Firestone 16 - Anniversary Ale - Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.33/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

On tap at Max's the other day.

The beer pours a very dark brown color with good head retention and lacing. The nose is attractive in this one, as I pick up considerable vanilla, milk chocolate, a hint of maraschino cherry and light bourbon. The beer smells as if it will be pretty sweet/rich, which of course it is. The flavor profile replicates the nose, and I'm really picking up a lot of milk chocolate, vanilla and light bourbon. It's pretty damn tasty, no doubt, but the beer does have a bit of heat on the finish (from the 13% abv. no doubt), that mars the flavor profile somewhat. Mouthfeel is fairly full and soft, though the beer doesn't come across as heavy or tiring on the finish (which is surprising in a beer that is so rich and high in alcohol). Pretty hard to imagine ever having more than small glass of this, given the sweetness and high alcohol, but there's no doubt this is another tasty, impressive beer from FW.

Serving type: on-tap

03-11-2013 12:08:52 | More by johnmichaelsen

TheSixthRing

California

4.06/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on-tap at Capitol Beer and Tap Room in Sacramento, CA

Appearance - Deep, near black cordovan brown, served in a 10oz pour with a thin, light tan head. Good retention. Leaves behind a good amount of lacing with fair stick.

Smell - Strong, bourbony boozy aroma, sweet with vanilla, chocolate and faintly earthy character.

Taste - Follows the nose; bourbon booziness, while notes of vanilla and lesser of chocolate bounce around in the deep background. Sweet vanilla notes shine through brighter as the beer warms. Somewhat chaotic start turns a smooth finish. Hints of oak and moderate alcohol heat. Traces of caramel can be found well into the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Medium to full body with slightly tingly carbonation. Heat from the alcohol forces this thing to finish bone dry.

Overall - This is one complex, boozy "mess" of a beer, and considering it's a blend of 8 different barrel-aged brews, it's right where it should be. Growing up, I was always a fan of making soda kamikazes, so I don't find it much surprising that I rather enjoyed this. Normally I'm not a fan of booze forward brews; this one's an exception.

Serving type: on-tap

03-04-2013 04:07:40 | More by TheSixthRing

Anker13

District of Columbia

4.44/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Had it last night on draft at Churchkey in DC. Was with company so I didn't want to nerd out and take notes, but this was truly a remarkable beer.

Served in a snifter

Appearance- very dark, not quite motor oil but deep brown almost black, tan head

Aroma- vanilla, oak, toasty, slight coffee and dark malt, almost bourbony, not a lot of hop character

Mouthfeel- super well balanced, surprisingly light co2, medium-full bodied

Taste- Fantastic beer! Vanilla bean and toasted malt flavors, woody and earthy. It starts sweet and finishes bittersweet.

Residual- nice lingering sweetness, not overwhelming

Overall- A great offering. Would never have guessed it was 13%. I haven't spent any intimate time with Firestone Walker, but after trying this beer I will definitely be seeing what else they have to offer

Serving type: on-tap

02-03-2013 04:47:32 | More by Anker13

BierJager89

California

4.66/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had a free sample on tap, poured into a shot glass.

A: Dark brown, nearly black with a brown ring of head.

S: Vanilla, oak, some citrus, chocolate, roasted malt, coffee, grass and coconut in the nose. Smells like a bourbon barrel aged black ale.

T: Starts off fruity, like a citric IPA, but not bitter, followed by chocolate, roasted malt, coffee and vanilla/oak bourbon character. Delicious and quite interesting.

O: Try it if you can. It's really good. I couldn't find bottles of it anywhere. This was my first Firestone Anniversary Ale and I can't wait to try next years. Lucky I'll have Sucaba and Parabola to comfort me.

Serving type: on-tap

01-18-2013 20:34:47 | More by BierJager89

MasterSki

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Local Option. Served in a snifter.

A - Tan foam settles to a partial cap and thick collar, leaving behind splotchy lace. Brown body with some ruby transparency when held to the light. Impressive for a 13% barrel-aged blend.

