Firestone Walker 10

Formerly brewed at Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Style: American Strong Ale
Paso Robles, California USA

Bottle. Very dark brown body with a fast fading tan head. Extremely boozy, woody aroma with a pleasant hint of vanilla in the aftermath. Flavour is similarly quite boozy and alcoholic. The start is quite abrasive really, but as you get further into the glass it rounds out - or perhaps you just acclimatize to it - and some delicate vanilla, and mocha creeps out with sweet malt underpinnings that are actually quite nice. Average to medium palate. Too aggressively boozy, but has some lovely moments.

Bottle (650ml). Shared with blankboy, jerc, mabel, mds and tupalev - my bottle via trade with DarkElf - DarkElf+ Fest ’07!!. Murky brown, smallish beige head. Deep roast malt, alcohol and soft sweet bourbon aroma, on the mild and balanced side, nice and oaky. Taste is quite hot - bourbony, sweet, roasty and some herbal hops - but boozy as hell. Thickish body, boozy with a bitter finish - very good, but a little alcohol-harsh.

Hmm, this is an interesting beer, particularly the blending of so many different beers. The thought that went into this beer is definately impressive. The brewers clearly spent so much time trying to create the perfect beer and I respect that. I find the barrel character to be very true, with hints of vanilla, toasted oak, a little coconut and only a small hint of bourbon. That being said, I have to wonder if the four individual beers used for blending we’re better on their own. I find the whole blending beers craze to be very strange. Yeah, it works for wine, but with beer? I’m not convinced, especially with totally different styles.

Very dark crimson pour, sort of like a dense vampire blood red with black and orange Halloween background hues. Slowly diminishing light beige head. Looks very soft and engaging. A one-of-a-kind, simply gorgeous beer. Aroma is mouthwatering. Notes of oak barrels with subtle but readily discernible wine and grappa nuances. Vanilla syrup coating soft, fresh citrus. Toffee, hops, caramel and coffee scents are lavish, liberal in the wafts they give off. Very complex and intense. Excellent malt extraction and yeast quality, not to mention skilled barrel aging and blending, all very evident with simple nosing. Flavor is just short of mind-boggling. My first thought: as a whole, this taste reminds of cabernet barrel aged barleywine, yeasty and fruity, possibly a touch unripened. Hops abound, intense in their punctuation of bitterness and citric acidity. In fact, the acidity as a whole is very over the top, blissful even, but seems to keep what could otherwise be notions of cloying sweetness in check, giving the entire taste a relative balance. Roasted malt seeps in and out, pretending to be a player in this crowded game. So complex I’m left utterly confused, bewildered, in awe. The palate is silky and lays across my tongue and cheeks like fog on a warm night. The mouthfeel is medium-full, at times near overwhelmingly full, robust with stinging alcoholic interludes. Finishes. Just like that. Such a build up for such a brief escape, like a thief dissapearing into the night, stealing this amazing taste away. All that remains is a memory. Slight chocolate dances across the tongue briefly, then all is lost. To have another bottle, even one more sip, would be rewarding to no end. Beauty.

Bottle... O-Town Throwdown... This beer rocks!... Lightly hazy dark ale... ruby with orange highlights when held up to a bright bulb. Mid-sized, creamy, khaki head with decent retention. Oak, sourmash nose with mild notes of toffee, chocolate and caramel. Heavy, malt sweetness on the palate, but big alcohol and hop bitterness follow. Overall flavor is of caramel, toffee, chocolate and port wine. Full-bodied and creamy with soft carbonation. Chocolaty, bittersweet, boozy finish. Thanks go out to boboski for sharing his bottle of this excellent brew!

Courtesy boboski. Pours a dark brown, with a relatively thin white head. There’s alot going on in the smell. Some coffee, dark fruit, chocolate, and pretty heavy alcohol are all abundant. Even get a little subtle hops in there too. Kind of a sweet coffee taste. Very roasty, with hops towards the finish. Some dark malts round it out well. Very unique blend of ingredients I thought. Pretty nice.

22 oz bomber the last of 2 bottles at San Diego Bev Mo. I’ve been saving this for a while, needed something with some kick to close out this Valentine’s Day. Pours dark brownish black with a thin half there head that is tan. So the look fits with the Impy Stout. The nose does not have much in the way of hoppiness its smoky and rich with a slight BW edge but mostly the Impy comes through. Oddly enough the taste is more closely connected with a hoppy BW, its big and rich and hoppy with a full flavor profile. The imperial stout taste comes through on further sips. This bee is complex and intriguing and tasty. I wish I had more bottles but I’ll just know to savor this as I drink it now. I’m curious how the beers used in this brew would taste individually, if they could be any match for this curiously strong combination.

ebf 07. bababangin. at first taste i thought it was a barleywine that had been hopped up and aged. i liek hops. like this beer. i wish i could get some.