate, wood, vanilla, decadent chocolate cake
taste: rich chocolate cake, nice level of bourbon flavor but without much of any boozy burn, creamy caramel, vanilla, wood, brown sugar, tobacco. Nice stuff - quite drinkable and extremely well balanced given the strength
mouthfeel: rich and full flavored - not overly heavy, light carbonation
overall: nice stuff - a bomber will be surprisingly easy
Dec 04, 2011appearance: silver box, black foil - they royal treatment. served in a large unbranded snifter, nice mahogany body, creamy beige lace.
smell: rich aroma - bourbon, caramel and chocolate, wood, vanilla, decadent chocolate cake
taste: rich chocolate cake, nice level of bourbon flavor but without much of any boozy burn, creamy caramel, vanilla, wood, brown sugar, tobacco. Nice stuff - quite drinkable and extremely well balanced given the strength
mouthfeel: rich and full flavored - not overly heavy, light carbonation
overall: nice stuff - a bomber will be surprisingly easy
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by EMV from Pennsylvania
4.16/5 rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.16/5 rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a bomber into a Dogfish Head tulip
L: Black pour with thin brown barely-there head. Still and oily.
S: Mild oxiation... roasted sugars... vanilla, bourbon, and caramel.
T/F: Sweet... has held up pretty damned well for being 10 years old. Loads of caramel and toffee... boozy... lighter vanilla, chocolate, and bourbon. Lighter baked raisin and dark fruit. Medium to thick bodied... oily/sticky on the tongue.
O: A tasty sipper, and a really BIG beer. Probably past its 'best by' but still damned impressive one I'm really glad I got to try.
Mar 03, 2019L: Black pour with thin brown barely-there head. Still and oily.
S: Mild oxiation... roasted sugars... vanilla, bourbon, and caramel.
T/F: Sweet... has held up pretty damned well for being 10 years old. Loads of caramel and toffee... boozy... lighter vanilla, chocolate, and bourbon. Lighter baked raisin and dark fruit. Medium to thick bodied... oily/sticky on the tongue.
O: A tasty sipper, and a really BIG beer. Probably past its 'best by' but still damned impressive one I'm really glad I got to try.
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania
4.07/5 rDev -7.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.07/5 rDev -7.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Bomber into a snifter appears black in color with a khaki head.
Nose is raison, mild oxidation, milk chocolate and bourbon booziness.
The taste is chocolate, raison, earth, mild oxidation blending to roasty grain contrasted by vanilla and caramel sweetness.
This is medium in body with modest carbonation. This beer was a real delight at ~8 years old. It held up much better than I imagined it would. The alcohol is completely masked making this one dangerously chuggable brew for 12%.
Jan 08, 2018Nose is raison, mild oxidation, milk chocolate and bourbon booziness.
The taste is chocolate, raison, earth, mild oxidation blending to roasty grain contrasted by vanilla and caramel sweetness.
This is medium in body with modest carbonation. This beer was a real delight at ~8 years old. It held up much better than I imagined it would. The alcohol is completely masked making this one dangerously chuggable brew for 12%.
Rated by Can_has_beer from Texas
4/5 rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Getting better, as the vertical goes up. Holding up against the 11 and 12. Still not godly, but showing nicely.
Jun 06, 2016Reviewed by AndyAvalanche from Massachusetts
4.99/5 rDev +13.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
4.99/5 rDev +13.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
39%- Porabola (13% ABV) - Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout - Aged in Bourbon Barrels
24% - Bravo -(11%AVB) Imperial Brown Ale - 2 Barrel varieties Bourbon and Brandy 50/50
15% Velvet Merkin (6% ABV) - Traditional Oatmeal Stout - Aged in Bourbon Barrels
6% Opal - (11%ABV) Wheat Wine- aged in rye barrels
6% Rufus - (11%ABV) Continental Imperial Amber Ale- aged in rye barrels
6% Double Double Barrel Ale - ( 10.9% ABV) - Double Englis Pale Ale - 100% aged in FW union retired barrels
4% Saucerful of Secrets (9% ABV) Belgian Strong Ale - Aged in bourbon barrels.
22 oz bottle poured into a Duvel tulip glass. Out of the bottle towards the glass it's a dark cola brown color but as it pools up in the glass it becomes black and you can't see through it. Still there are some slightly lighter areas producing some slight brown highlights on the side. Slightly darker than kaki colored head with small and medium sized bubbles that sticks around a good portion of the session. Decent lacing and has a nice syrup effect after each sip. It's a good looking beer.
