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Firestone Walker 12 4.02 184

Firestone Walker 12

 (RETIRED)
Percentile
100
overall

bottled
common

on tap
unknown

Regional Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreSeasonalABVStyle PctlServe in
1844.06/5.04.02/5.0Special12%98.4Snifter, Trappist glass
Commercial Description:
The Barrels The individual lots were aged in oak barrels, most of which were hand selected from premium Kentucky spirits producers by Tom Griffin, who is extremely passionate and knowledgeable about bourbon barrels and beer. Each barrel lends its own unique influence to the final blend. Tom continues to hand deliver some real treats to us, including some 20+ year old Rip Van Winkle Barrels! Barrels freshly dumped from the distilleries and hand delivered by Tom Griffin: Rip Van Winkle Bourbon Old Fitzgerald Bourbon / Old Fitzgerald Wheat Whiskey Heaven Hill Bourbon / Heaven Hill Brandy / Heaven Hill Rye Barrels purchased directly from American Coopers toasted to Firestone Walker’s specifications: New American Oak produced by World Cooperage / medium and medium plus toast Retired Firestone Union Oak produced by World Cooperage, and Barrel Associates (water bent staves) The Aging Cellar – The Components Following are descriptions of key components with their original code names: Final Blend % Parabola ྭ% ABV) - Aged in New American oak, bourbon and rye barrels ࿌%) -Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout (brewed02-09-06 and 01-18-08) OG=28P FG=7.5P IBU=80 Color=Black / Hopped with Simcoe, Bravo, Styrian Golding and East Kent Golding Opal ྫ% ABV) – Aged in rye barrels ྼ%) -Wheat Wine (brewed 2-25-08) OG=22.4P FG=6.2P IBU=45 Color=17 / Brewed with torrified and malted wheat, lightly hopped with Saaz Rufus ྫ% ABV) – Aged in rye and bourbon barrels ྲ%) -Continental Imperial Amber Ale (brewed 8-17-07) OG=22.5 FG=4.5 IBU=40 Color=15 / Brewed with Belgian Dark Candi Syrup / Hopped with Styrian Goldings and Saaz Saucerful of Secrets ƙ% ABV) – Aged in Brandy Barrels ƙ%) -Belgian Strong Ale (brewed 10-30-07) OG=23.4 FG=6.1 IBU 25 Color=39 / Brewed with Belgian Dark Candi sugar and everything else but the kitchen sink Union Jack IPA Ɨ% ABV) - Aged in stainless steel Ƒ%) -American Style IPA (brewed 10-28-08) OG=17 FG=3.5 IBU=75 Color=12 / Brewed with massive amounts of hops and a very kind attitude The Finished Piece- As a finished beer, XII is in some ways more aggressive than any previous blend, but it maintains a great deal of depth and complexity. Everyone seems to get something different when they taste this beer- mocha, tobacco, toasted almonds, olallieberries... I leave the interpretation to you. It is best enjoyed in a half filled brandy snifter or wine glass. Allow it to warm to 55F to fully enjoy the pleasing and complex aromas. If left in a cool dark place, I suspect that this beer will age well. Only time will tell. If you find something you like- please contact us and let us know your thoughts. I truly hope you enjoy our third oak-aged blend. This crazy beer journey continues!
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 drewbeerme (2305), Chicago, Illinois, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Apr 9, 2009  
22oz bottle thanks to hophead22! pours dark brown with soupy off white head. nose is doughy malts, brown sugar, caramel, wood. aroma is pretty subdued. flavors of toffee, sherry, chocolate, wood, and coconut, med body with a very smooth finish. very drinkable.


 nickd717 (1385), Palo Alto, California, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/105/517/20
Apr 9, 2009  
2009 bottle shared with BeerAdvocate buddies at Rose & Crown (don’t hate the BA, I swing that way too). Kasim stocks some good stuff at R&C these days, even if it is a little pricey sometimes ($35). But ohhh man this stuff was phenomenal. Served a little cold, but waiting for it to warm up really paid off. Black in color with a nice tan head. Aroma was bourbon, oak, caramel, coffee, and vanilla. Flavor was caramel malt, roasted malt, dark fruits, bourbon, earthiness, oak barrel, vanilla, hell you name it. Nice full, syrupy, creamy palate. I could drink this every day, but if I did I’d probably lose my job.