S - Roasty, with some chocolate an coffee notes and mild oak. Fairly stout-like this year, but with some obvious English malt influences, as well as a decidedly English approach to the barrel-aging; oxidized fruits and mild vanilla in addition to dry wood.

T - The taste is similar, with a mixture of roasty stout, vanilla, molasses, dark fruits, and chocolate, with a milder barrel influence than the aroma. The tequila is thankfully understated and creeps in late, although it does assert itself more as the beer warms with a spicy faux hop herbaceous vibe to it. Booze comes out a bit as this warms, and this gets a tad heavy and fatiguing.

M - Dry, roasty, and tannin heavy, with a medium-full body, and fairly restrained carbonation. Alochol is reasonably well-concealed, making this a smooth drinker even with the grainy and oak-heavy texture.

D - I enjoyed this more than the disappointing XV, as I dug the heavier roast stout flavors and the restraint on the vanilla. This also doesn't have cloying sugary sweetness and oxidization like last year. I was a bit skeptical about the blend, but the tequila integrated better than expected. I'd be curious to try this again, but I don't anticipate it will age that well, as it's decidedly mellow to begin with. Probably too pricey for me to splurge on though, as there are beers I enjoy more at half the price. It took me a while to work through the snifter.

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2012 03:43:03 | More by MasterSki

barnzy78

Illinois

4.55/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Geneva Ale House - Geneva, IL

Pours dark brown-near black, with a tall, beige, foamy head that holds good retention leaving sticky lacing as it fades. Aromas are boozy, roasted malt, sweet grain, citric hops. Tastes are ripe banana up front, chocolate, booze, peppers the tongue, rye, roasted barley, whiskey, oak, anise, coffee, citric hop undertones with pine. Crazy complexity! Mouth-feel is super creamy & smooth, full body, finishes exceptionally clean, but it hot with alcohol as it burns the throat on the way down. Nice treat to say the least. I never thought I'd get the chance to try this one.

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2012 05:47:28 | More by barnzy78

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

3.95/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Firestone Walker Sixteen (XVI)
Poured into a snifter from the tap at iTap (Soulard). Poured during their Nightmare Before Christmas Event.

Copied from notes.

Pours a dark, dark brown almost black with a light creame colored head. The head is short and slightly dense but recedes fairly quickly. Leaves some sticky lacing. (4.0)

Intense bourbon aroma starts things off. Licorice and some cinnamon present form the wood and there are some intense caramel notes. The booze in this brew is definitely hard to miss. It is very intense and hot. (4.0)

The flavor follows the nose. Caramel and toffee sweetness starts thing off while an intense rush of boozy heat comes in quick. Sort of overtakes the sweetness. There are some vanilla notes in there, as well as some slight chocolate roast present. The flavors are intense and work well together but the brew is very hot. Mouthfeel is oily and viscous. Finishes dry but with somewhat of a sticky caramel note. (4.0) (4.5)

Overall, this brew is good. I’ve had better of their Anniversary blends. Very hot. Flavors are delicious and sweet with caramel and nice cinnamon notes but the heat overtakes them somewhat. Also, this version doesn't seem as well blended as the others. (3.5)

Serving type: on-tap

12-15-2012 22:54:24 | More by JoEBoBpr

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Salty Pig in Boston. 10oz serving in a Boulevard glass ($13).

A- Pours a dark slightly reddish brown that appears mostly opaque in the glass. About two fingers of frothy darker beige cream boardering mocha brown head that has nice retention but slowly recedes to a flat top without any head leaving some light layered lacing. Decent consistently rising carbonation.

S- Chocolate, toffee, tequila, lightly roasted malts, hints of bourbon, and some light oak. Decently aromatic, fairly complex, and a nice balance without anything dominating too much. If anything the tequila shows a little bit much in the barrels.

T- Fairly sweet mixture of chocolate, toffee, tequila that adds taste but not much of an alcohol flavor, some faint bourbon, and some oaky vanilla. Finishes with a barrel aged presence that definitely makes itself known and a cocoa aftertaste that lingers with a hint of tequila.

