Firestone Walker 10

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

Bottle shared at RBSG during the grand tasting held at Pizza Port Carlsbad in San Diego.

At RBSG, poured deep ruddy brown with tons of floaters. Rich, complex nose and flavor. Both full of caramel, sugars, dried fruit, vanilla, oak, whisky and malt. Quite a bit of heat all the way through.

Bomber, thanks yonkers65! Pours clear dark brown with a dense and lacy tan head. Aroma of chocolate, caramel, vanilla and whiskey. Creamy full body. The taste features the same chocolate, caramel, vanilla and whiskey layered with brown sugar. A bit of alcohol heat on the finish.

22...thanks, Bruce! Dark brown with lots of floaters and some rubied caramel highlights. Dense, but thin and loose, tan head. Huge whiskey, chocolate, and caramel nose. Creamy, thick body. Insanely layered caramel, chocolate, whiskey, roast, and a pronounced buttery tang on the mid-palate. Mild bready finish. Amazing stuff.

Bottle acquired in a trade with IrishBoy. Richard you are a gentleman and a scholar. Thank you so much sharing this treasure. The pour was brown with an almost ethereal glow of copper and garnet on the edges. The head was maybe one finger tall, off-white and quickly collapsed into a galaxy swirl that only offered up bits of lacing. The aroma was chocolate, pine hops, floral hops, oak, bourbon, vanilla all taking turns, none being too dominant. The flavor was thin chocolate, plenty of hoppiness, some caramel, woody bourbon that wasn’t overdone or at all hot. The mouthfeel was possibly a bit oily or slick but overall it was so heavy that you thought you were drinking an IS. A unique effort that succeeded in blending styles without one trampling all the rest or falling apart and becoming a giant mess. A great experience.

Bottle at the Freakin Frog (per the Bar Tender, their last bottle!). Poured a deeper brown color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of roast, chocolate, and dark fruits. Tastes of roast, chocolate, dark fruits, and some coffee. Alcohol content well hidden.

Bottle generously shared by mreusch. Pours jet black with a thin, creamy, beige head. The nose...I think I’m in love: big chocolaty rum cake, dark fruit, coffee, vanilla bean, light oak and just a touch of resinous hops in the background. Medium to full-bodied and oily-slick with a warm modestly bitter finish. The flavor is of chocolate, dark fruit, alcohol, light vanilla and wood. It starts like a foreign or imperial stout and transitions to a barley wine character with a dry, hoppy finish. To quote my friend Hopscotch, "THIS BEER ROCKS!" It just sucks that I’m not likely to get another chance to enjoy this amazing beer again. Thanks a ton for sharing this once-in-a-lifetime brew with me, Matt!

22oz. bomber, with another huge thank you to Enniskillen for this very rare opportunity! Pours a lighter brown color with a minimal tan head that reduces to a thin but complete covering. Aroma is fanfreakingtastic! So much going on its overwhelming, with charred oak, light bourbon, chocolate, molasses, brown sugar, vanilla, espresso, ripe dark fruits, and on and on, all in near perfect harmony to provide a rich and decadent aromatic experience. Flavor follows equally as well, with more of the same, further blending and melding everything together in a fantastic concoction. I agree with YourDarkLord below that each sip opens up new and exciting combinations of flavors in an incredible way. Wow, consider me VERY impressed by this one! Thanks again Chris!