Firestone Walker 18 (XVIII Eighteenth Anniversary Ale)
Final Blend:
Parabola (13% ABV) Aged in Bourbon Barrels (38% of the final blend)
Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout
OG=30P FG=7.5P IBU=80 Color=Black / Hopped with Magnum, Styrian Golding and Hallertau Tradition
Helldorado (11.7% ABV) Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels (16% of the final blend)
OG=24.8P FG=4.0P IBU=24 Color=8 / Brewed with buckwheat honey & El Dorado hops
Bravo (12.9% ABV) Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels (16% of the final blend)
Imperial Brown Ale
OG=26.5 FG=3.7 IBU=35 Color=32 / Hopped with German Magnum
Stickee Monkee (12.3% ABV) Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels (14% of the final blend)
English Barley Wine
OGP FG=5.4P IBU=45 Color=34 / Brewed with Belgian Candi Sugar and Mexican Turbinado (Brown) sugar
Velvet Merkin (8.5% ABV) Aged in Bourbon barrels (5% of the final blend)
Traditional Oatmeal Stout
OG=15+P FG=5.5 IBU=32.5 Color=Black / 15% Oats / Hopped with 100% US grown Fuggles
Hydra Cuveè (10.5% ABV) Aged in Bourbon Barrels - A Collaboration brewed with Flying Dog for Savor 2014 (4% of the final blend)
Blended Hybrid ½ hoppy dark beer (Gonzo and Wookey) and ½-blended barrel aged beer (DDBA and Bravo)
OG=24+P FG=5.5+ IBU=32.5 Color= Black
Wookey Jack (8.5% ABV) 100% Stainless Steel (3% of the final blend
American Black Ale – Black IPA
OG=17.8P FG=2.5P IBU=80 Color=45+/ Dank and Dark
Ol’ Leghorn (12.5%ABV)Aged in New American Oak - A Collaboration brewed with Three Floyds for the FWIBF (2% of the final blend)
English Barley Wine
OGP FG=5.1P IBU=45 Color=28 / 50% 1 yr. barrel aged English Barley Wine + 50% fresh dry hopped stainless produced
Double Jack (9.5% ABV) 100% Stainless Steel (2% of the final blend)
Double India Pale Ale
OG= 20P FG=2.5P IBU=100 Color=8 / Extremely hoppy triple dry hopped DIPA
The Finished Piece
As a finished beer, XVIII is a dark and complex brew full of malt and barrel derived flavors, with Parabola leading the brew into the rich darkness. The beer is unfiltered and unfined, so there will be a small amount of sediment in the bottom of the bottle. XVIII is best enjoyed poured carefully into a half filled brandy snifter or wine glass. Allow it to warm to 55F to fully enjoy the pleasing and complex aromas. As the beer sits and breathes in the glass, rich dark chocolate, toasted oak and dark fruit character is revealed, so take your time. If you wait to open your bottle later, store it in a cool dark place. I suspect that this beer will age well and change favorably for years to come. It was an absolute pleasure in the making and I truly hope you enjoy our ninth oak-aged blend! The journey continues and it’s just as fun and exciting now as it was back in 1996.
This beer is dedicated to Jake and the rest of the amazing Wolfe family who have supported this community, our brewery and me personally since the beginning. We love you dearly.
