Firestone 14 - Anniversary Ale - Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

Monicagm

California

2.85/5  rDev -35.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Dark brown color with low carbonation and a thin head.

At first you get an umami scent but eventually it starts smelling like dark chocolate.

Has a chocolate taste.

Heavy mouthfeel.

Overall, an ok beer. Not one that I would be able to drink an entire glass of because the taste is heavier than I'd like it to be.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 19:38:54 | More by Monicagm

jmarsh123

Indiana

2.93/5  rDev -33.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Decided to raid the cellar to see how this one is holding up. Pours dark brown with a small tan head. Decent retention and a bit of lacing down the glass.

Lots of sweetness in the aroma. Brown sugar and molasses with a touch of cocoa. Not element of heat anymore.

Sweet taste as well. Brown sugar and molasses are evident with a touch of coconut and dark chocolate. A little bit of bourbon presence, but most heat is gone. Really just kind of bland and sweet.

Mouthfeel is on the thin side which is a complaint I have on most FW anny beers although age seems to thinned it out past an acceptable point. Carbonation is holding up well.

Proof once again FW beers are best fresh. Having had both XV and XVI recently, they are both tremendously better than this. Really just kind of bland at this point.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 15:59:24 | More by jmarsh123

oregone

Oregon

3/5  rDev -32%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle into shifter
Pours fairly low carb. A ring of lace around the edge settles in quickly from the moderate pour and light initial head. Dark brown bordering on transparent black.

Smells decent. Big oak and creamy barrel presence with some age apparent in the softness. Nothing aggressive here. Coconut. Rich maltiness.

Not so good. Stale old soft carboardy flavors. This has not aged well at all. Big hit of coconutty oak and pronounced booziness out of line. Very hot on the finish and the aggressive barrel character lingers on the finish. Some melanoiden and deep malt character fighting the stale flavor.

Nice mouthfeel. The low carb is about perfect here. Luscious, rich and decadent. Would be great if I want the flavor hanging around.

Overall, not great. Not unpleasantly bad, but not good. I'd rather look at it and smell it. I would pass if offered it in the future.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 03:04:25 | More by oregone

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.23/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

650 mL bottle poured into a snifter. Reviewed from notes.

Appearance - Dark, not quite black. No head. Some legs and lace.

Smell - Bourbon barrel, but mostly the spirit smell. Lacks a complex barrel aroma. Sweet. Vanilla and caramel come through, but that's about it. It's all bourbon and only a hint of beer.

Taste - Alcohol. Caramel. Booze. No oak. The barrel seems lost again. Very sweet with bourbon. Hop bitterness but not enough to give it any semblance of complexity.

Mouthfeel - Boozy and sweet. Low carbonation. Thick and syrupy. Slow to drink.

Overall - It's bourbon without any of the good barrel notes that usually accompany it. I don't really love the beer behind it, either. Uninteresting.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 22:11:21 | More by Alieniloquium

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -26.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark black liquid with a hint of red on the edges and a somewhat creamy tan head. The nose has the most bourbon and barrel of the series compared (11-14) and it seems a bit too present. sweet toffee and vanilla, a bit sugary. The flavor is similar, too sugary and too much barrel and bourbon. Vanilla, marshmellow, sweet toffee, light roasted and a bit of heat. Medium body, smooth and the most carbonated.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 14:56:13 | More by cpetrone84

xhuskr

California

3.3/5  rDev -25.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Awesome aroma on this beer along with an appearance that could make me wait. Very complex brew, but the alcohol was a bit too much overall for me. I didn't finish my glass so I share it with others. The bourbon flavor was a bit strong for my palate at this time, but I look forward to trying this again when it's not so hot. Two bottles have been put away along with my other FW anniversary brews. I would say this beer is a must try, but not a must finish...yet.

Serving type: on-tap

11-24-2010 18:55:28 | More by xhuskr

jnn4v

Virginia

3.53/5  rDev -20%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Dark mahogany / espresso brown color. Barely translucent. Very little head that is a surprisingly light color - almost white. No visible sediment or haze.

S: Smoke, grainy sweet dark malt, molasses and sorghum. Bourbon, vanilla and oak. Cocoa powder.

T: Very sharp alcohol burn. Very hot - singes the back of my throat and hot burn on the tongue in the aftertaste. Cocoa powder, molasses and a hint of licorice.

M: Relatively thin mouthfeel. Not terribly much carbonation. Seems reasonable for the genre, albeit a bit less body than I'd prefer.

