Firestone 15 - Anniversary Ale - Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

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BA SCORE
96
world-class
-
787 Ratings

rAvg: 4.35
pDev: 12.41%
Reviews: 276
Hads: 511

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Brewed by:
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

California, United States

Style | ABV
American Strong Ale | 12.50% ABV

Availability: Limited (brewed once). bottle (227), on-tap (48), growler (1).

Notes:
This beer is retired; no longer brewed.

18% Helldorado (11.7% ABV) Blonde Barley Wine.
17% Sticky Monkey (12.5% ABV) English Barley Wine.
17% Bravo (13.5% ABV) Imperial Brown Ale.
13% Double Double Barrel Ale (11.5% ABV) Double Strength English Pale Ale.
11% Good Foot (14.3 ABV) American Barley Wine.
10% Velvet Merkin (8.6% ABV) Traditional Oatmeal Stout.
9% Parabola (13% ABV) Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout.
5% Double Jack (9.5% ABV) Double India Pale Ale.

View: Beers (48) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by Overlord:

Overlord

California

3.53/5 rDev -18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Sooo glad I didn't buy more than a bottle of this, though I had a chance to pick up multiples.

Pours a dark, burnt orange-ish brown with some very subtle notes of deep mahogany red.

Smells like brown sugar, a bit of booze soaked figs/raisins, and ... kind of an indistinct caramel toffee/barleywine aroma. Sounds better than it actually smells. A bit too much alcohol, nothing real fresh or distinct in the aroma. Kind of like you mixed a barleywine and an old ale and called it a day.

Taste is ... disappointing. Not good. Way too much sherry/oxidation/indistinct woodsy malty flavors. There's an offputting bitter note to the figs/raisins/dark fruits, almost like they've been laced with an inappropriate hop strain. Too much booziness. The heat is not integrated into any strong noteworthy flavors, it just kind of makes it feel like they dumped bourbon/whiskey with a drop of vanilla extract into it. Not a bad/terrible beer, but disappointing given the prior achievements of this series.

Mouthfeel is flat. No bubbling. This would be easier to take if this was a heavy beer with really strong distinct elements, but it's not.

This is by far the worst of the Firestone series. I think they maybe need to back off a bit and not release this every year. I think the recipes have become less and less inspired, and what used to be awesome barrel aged backgrounds are now becoming a bit of a muddled mess. Parabola and Abacus are both significantly better than Firestone 13, 14, or 15.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2011 08:16:54 | More by Overlord

More User Reviews:

1424IpA

California

4.5/5 rDev +3.4%

05-25-2013 00:08:04 | More by 1424IpA

Bigtwin

Michigan

4.75/5 rDev +9.2%

05-24-2013 18:29:36 | More by Bigtwin

BAsbill

California

4.25/5 rDev -2.3%

05-22-2013 21:22:05 | More by BAsbill

ackeeper

Illinois

4.75/5 rDev +9.2%

05-21-2013 21:02:29 | More by ackeeper

rand

California

4.33/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

From 22 oz bottle to snifter

A: Mahogany in color, the brew forms a small coffee-tan head. A few dots of residue speck the glass, but the majority of lacing cascades down the glass under the weight of the brew.

S: Complex nose with notes of chocolate, vanilla, anise, booze. There's a lot going on here, even hoppy citrus notes pop through the rich, chocolaty malt-base. Plenty of alcohol volatiles deliver the rich bouquet.

T: Malt-forward on the palate, the rich caramelly sweetness anchors the flavor profile. Notes of chocolate and anise are distinct, and touch against oak and clove. Ripe fruit rolls in mid-sip, plums, cherries, maybe a touch of banana. The booze isn't masked, but along with a hoppy punch works to dry the palate. Finishes long and sweet.

M: Rich and viscous, chewy. Could use a touch more carbonation to scrub the sugary aspects, but given the booze and hop bite it's not a big complaint.

Another delicious barrel-aged blend from Firestone. I wouldn't be surprised if this came back in a similar form under a different name.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 04:14:34 | More by rand

Zbeetleman

California

4.75/5 rDev +9.2%

05-15-2013 02:30:09 | More by Zbeetleman

Absolut

California

4.75/5 rDev +9.2%

05-14-2013 17:52:28 | More by Absolut

Kendo

New York

4.45/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured from the bomber into my favorite Piraat tulip/snifter-type glass. Body is dark brown with a small khaki-colored head on top.

S: A lot going on in the nose - dark fruits, raisiny port, alcohol, caramel, toffee and brown bread. Wood also noted, along with a touch of vanilla extract.

T: Wow - a lot going on taste-wise too: big sweet malt foundation - i.e., caramel, brown sugar and butterscotch. Also dark dried fruits again - figs and raisins come to mind. Vanilla, wood, toasted coconut and a hint of bourbon are there in the middle and then, surprisingly (given that this beer is about 18 months old, I think) some solid citrusy hops. Alcohol is noted as a drying force in the aftertaste and also as heat in the belly. But it doesn't detract from the taste or take away from its drinkability - I know I should be sipping this slowly, but it tastes so good that I keep coming back for the next sip far more quickly than I should. Lingering taste of coffee in the aftertaste is noted after a few sips. Interesting all around.

M: Body is full in heft; carbonation is pretty modest, though it doesn't feel slick or syrupy. Well, maybe slightly syrupy - but not enough so to take away from the overall experience.

O: I'm impressed. Curious as to what it tasted like when fresh, but right now at about 18 months since bottling, it's quite tasty.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 00:37:59 | More by Kendo

twenty5

Pennsylvania

4.5/5 rDev +3.4%

05-10-2013 18:58:32 | More by twenty5

jkane101

New Jersey

4.25/5 rDev -2.3%

05-10-2013 01:23:32 | More by jkane101

BMart

Pennsylvania

4.25/5 rDev -2.3%

05-08-2013 19:01:07 | More by BMart

dfhhead25

Pennsylvania

4/5 rDev -8%

05-07-2013 03:34:05 | More by dfhhead25

sweemzander

Illinois

4.5/5 rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

22oz. bottle poured into a snifter.

(A)- Pours a murky dark mahogany brown color that produced a subtle tan head.

(S)- A nice and rich chocolate covered caramel meets a raisin-rich oaky bourbon note.

(T)- A really nice combination of chocolate covered caramel meets raisin soaked oak and subtle vanilla from the barrels. Ever so slight bits of cinnamon and leather as it began to open up and warm.

(M)- A super nice smooth carbonation level and a nice balance with the time on it aging at this point. Rich but quite nicely balanced and smooth. The 12.5% ABV is so well hidden.

(O)- I really like the stage this is at right now. Very smooth but rich and showing the barrel very well. I think this might easily be my favorite version of their anniversary beer, even though the 11 aged so fantastically. If you have a few of the 15, crack one now because it is showing really well now.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 17:23:42 | More by sweemzander