Firestone Walker 11 (XI Quercus Alba)

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

Bottle@Home. Loads of bourbon and vanilla in the aroma. Ruby coloured, beige head, good lace. Lots of bourbon flavours as well. Nice soft mouthfeel.

bottle from psprings sampled along side of 10 and 12.

it is essentially the same colored pour as the 10 but it is a bit more pale-ish amber. it has a scant tannish head which lasts for a short bit. this one smells quite hot... much more so than the 10 and has a defined chocolate note... green (new american) woody/oak, brown sugar, bourbony spiciness and toasted grain round it out. the palate is noticeably sweeter than the 10... with flavors of toasted nuttiness/almost coffee, mild bourbon and it’s spices, brown sugar, faint vanilla, chocolate and ripe stone fruits. alcohol cleans off the tongue on the finish and makes it easier to enjoy. my least favorite of the three... 7/4/7/4/16/3.8

Tasting session at jbrus. Bottled. Dark brown coloured, brown head. Complex nose, roasted malts, lactic notes. Complex yet balanced flavour. Very nice.

Bottle @ jbrus’s place. Malt, coffee, raisin, dried fruit, chocolate and a hint of oak in the aroma. Creamy flavor with milk chocolate, coffee. Just a touch of warming alcohol. Red berries. oak in the finish. Well balanced, tasty beer.

I have been sitting on this bottle since receiving it from a kind Ratebeerian back in December. I have way too many bottles in the cellar so they are slowly being consumed, rare or not. I do have to compliment the box and descriptive insert, classy but at $17 it should be. I threw on the new Portishead album and slowly poured this into a snifter. Its got a brown color with red tints around the edges, very little head but that was to be expected after reading the insert. The aroma is extremely complex and I am tempted to give it a 5. It smells oaky, woody, yet very subtle, chocolates, wow this aroma is to be savored. I really wish I could be more descriptive because this smell has a lot of nuances like toast and ash, maybe tobacco. Definitely a tobacco smell. The alcohol fumes are briefly noticed. Beautiful flavor that makes me think of chocolates and hard candies with only the slightest bit of bourbon. If I didn;t know bourbon barrels were used I might not have picked it up. The mouthfeel is perfect, just thick enough to coat the palate but still rolls around your tongue. The fact that there is not much carbonation really makes this beer shine. There is a slight hint of dryness from the alcohol at the finish. This is a very nice blend and the complexity is almost too much for my simple palate. I am glad I have one more bottle in the cellar because I drank this one by myself and I hate not being able to share a beer this nice. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 04-30-2008 02:38:02

GABF 2008 at Dr. Bill’s tasting. Deep copper color with small head. Nose of fruits, caramel, roastyness and bourbon. Flavor has some nuts, vanilla and wood in it as well.

Sampled at hellbilly’s hellraiser 3 gathering. Bottle courtesy of psprings. Tasted side by side with 10 and 12. Pours a deep cloudy amber brown with a small foamy head. Fruit, bourbon and roasted caramel malt dominate the aroma. Flavor follows the same pattern, with hints of wood and vanilla. A good brew, but my least favorite of the 3. Thanks Paul!

Bottle @ Toronado, SF. Pours a ruby amber almost black color with a small tan head. Has a slighlty roasted malty oaky vanilla aroma. Malty chocolate and licorice flavor with lots of oaky vanilla hints. Has a long malty licorice finish with oaky vanilla hints.