Smells awesome. Sweet aromas of vanilla, molasses, dark grain, ripe and not quite ripe plumbs, and a bit of leather and sweet tobacco. Some hard alcohol aromas, bourbon and a dark rum blend.
Taste is truly outstanding, I absolutely love it. Lots of vanilla, bourbon and bruleed caramel. There's also some sweet toffee flavors but there's a fruity element with flavors of dried plumbs and maybe even some raisons. A lot of natural sweetness, but there's a natural earthiness to the flavor as well. Roast grains, but there's a hop flavor as well at the end especially when it reaches room temp.
Mouthfeel is pretty near perfect, especially considering the style. Full bodied with some nice lingering flavors for several seconds. Nice natural sweetness, very smooth in the middle and has a nice warming finish at the end. A pinch of heat at the end, I wouldn't describe it as "hot" though. Very drinkable beer a very easy sipper. Firestone killed this one and it aged extraordinarily well. Wish I could find more of this one.
Mar 06, 201624% - Bravo -(11%AVB) Imperial Brown Ale - 2 Barrel varieties Bourbon and Brandy 50/50
15% Velvet Merkin (6% ABV) - Traditional Oatmeal Stout - Aged in Bourbon Barrels
6% Opal - (11%ABV) Wheat Wine- aged in rye barrels
6% Rufus - (11%ABV) Continental Imperial Amber Ale- aged in rye barrels
6% Double Double Barrel Ale - ( 10.9% ABV) - Double Englis Pale Ale - 100% aged in FW union retired barrels
4% Saucerful of Secrets (9% ABV) Belgian Strong Ale - Aged in bourbon barrels.
22 oz bottle poured into a Duvel tulip glass. Out of the bottle towards the glass it's a dark cola brown color but as it pools up in the glass it becomes black and you can't see through it. Still there are some slightly lighter areas producing some slight brown highlights on the side. Slightly darker than kaki colored head with small and medium sized bubbles that sticks around a good portion of the session. Decent lacing and has a nice syrup effect after each sip. It's a good looking beer.
Smells awesome. Sweet aromas of vanilla, molasses, dark grain, ripe and not quite ripe plumbs, and a bit of leather and sweet tobacco. Some hard alcohol aromas, bourbon and a dark rum blend.
Taste is truly outstanding, I absolutely love it. Lots of vanilla, bourbon and bruleed caramel. There's also some sweet toffee flavors but there's a fruity element with flavors of dried plumbs and maybe even some raisons. A lot of natural sweetness, but there's a natural earthiness to the flavor as well. Roast grains, but there's a hop flavor as well at the end especially when it reaches room temp.
Mouthfeel is pretty near perfect, especially considering the style. Full bodied with some nice lingering flavors for several seconds. Nice natural sweetness, very smooth in the middle and has a nice warming finish at the end. A pinch of heat at the end, I wouldn't describe it as "hot" though. Very drinkable beer a very easy sipper. Firestone killed this one and it aged extraordinarily well. Wish I could find more of this one.
Reviewed by wisrarebeer from Wisconsin
4.45/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.45/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Extremely drinkable for alcohol strength. Velvety, creamy mouthfeel, well-balanced with rounded malt up front, could use a few more years cellaring (4-6) to round it out a bit.
Feb 20, 2016Reviewed by ReDave from California
3.92/5 rDev -10.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
3.92/5 rDev -10.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
I found this in the back of 'deep storage'. These Anniversary Ales started tasting like pruney strong ales, and this may have been the last year i bought.
This seemed to hold it's age well, maintaining a pretty complex taste.
I'm thinking it might have been a little low carbonization to begin with, and it surely lost some on the way, but maintained enough effervescence to bring out the flavors well. Not much lace however.
As the beer warmed up, it was very drinkable, and hid the higher alcohol well.
Some bourbon, wood, and sweet flavours, very nice.
Jan 25, 2016This seemed to hold it's age well, maintaining a pretty complex taste.
I'm thinking it might have been a little low carbonization to begin with, and it surely lost some on the way, but maintained enough effervescence to bring out the flavors well. Not much lace however.
As the beer warmed up, it was very drinkable, and hid the higher alcohol well.
Some bourbon, wood, and sweet flavours, very nice.
Firestone 13 - Anniversary Ale from Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Beer rating:
97 out of
100 with
407 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!