M- Smooth, very drinkable especially at 13%, only a slight abv burn, nice carbonation, fairly full bodied.

O- Nice barrel blend that has a slight over-powering taste but other then that it is nicely balanced taking the best elements from each of the base beers. FW 16 was very smooth and did not have a strong alcohol presence until it hit you later. It had a nice complexity and a very nice drinkability. I think I preferred 15 a little bit more, but 16 was very good and I definitely recommend trying it. I definitely recommend giving it a try, but due to the price I probably wouldn't pick up too many.

Serving type: on-tap

12-11-2012 00:26:16 | More by jaasen64

Halcyondays

California

4.3/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Beachwood I,

A: Pours a deep brown with a light tan head, some lace, good head retention.

S: Lots of barrel character, bourbon, sugar cane, sweet brown sugar. Reminiscent of the 11.

T: Delicious malt flavour. Vanilla, some roast, lots of barrel/whiskey notes. Very well done, the best fresh since the 12 in my opinion.

M: Full-bodied, but never feels heavy. No real alcohol burn which is impressive. Soft, guiding carbonation.

O: As I said, the best fresh since the 12, a good beer, though I was never really spellbound with this one as I was with the 11 and the 12. The bomber price is far too much, but I loved trying this on-tap at a much better price point. It'll be interesting to see where this goes, since the boozier ones seemed to age better, i.e 13.

Serving type: on-tap

12-08-2012 00:22:57 | More by Halcyondays

Guyute

California

4.85/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: Dark, thick, and a bit of deep reddishness.

S: Sugary, molasses, oak

T: !!! Wow, incredible. So much going on. Bourbon, oak, tannins, dark chocolate-cherry brownies.

M: No complaints

Overall: This was a surprise for me. I was at the tasting room and ordered one not knowing what to expect. The moment I took the first sip I knew it was very special. Came in a tiny 6 oz. snifter.

Serving type: on-tap

12-03-2012 03:34:40 | More by Guyute

dalahodson

California

4.05/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Ok there is Carmel, chocolate, bourbon, and tequila flavors. The color in the glass is like a stout, very dark, the smell is very complex. The first taste is smooth, like a stout, sweet yet bold. You can taste the different sugars used in the brew, like the Mexican brown sugar Turbinado. The brewer blended quit a batch of there other brew's to get this complex taste, all barrel aged in bourbon, tequila, and brandy. At 13 0/0 there is no alcohol after taste .You can taste the buckwheat, and the rye in the grains the brewer used. This is an above average anniversary brew.

Serving type: on-tap

12-01-2012 04:51:33 | More by dalahodson

RaulMondesi

California

4.1/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at my jam The Playground in DTSA, CA.

Wild stuff, like, the stuff that can make you listen to Ricky Martin n like it.

Smell? A bit harsh. A bit good. A bit like straight up booze.

Taste? Yeah, baby. Yeah it potent, but those damn flavors done pop like Livin' La Vida Loca!

Serving type: on-tap

11-30-2012 07:17:40 | More by RaulMondesi

Scotchboy

Idaho

4.33/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

FW XVI, on-tap @ Bier:Thirty in Bound Crossing, 10oz served in a snifter...

A: Dark, nearly opaque brown with a creamy tan head and pretty good lacing for a big beer...

S: Liquid macaroon...seriously great aromas of toasted coconut and almond, lots of vanilla...oak and sweet alcohol too, without being overly boozy...chocolate...dark caramel, dates and figs and other hints of DDBA and Sticky Monkey...further suggestions of spirits, bourbon, whiskey are all mellow but present.

T: Follows the nose, there is a good amount of sweetness here; vanilla, caramel, coconut, chocolate...again, the booze is in check...there is a touch of citrusy hop character as well, more sweetness from the notes of spirits, bourbon. Rich and delectable.

MF: Fuller bodied, creamy mouthfeel, lower carbonation levels and sensations of sticky, viscous alcohol are left behind.

O: I'm going to say this one is not as good (IMO) as XIV but its still quite nice right out of the chute. Alcohol is really manageable for a young 13% strong ale, and the barrels and beers are, as always, blended beautifully.

