Android Beer List, Ratings & Reviews

Firestone Walker XVI Anniversary Ale

(5.0 stars)

Finally got my hands on this gem! This is probably the single most unique beer that I've ever tried, and is also one of my all time favorites. It's 8 different beers, using 226 different oak barrels, blended together by a select group of Paso Robles winemakers. This stellar brew consists of the following:
Velvet Merkin - Oatmeal stout aged in Bourbon Barrels - 8.7% Abv (23%)
Stickee Monkee - English Barleywine aged in Bourbon & Brandy barrels - 12.5% Abv (22.5%)
Double Double Barrel Ale - Double English Pale Ale abed in Firestone Union barrels - 14.2% Abv (20.3%)
Parabola - Russian Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels - 13% Abv (10.8%)
PNC - American Strong Buckwheat Stout aged in Tequila barrels - 13.0% Abv (8.1%)
Helldorado - Blonde Barley wine aged in Bourbon & Brandy barrels - 11.5% Abv (5.4%)
Bravo - Imperial Brown Ale aged in Bourbon & Brandy barrels - 13.4% Abv (5.4%)
Wookey Jack - Black Rye IPA - 8.3%Abv (4.5%)

This beer pours dark and murky with a toasted khaki colored head that really sticks and lasts. It's a deep color as no light penetrates when I hold it to the light. On the nose I get so many different different aromas it's so complex. I get bourbon, dark chocolate, oak, vanilla, tequila, plums, and some leathery-tobacco type smell that I usually pick up maduro style cigars. The nose is so inviting, my first sip is only a few short moments later. A slow, but full, sip yields expected flavors from the story told by the nose, but also with a few more that really make this beer the beast it is. The chocolate, vanilla, oak, dark chocolate, bourbon, brandy, and a surprisingly noticeable amount of tequila, toasted coconut, plums, figs, roasted malt, molasses, toffee, caramel, and a light smokiness that oddly reminds me of a smore. All this and it's blended so perfectly. Nothing is off putting and each sip makes you anticipate what the next will bring. The moutfheel is spot on. It's thick and meant to be savored, and this mouthfeel really gives you a full flavored experience. Overall this is one incredible beer! These days I'm pretty stingy about giving a beer a full 5 stars, but this beer has earned it. Firestone Walkers barrel aging is top notch and this brew is a remarkable example of that. Out of the 300+ beers I've had, this one is probably in the top 3. Just wow...

by TxEagle