D: Moderate drinkability. Seems to be challenging to drink at both the cold and warmer temperatures.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2010 21:18:42 | More by jnn4v

Wegomlegging

Virginia

3.53/5  rDev -20%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Dark brown pour with very weak head. Excellent full oaky boozy smell with burnt brown sugar and caramel. Remarkable flavor considering the high alcohol presence, with malt, sugar, and caramel. Mouthfeel a bit thin. Great tasting beer overall, overcoming skepticism of "blended" beer. Drinkability suffers a bit with high alcohol presence, which can be overcome as evidenced by many other beers.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2011 12:42:17 | More by Wegomlegging

madvermin

California

3.55/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured a Coca-Cola brown with no real head. Only a thin, light tan cap was present and remained static throughout the drink. The body was murky and only slightly translucent.

Smelled of licorice, molasses, some crisp herbal hops and semi-sweet chocolate. Smells pungent but not overly so. At the same time it seems rough around the edges.

Taste follows with molasses and charred malt, some pine astringency and mellow chocolate before moving to a slightly burnt coffee finish. Again, the blended nature of this beer isn't hidden as well as I'd have liked, but it is definitely solid.

Mouthfeel is surprisingly light in terms of body when contrasted with the flavors. A coating is left between sips and carbonation is livelier than expected after seeing the head. Drinkability is good but held back by that roughness; it got harder to drink the further into the glass I got.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 20:52:01 | More by madvermin

gregshead

California

3.63/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Jet black with little carbonation. Swirled it and had very little in bubbles stick to the side of the glass.

S: Mmm. Vanilla/Oak overwhelms my smell.

T: Oak taste dominates my palate. Other more suttle tastes are hard to pick out. Very well blended but lacks a complexity

M: Smooth with little but some carbonation.

D: A solid blended aged beer but it didn't blow me away. Lots of oak taste.

Maybe my palate is not ready for this masterpiece but it seems like it just didn't have the complexity I was hoping for in a blended beer like this. Overall a good beer but not amazing.

Serving type: on-tap

11-07-2010 05:55:07 | More by gregshead

calir1

Oregon

3.63/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

So I must say that I appreciate the barrel aging thing, but this beer is like a beer whiskey. It looks good, smells like a bourbon barrel and tastes like whiskey covered in beer. It tastes great, but sip after sip of this taste gets to me. The first few were really good, but it seems I missed the beer part of this and drank a diluted beer induced bourbon. I get that this beer was aged in these containers, but I assume it takes on the flavor and not be the flavor. It is good, but way to much alcohol flavor for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2010 00:37:30 | More by calir1

Kristienhare

California

3.63/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This beer had an extraordinary smell. At first I thought it had a type of soy sauce aroma but then I notice it was more of a dark chocolate smell. The taste of the beer was a little bitter for me but it left a hint of dark chocolate in your mouth which was very good. The after taste of the beer was very delicious.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 06:37:48 | More by Kristienhare

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A: Pours black with ruby highlights and 1 finger of fluffy white head that dissipates moderately slow. Low carbonation.

N: Vanilla, oak, booze and nuts.

T: Oak, vanilla, toffee, dark chocolate, almonds, red grapes, brown sugar, molasses with hints of citrus. There's a lot going on and a lot of tastes tend to get muddled together.

M: Very full bodied and creamy.

D: This stuff is thick with a 12.5% ABV which makes it a super-sipper. Alcohol is well hidden.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2011 23:39:09 | More by justintcoons

Overlord

California

3.68/5  rDev -16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I'm just not sure what to make of these anniversary blends. 10 was fantastic. 11, fresh, was as good if not better. 12 after a few months was also superb. Not the hugest fan of 13, and now ... well, this was fairly meh.

Pours a dark brown with ruby/ruddy highlights. Almost no head or bubbling, just some crust around the edges of the glass.

Smells boozy with bourbon, brandy, and just straight alcohol. Wow. Lot of heat here. Tons of vanilla, oak, and ... chocolate and dark fruits in the aroma.

Taste is surprisingly fruit forward, considering it wasn't really in the nose all that much. Kind of a raisin puree base, with chocolate, more oak, tons of alcohol (bourbon and that kind of weird port alcohol flavor), more alcohol, yet more alcohol, and an interesting aged fruit liqueur flavor mixed in. It's just too. damned. hot, and the base, while flavorful, isn't strong enough to balance it out.

Mouthfeel was nice and slushy, but it was a chore to finish the entire 22 oz., and I love me some booze.

**I pulled the ingredient list out of the trash and was very surprised to see a bunch of barleywines and a double (???) pale ale featured predominantly. Okay... that's interesting ... but I'd say having three or four "lighter" barrel aged beers in the mix is probably the reason for the alcohol heat without the accompanying stronger flavoring.