Serving type: on-tap

11-29-2012 21:37:10 | More by Scotchboy

AgentMunky

Alabama

4.23/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a flute at City Beer Store.

A: Pitch-dark with a ruby hue. Light off white head.

S: Huge. Fruity malts. Trace hops. Dry bitterness; chocolate. Intense alcoholic esters. Raisins.

T: A barrel-aged malt bomb. Bourbon, figs, black tea, molasses, cartelized brown sugar, herbal-spicy hops(?). There is some roasted bitterness, but it seems to be dry by virtue of its ABV as much as anything else. A touch of rum-infused chocolate right at the end.

M: Thick and sticky, then dry. Nice.

O: A decadent, Brobdingnagian beer. A sipper that is almost too rich to finish, but very rewarding. Still, not particularly interesting. Solid, tasty, and recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

11-15-2012 05:23:46 | More by AgentMunky

Dope

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Bottled March 10/05/12.

A: Very dark brown pour with a large, fluffy medium brown head. Head fades at a moderate pace. Decent fluffy splotchy lacing. Good retention.

S: Lots of barrel notes. Tequila? Hmph. Some toasted coconut from the bourbon barrels as well. Lots of caramel and fig with some roasted malt just barely poking through. Maybe hints of brown sugar?

T: Definitely some tequila barrel in there. Surprisingly strong, I figured it would be mild given that it's a small part of the blend. I guess tequila isn't exactly subtle in general, however. Again with the toasted coconut and caramel. Lots of it. Sweet brown sugar, fig and maybe even marshmallow in there too. Mild chocolate and a little char. Finish is oaky with hints of tequila and toasted coconut. Lingering spirits in the aftertaste.

M: Not nearly as heavy as you'd expect 13% to be. Barrel flavors seem to cut down on the thickness. Nice.

O: Another unique anniversary beer from FW. Tequila is definitely an interesting note, not too overpowering but there's plenty of it there. Despite this being over 50% stout it doesn't have huge stout notes. It's more like a big sweet barrel-aged english barleywine with a little roasted malt characteristic in it. Not my favorite anniversary blend but still quite good.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 03:43:43 | More by Dope

standardcherry

Massachusetts

4.61/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle

A: Very dark brown/almost pitch black with a thin white head.
S: Starts of very roasty with some coffee aroma and dark chocolate. Followed by vanilla, bourbon, oak and dark fruits.
T: Not as much coffee as the nose, but there is still some roastiness in there. Tastes a lot like dark fruits (plum) mixed with chocolate and vanilla. Tastes more chocolately than the nose would suggest, almost like a chocolate doughnut. Bourbon and oak blend in very well at the end of this.
M: Medium/thick bodied with light carbonation. Works well with the style.
O: Firestone Walker does not disappoint. This beer is extremely well blended to showcase all of the elements. Dangerously drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 05:50:08 | More by standardcherry

mdaschaf

Washington

4.15/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Review from notes.

A: Pours a dark brown, practically black body with a surprisingly light tan colored head on top, about one finger in height. Pretty good retention and lacing for such a big beer.

S: Quite roasty with some coffee/mocha and chocolate. A little bit of dark fruit and oak at the end.

T: The dark fruit comes out more in the flavor profile as raisins and plum mixed with chocolate and a bit less coffee. Some brown sugar and a bit of molasses with light oak and vanilla.

M: Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation. The alcohol came out a little bit, more so as it warmed.

O: It was nice, but I didn't love it. Certainly not worth the price tag attached to it, for me at least.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 20:27:36 | More by mdaschaf

facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.14/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

a reddish black pour with a finger of creme colored head which had a very clean dissipation. smells of barrels.. lots of oak, sweet caramel, bourbon, vanilla, raisins, toffee, brown sugar. yikes, this is a STRONG beer. harsh alcohol up front, lots of bourbon, vanilla, and oak flavors. a mix of tons of sweet malt, caramel, and raisins.. very sweet, yet a bit harsh with the alcohol taste. full body with low carbonation, very smooth drink to be honest.

i was expecting to be blown away by this after reading the blend list.. and though it was really good, it's just too much barrel flavor and not enough beer taste. i know it sounds ridiculous, but this one was just a tad bit too much for my taste. still delicious, but i was expecting a more chocolatey stout-like feel/flavor.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 01:25:44 | More by facundoCNB

Petela

New Jersey

4.94/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

22oz bottle poured into a snifter

A: Pours black with ruby hues with a finger of off white/ light khaki head. Has descent lacing and pearlage .

