Mmmm ... I thought I might like this, but to be honest that I was against my better judgment, and I think this is probably the Firestone Walker that breaks the camel's back for me. All of the these blends and barrels rarely pull up anything of note, and this is honestly a sweet mess. It's an ugly, dishwater brown Dubbel-like pour, very unattractive. Head is small and has terrible retention. No lace. Fair enough in one regard (ABV), but the utter lack of it seems unnecessary. Nose has sweet...
Notes on beers brewed by
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Gold Rider
25th Anniversary
I think that I've simply lost what little love that I ever had for beers such as the Firestone Walker Anniversary Series. I mean I am glad that they are making them - it shows a solid commitment to a craft - but when ones looks at the blend that has gone into 25, the only thing that comes to mind is, "would it really matter what was blended at this point?" There's such a colossal number of incredibly potent flavors and barrels in the mix, isn't this just a hodge-podge that would most likely...
Parabola Autumn Edition 2021
Dark chestnut approaching black pour, with a great looking mocha head. Surprisingly rich looking head (and good lace and retention) for such a massive ABV. Also surprisingly, the beer gives up mostly chocolate on the nose. As it opens up with temperature, the bourbon notes come through a little more, but still … Tastes are heavily laden with tobacco bitterness, tannins, and leather as the initial impressions. As it warms, the complexity increases with all of those still hanging on, and then...
Firestone Eleven
Another cellar-dweller. Murky dark brown pour, no head to speak of at this age, but all the nose you can handle. Barrel aged alcohol still hanging on, even now. Some black flecks of sediment. Same can be said of the taste profile. Is it distinguishable in any meaningful way? No really. is it pretty thin? Yes, of course. Does it still give a mild burn and do you know what you are drinking? Yes, you bet you do. Obviously I should have drunk this x+ years ago, I understand, but it’s not horrible...
Firestone 13 – Anniversary Ale
Notes added 03/06/2022 I think this is now 12 years old, possibly a little more. I was inspired to crack it on the basis of just ordering the 25th Anniversary Ale from FW. I still have a XII and an Eleven left to crack. They’ll be opened very soon. From a distance a jet black body but with plenty of red-brown highlights at the edges when the light hits it just so. When the glass is tipped way back, and the volume of beer is reduced significantly, the body is almost completely dark scarlet red....
Firestone 10 – Anniversary Ale
Huge thanks go out to Grant for sharing this at the Brick Store. Dark mahogany pour that produced a pretty good head considering the age of the beer, the style and the ABV. One of the most distinct parts of this beer (at least visually) were the legs. The aroma is quite complex with a fairly large dose of vanilla. As Gregg pointed out, you could certainly detect a sort of old, musty hop note in the aroma too. Smooth and warming in the mouth and a mild burn on the way down. Definitely manifests...
Union Jack India Pale Ale
This 12 oz bottle graces my table courtesy of Robert; many thanks! Pour is a slightly clouded, deep orange in typical American IPA style. Head is small and white but has some fine lace. Nose has the requisite soapy and citrus notes, but is is restrained. Tastes follow the nose pretty faithfully. Very light citrus and hops gently kiss the palate, but you know that they are much deeper and aggressive than they are prepared to give away at first. A bit like a dirty girl on a first date! To carry...
Double Barrel Ale
Elaborate and informative labels, looks classy. This definitely felt more like Pale Ale than an Amber, with its pale orange appearance, mild lacing and decent head. Not much nose to speak of, but a little bit of citrus hoppiness present. As others have observed, a dry hoppy character that had definite tea flavors noticeable. The tea thing was really quite obvious to me. A little gassy, with carbonation slightly above average, but a clean dry finish without the astringency that some hop based...