 Glouglouburp (2874), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Apr 8, 2009  
In short: A heavy alcoholised brew with a strong oak character. An intense and surprisingly pleasant sipper. Excellent
How: Bottles 22oz, 2009 batch. Consumed relatively fresh, a few months after its release. Shared by Chris (Ebenezer’s owner) at Ebenezer’s
The look: Near black body with ruby highlights topped by a small tan head
In long: Strong nose with alcohol fumes and caramel. The big syrupy body offers a ton of dark caramel and toffee with some dark fruits over a dense chocolate cake. Very toasted. And then wham!, a truckload of wood/oak comes and sucks all that big body away leaving a long oak and alcohol finish. This is a very intense brew that avoids the primitive brutality of its predecessor thanks to a powerful oak character and an alcohol presence that is not too overwhelming. The bottle was shared with a few people but I think I could really enjoy a full bottle of this stuff. And of course drinking it in Ebenezer’s cellar added to the experience. For the beer geek entering Ebenezer’s cellar is the equivalent of Michael Jackson (the pop star) entering a kindergarten.


 markwise (1187), 15 Minutes from Kuhnhenn in, Florida, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/517/20
Apr 7, 2009  
Bottle courtesy of Tony from OTH. Pours dark cola brown with an off-white head. For a 12% ABV beer, it certainly hides it well. Nose is booze, oak, chocolate, earth, and vanilla. Flavor is oak, bourbon, whiskey, coffee, ripe dark fruit, earth, and amazing depth. Thoroughly enjoyable beer.


 pantanap (1363), Chicago, Illinois, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/516/20
Apr 5, 2009  
22oz bottle. thanks again to andrew for sharing.....poturs a dark caramel brown almost black with a soapy light tan head.... aroma of bourbon/vanilla and yeasty caramel notes. nothing too distinguishing overall.... flavors of bourbon and sweet caramel and vanilla accents. tastes much better than what the aroma offers up. creamy mouthfeel and pretty drinkable despite the unnoticed abv.


 after4ever (2806), Brier, Washington, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/105/515/20
Apr 5, 2009  
Liquid Sunshine V. 22, capped and foiled. Thanks, Diane! Murky, rubied dark ebony. Very little head, no lace at all. Mild sweet caramel nose, with some cinnamon and plum. Fruits, chocolate, and caramel on the mid-palate.


 BillKismet (1950), Seattle, Washington, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/56/103/513/20
Apr 5, 2009  
Pours a mahogany-brown beer with a flat body. The nose fills immediately with ethyl alcohol and perhaps oak aromas. Overwhelming whiskey barrel flavor with a rough, grainy alcohol finish. Alcohol and flavors lack nuances and subtle complexity. This beer introduces itself like a sledgehammer.


 rallison (113), USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/59/104/518/20
Apr 1, 2009  
Dark ruby brown color with a decent off-white head. Molasses, roasted notes, vinous fruits and hints of chocolate and vanilla. Very nice, good complexity in the aroma. Lots of complexity in the flavor as well. The molasses and the stout roast character are immediately balanced by a nice woody, vinous dark fruit character. The oak, all in all, is very pleasant here - nothing astringent aside from the nice vinous qualities. Touches of sticky caramel on the back end. Brown sugar. Dried fruits. Blackberry sweetness toward the end. Pleasant alcohol warmth upon swallow. Warming. Low carbonation. Smooth, some creaminess. Great sipper. I used to say I much preferred Parabola to this creation (Parabola is the main component of Firestone 12). Now, after sitting down with this beer and actually exploring its complexity, I realize that I was not giving fair credit to 12. This is much more refined than Parabola, with more flavors going on. Would I rate Parabola lower though? Hard to say - but, needless to say, 12 is world class and deserves the ratings it has received.



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