N: Dark fruites, dates in particular, and booze upfront. Follows with vanilla and chocolate up the rear.

T: Similar to the nose but more chocolate and less boozy. Still get the dark fruit and vanilla notes in the middle.

M: Heavy to medium body with a light carbonation. Slight warming sensation with the swallow.

O: Excellent! For a 13% beer I finished with no problem and continued my session with lower ABV beers. Cant wait for !7!

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 05:13:08 | More by Petela

ckollias

Maryland

4.46/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed this bottle out of a craft beer glass

A: Pours a dark black hue with a thick tan head that slowly dissipates into a solid persistent lace.

S: Bourbon – vanilla – chocolate aromas.

T: Similar to the smell there is a ton of boozy bourbon, vanilla and some toffee mixed in.

M: Thick body and minimal carbonation.

O: Excellent brew – tons of flavors and enough alcohol to make it interesting.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 01:59:48 | More by ckollias

SpeedwayJim

New York

4.41/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

22oz. bomber into a Brooklyn Brewery snifter. Shared with schen9303.

Pours a 1 finger fine cream colored head with moderate retention. Beer is a clear, dark, almost opaque brown. Lacing is thick, patchy and stringy with good stick. Thin, oily legs too. Great looking beer for the style.

Nose is nutty, brown sugar, molasses, and sweet booziness. Some notes of fresh green raisin too. Decently aromatic but nothing that really stands out here.

Opens brown sugar, molasses, prunes, raisin, and other dark fruit. Astringent hop bitterness floats in the background in the middle but its suppressed nicely by the big malt body. Chocolate, cocoa, and fudge towards the end with some brown sugar and mellow sappy hop bitterness. Nutty and sweet finish with a sugary aftertaste. Good complexity. A real nice flavor profile.

Medium bodied with low to moderate carbonation. Smooth and slick in the mouth and goes down warm with just a bit of heat. Messy finish with a lingering, sticky aftertaste. I can barely taste the ABVs in this one. This is how you do it!

At about 8-12 months, all of the FW anniversary blends have been incredible. XVI is no exception. Great complexity of flavor and an excellent feel make this one that should definitely not be missed. Have it soon though, these beers are phenomenal now but they tend to fall of quickly.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 01:08:26 | More by SpeedwayJim

tdm168

North Carolina

4.44/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to jtd1969 for sharing this gem!

A - black with a thin, brown head that has great retention

S - bourbon, raisins, prunes, sweet malt

T - chocolate, roasty, candy sugar, raisins, prunes, figs, bourbon, warming alcohol

M - full bodied, warm, well carbonated

This was an awesome beer! I don't how these creative geniuses pulled it off, but mixing all these different beers together works superbly. In both the nose and the flavor I get a lot of the English Barleywine characteristics such as the dark fruit and sugary malts. I also get some faint roasted malts notes that come through. The malt also offered some nice chocolate notes as well. The bourbon played nice and lent some balance to the whole mash-up. I am so glad my friend shared this one with me!!!!