I don't know ... considering the price tag, I'm tempted to be pretty harsh with this review, but I guess I'll leave the cost out of it. I'm glad I didn't buy more than the three bottles I did.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2010 10:15:17 | More by Overlord

beagle75

Iowa

3.68/5  rDev -16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber into a half-pint chalice.

A: Slightly hazy, medium red-brown color with a peripheral ring of light beige bubbles. No lacing remains on the glass.

S: Brown sugar, vanilla, maraschino cherries, tamarind, and earthy spirit all combine to good effect in the nose. A moderate alcohol presence is pervasive and comfortable.

T: Begins off-dry, with molasses and roasted malt that is slightly scorched. Carbonic acidity is strong into the middle where plentiful bourbon and oak qualities develop. Dark chocolate and more bourbon are in pleasant company by the finish which is boozy, drying, and moderately bitter.

M: Thin to medium viscosity; wet, hot, and slightly acidic on the palate; with low carbonation.

D/O: Potent in its flavor intensity, but diminished by a level of acidity that just isn't welcome in a beer of such heft. Still, barrel qualities are captured in appealing fashion, particularly in the smell, making it a worthwhile strong ale.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 22:49:49 | More by beagle75

Halcyondays

California

3.7/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Glad to have a relatively innocuous path to this beer, so far the 11 is the only one I've had to go on an active search for, 25.4 oz. bottle,

A: Pours brown, with a moderate tan head for the so-called style, limited lace.

S: Lots of caramel, some booze. Treacle dominates, an inviting nose as all its brethen in the past have been.

T: Lots of dark chocolate, caramel and barrel. The booze is there a bit, but the overall flavour is nice. Good complexity overall.

M: Full-bodied, fairly smooth, little boozy.

D: Everyone's saying this is the best since the legendary 11, so I was real excited. It's good as they've all been, but the 12 was clearly better earlier. Like the 13 this is a beer that needs some time to find itself, it needs aging, that is my final suggestion for the 14, give it a year.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2010 05:29:58 | More by Halcyondays

mjn5036

New Hampshire

3.73/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Coca-Cola brown in the pour; black whilst in the glass. Small off-white head quickly rises and falls. No visible lacing.
N: The bourbon notes seem to hit me up front, bringing with it caramel, sugar and vanilla. A combination of sweet fruit notes and righteous hops come together to create an interesting smelling brew for sure.
T: Bourbon and dark fruits seem to dominate the palate, with some bitter hops in the aftermath.
M: Big and viscous with too little carbonation to make it as drinkable as I would like.
O: A bit too boozy. While it has a lot going on I don’t think all the flavors are integrated as well as I was hoping for.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 01:49:08 | More by mjn5036

Sean9689

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -15%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Beerness for the bottle! Poured into a Bruery tulip.

A - Pours dark brown, slightly red. Light tan-colored head, no lace and some whisps remain on top here and there.

S - Lots of booze, oak, chocolate, roast, and malts. There's a large amount of booze here, which I expected, and that stands out over the rest.

T - Booze, chocolate, barrel, caramel, and malts. The barrel character is very nice and I can tell this one is going to be awesome, with the large amount of bourbon I'm getting out of this.

M - Full, smooth and rich, light carbonation, creamy finish.

O - Very boozy, but that's to be expected. I'm going to wait another year and crack another bottle and give this another shot. While it's a good beer right now, I think in another year or so, it will be great.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2011 22:56:23 | More by Sean9689

Mora2000

Texas

3.8/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to mar for sharing this bottle. I have been looking forward to this one.

The beer pours a dark brown coilor with a white head. The aroma is a disappointment. It it not bad, but it is not what I was expecting. I get a lot of soy and toffee, as well as some leather. I also get something that resembles trash. Hopefully the flavor will be better.

For the flavor, I get a lot of roasted malt and chocolate, which is coupled with a lot of barrel-aging characteristics. I get a nice amount of oak and maple, as well as quite a bit of vanilla. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Luckily, the flavor was much better than the aroma, which salvaged this beer. Glad I got to try this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2010 02:15:46 | More by Mora2000

JustinA1

California

3.83/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Shared with ThreeWiseMen on 11/17/10. Poured into a Brandy Snifter.

A - Pours deep brown and turns pitch black in the glass with brown edges when held up to the light. Light bubbles grace the surface with a small head around the rim. Swirls to a burnt yellow with a half centimeter head.

S - Toffee, Malt Balls, Bourbon and Dark yet Sweet malts. Roasty with a bright nose.

T - Neutralized Bourbon with a light bitter finish. Frankly, hoping for more, Alcohol comes on strong and blasts through the lighter, milder malts without giving them a chance. There's an amber trying to break free. Finishes with a slight medicinal taste and a light hop bitterness.