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 01:14:44 | More by tdm168

DIM

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

a: This was just a degree shy of being pitch black. It poured with the thin, khaki colored fizzy head.

s: Absolutely dominated by whiskey and naked oak aromas. There were hints of vanilla, roaty malts, grassy hops, and caramel; but they were quite mild when compared to the bordering on harsh barrel notes.

t: Up front I tasted a boozy, too heavily hopped big stout. I could find some roastiness, caramel, and maybe a hint of fruit, but the surprisingly strong grassy hop note wad distracting. There was nice, strong whiskey flavor towards the middle that was quickly brushed aside by woody, bitter astringency.

m: Thin or silky depending on your overall level of enjoyment I suppose.

o: I liked this more than my review suggests, but overall I am disappointed. I'm very glad that I shared this one. 22 ounces would have been kind of a chore. The pale ales in the blend came through too strongly in my opinion, making this drink almost like a wateted down or diluted stout. The barrel notes were good, but more vanilla would have been welcome. The underlying beer came across as a kind of random hodgepodge of beer. I've never tried any of the beers in this blend, but my suspicion is that a lot of great beers were sacrificed to make a slightly above average one.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 21:32:30 | More by DIM

OBeerMeGreatOne

California

4.19/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into my Chimay goblet. Pours out an intense, dark chocolate brown with a quarter inch of light brown head. Very minimal lace, expected due to the 13% ABV.

Chocolate, plum, vanilla, oak, coffee and earth make up the smell. Booze creeps in as it warms, but not as much as expected.

Plum, toffee, oak and booze (whiskey/brandy) combine right up front. The booze isn't that hot, but the flavor remains. Grassy hops, vanilla and chocolate touch down around the middle. Finishes with a slight coffee and citrus note. Goes down smooth for being such a big beer.

Malt driven strong ales aren't really up my style alley, but every once in a while I get a craving. This one suited my craving just fine, complex and full of flavor. I would place this above the past few Firestone Anniversary releases.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 01:31:01 | More by OBeerMeGreatOne

ThirdEyePA

Texas

4.95/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

This has to be on the of single most unique beers that I've ever had. It's a blend of 8 different beers, using a total of 226 different oak barrels, and blended together by a select group of Paso Robles winemakers. This stellar brew consists of the following:

Velvet Merkin - Oatmeal Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels - 8.7% Abv - (23%*)
Stickee Monkee - English Barleywine aged in Bourbon & Brandy barrels - 12.5% Abv (22.5%*)
Double Double Barrel Ale - Double English Pale Ale aged in 100% retired Firestone Union barrels 14.2% Abv (20.3%*)
Parabola - Russian Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels - 13% Abv (10.8%*)
PNC - American Strong Buckwheat Stout aged in Tequila barrels 13.0% Abv (8.1%*)
Helldorado - Blonde Barleywine aged in Bourbon & Brandy barrels - 11.5% Abv (5.4%*)
Bravo - Imperial Brown Ale aged in Bourbon & Brandy barrels - 13.4% Abv (5.4%*)
Wookey Jack - Black Rye IPA - 8.3% Abv (4.5%*)

* - notes the percentage of the final product

Served in my Firestone Walker Proprietor's Series glass

A - This one pours a very dark brown that soon becomes murky with a thin cocoa-khaki colored head that slowly dissipates and clings to the slides of the glass. It is very dark and deep as no light can penetrate when I hold it to the light.

S - On the nose I get an abundance of scents. The nose just slaps you in the face with complexity. I'm getting bourbon, dark chocolate, oak, vanilla, faint tequila notes, plums, brandy, and a leathery/tobacco-ish kind of smell that reminds of me a maduro cigar. The bouquet of aromas just makes this so inviting.

T - A slow, but full, sip yields flavors to be expected from the story told by the nose, but there are some additional notes that really transform this into the beast that it is. The milk chocolate, vanilla, oak, dark chocolate, bourbon, brandy, and a surprisingly noticeable amount of tequila, toasted coconut, plums, figs, caramel, toffee, molasses, roasted malt, and some faint smokiness that somewhat reminds me of a smore. It's blended so well as to where no flavor is particularly dominant.

M - The mouthfeel is pretty much spot on from what you would expect from a beer like this. I thought it could have been a touch thicker, but that's just being nit picky. It has a mild cheweyness to it. It's full, rich, and smooth as silk.

O - Overall, this is one incredible beer and it will be interesting to see how this develops over time. Firestone Walker's barrel aging is top-notch and this beer is an amazing testament to that. This one is absolutely one of my new favorites. Well done!

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 03:30:05 | More by ThirdEyePA