M - Great, chewy, coats the mouth. Carbonation takes a back seat and allows the fantastic texture and viscosity to pervade. Alcoholic burn in the finish.

D - Lot of alcohol for a fairly mild-flavored beer. I'd give it time, but I worry slightly that age may accentuate some of the negative flavors. Will definitely try again in six months, though.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2010 05:43:46 | More by JustinA1

Pencible

Virginia

3.85/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

A: This poured a nearly opaque dark mahogany with a bit of tan head.
S: It smelled like lots of bourbon and dark chocolate and rich coffee, with lots of oak and some alcohol.
T: It tasted like super sweet tootsie roll chocolate, with rubbing alcohol and coffee and licorice. It had a super hot and bittersweet aftertaste.
M: It was thick and oily with a bit of carbonation. Nice and full.
D: This had a great scent and taste, with excellent body. But tons of alcohol made this a sipping beer only. It was surprisingly not complex, unless all the subtleties were drowned out by the heat. Aging this for a long time would probably turn it into a delicious beast. Drinking it fresh is like tasting a glimpse of its future glory.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2010 00:35:59 | More by Pencible

DaveJanssen

British Columbia (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at brouwers served in a snifter. Reviewed 2 January 2011.

Ar: Sweet chocolate, rich caramel, alcohol, burnt huints, heavy and strong caramel/toffee

Ap: Black, low light tan head, good retention, lace hints

T: Chocolate, roast, alcohol, definitely tastes like a dark barleywine was a major component, molasses, rich syrupy dark malt with slight roughness, sweet balanced, maple

M: Medium/thick body, alcohol is warm/hot, low/mid carbonation

O: good but it is too hot, not stoked on the slight roughness to the darker malt

Serving type: on-tap

08-25-2011 00:45:49 | More by DaveJanssen

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Hazelnut color. Coffee bubble tan head leaves a lacey coral display consistent skim of retention. Pretty good for 12.5%.

Eathy, dare I say natural aroma of wood char, cocoa nib, blackberry brandy,and dark coffee grounds that have sat in the bodom all night because I forgot to wash it.

With multiple layers of flavor its as complex as all get out. Char, bitter bakers chocolate and brownie batter. Blackberry and black cherry buried under all the char and chocolate. Mild heat. Plush mouthfeel.

I can see what the hype is all about but it's just not my bag baby. There's almost too much going that I can't comfortably process it all. Like acid jazz in beer form.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2011 17:43:07 | More by donkeyrunner

Oxymoron

Colorado

3.88/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a blackish color with some chestnut brown hues around the color. A soft head with limited retention. Noticeable lacing though.

The nose is complex. Sweet malty undertones with some lighter oak and vanilla notes. Some minor bourbon notes but limited. Some yeasty aromas but kind of hidden by the malt. Some chocolate and toffee notes. Some hint of esters, rose peddles and plums and raisins.

The taste is sweet as well. The malt really comes out with a nice complexity but a bit muddled. Some munich-esk malty notes with chocolate and a hint of roast. Some syrupy almost molasses which lingers into the finish. The oak is light compared to the nose but the bourbon comes out more. Some spicy almost herbal tobacco notes. The yeast is mostly clean, but noticeable esters. Big plum and raisins. Some lighter cloves but limited. Some fusel.

The body is big. Sweet lingers almost on the verge of calling it under attenuated but just a lot going on. Carbonation is very limited to non-exsistant. Overall could use some more time.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2012 18:44:56 | More by Oxymoron

HopHead84

California

3.9/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

11/19/10

Bottle split with my girlfriend. Appears much the same as the draft version: dark brown with a small beige head. This took a while to open up, but when it did the aroma was quite nice. Notes of caramel, toffee, bourbon, earthy hops, brown sugar, and chocolate are apparent. Alcohol is a bit stronger here. Overall, it smells good, but something is missing. Oxidation seems onerous compared to the keg, and the alcohol is a bit too strong. In the flavor I find notes of brown sugar, bourbon, toffee, caramel, oak, and a strong oxidation character coupled with powerful alcohol. Compared to the draft version, the booze and oxidation are much more apparent, and somewhat distracting. The various flavor components don't seem to meld as well as I'd hoped. Overall, it wasn't exactly how I remembered it tasting on draft, and it suffered for it. Still, a less good Firestone Anniversary is still a good beer. I don't think this one will age well. It seems like it would become more disharmonious, and though alcohol heat would wane, the oxidation is already starting off pretty strong and I don't see a solid foundation for it to build on. Though, I don't think 11, 12, or 13 have really aged for the better, so this isn't a new trend in the Firestone Walker Anniversary series, for me.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2010 08:58:14 | More by HopHead84