Matt
Parabola (13% ABV) Aged in Bourbon Barrels (38% of the final blend)
Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout
OG=30P FG=7.5P IBU=80 Color=Black / Hopped with Magnum, Styrian Golding and Hallertau Tradition
Helldorado (11.7% ABV) Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels (16% of the final blend)
OG=24.8P FG=4.0P IBU=24 Color=8 / Brewed with buckwheat honey & El Dorado hops
Bravo (12.9% ABV) Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels (16% of the final blend)
Imperial Brown Ale
OG=26.5 FG=3.7 IBU=35 Color=32 / Hopped with German Magnum
Stickee Monkee (12.3% ABV) Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels (14% of the final blend)
English Barley Wine
OGP FG=5.4P IBU=45 Color=34 / Brewed with Belgian Candi Sugar and Mexican Turbinado (Brown) sugar
Velvet Merkin (8.5% ABV) Aged in Bourbon barrels (5% of the final blend)
Traditional Oatmeal Stout
OG=15+P FG=5.5 IBU=32.5 Color=Black / 15% Oats / Hopped with 100% US grown Fuggles
Hydra Cuveè (10.5% ABV) Aged in Bourbon Barrels - A Collaboration brewed with Flying Dog for Savor 2014 (4% of the final blend)
Blended Hybrid ½ hoppy dark beer (Gonzo and Wookey) and ½-blended barrel aged beer (DDBA and Bravo)
OG=24+P FG=5.5+ IBU=32.5 Color= Black
Wookey Jack (8.5% ABV) 100% Stainless Steel (3% of the final blend
American Black Ale – Black IPA
OG=17.8P FG=2.5P IBU=80 Color=45+/ Dank and Dark
Ol’ Leghorn (12.5%ABV)Aged in New American Oak - A Collaboration brewed with Three Floyds for the FWIBF (2% of the final blend)
English Barley Wine
OGP FG=5.1P IBU=45 Color=28 / 50% 1 yr. barrel aged English Barley Wine + 50% fresh dry hopped stainless produced
Double Jack (9.5% ABV) 100% Stainless Steel (2% of the final blend)
Double India Pale Ale
OG= 20P FG=2.5P IBU=100 Color=8 / Extremely hoppy triple dry hopped DIPA
The Finished Piece
As a finished beer, XVIII is a dark and complex brew full of malt and barrel derived flavors, with Parabola leading the brew into the rich darkness. The beer is unfiltered and unfined, so there will be a small amount of sediment in the bottom of the bottle. XVIII is best enjoyed poured carefully into a half filled brandy snifter or wine glass. Allow it to warm to 55F to fully enjoy the pleasing and complex aromas. As the beer sits and breathes in the glass, rich dark chocolate, toasted oak and dark fruit character is revealed, so take your time. If you wait to open your bottle later, store it in a cool dark place. I suspect that this beer will age well and change favorably for years to come. It was an absolute pleasure in the making and I truly hope you enjoy our ninth oak-aged blend! The journey continues and it’s just as fun and exciting now as it was back in 1996.
This beer is dedicated to Jake and the rest of the amazing Wolfe family who have supported this community, our brewery and me personally since the beginning. We love you dearly.
Matt
4.1
255 reviews
Paso Robles, United States
Community reviews
(Tap) hazy, bright orange brown colour with a small brown head; rich aroma of dried fruit, stewed fruit, vanilla; rich, balanced flavour with a long, light bitter finish
Backlog, ocena przepisana z untappd, w ramach uzupełniania profilu na ratebeer. CBC #11 Waniliowo-mleczne karmelki, bourbon. Małe Cuivre. Szanuję.
Shared bottle. Pours hazy caramel colored with off-white head. Nose is oaky bourbon, hops, dark fruit. Tastes rich, with caramel, oak, tannins, bourbon, with more dark fruit and heat as it warms.
It pours very dark brown with a beige head. The aroma has vanilla, caramel, coconut, heavy toast, nuttiness, some wine aspects and barleywine malt assertiveness. It has a fairly thick body with light carbonation. The taste is drier version of the aroma and has some dates, woodiness and pleasing amount of warming alcohol. Great.
650ml bottle picked up at Mackey’s in Island Lake on a fluke, and cellared for almost 2 years. Shared by all (including Graham!) at the family Christmas ... and for Austin. Very dark brown pour with a bit of a brown head. Chocolate. Big vanilla. Espresso. Caramel. Quite well blended and super tasty. Very smooooth without much actual alcohol presence. Well worth the cellar time, and excited to have been able to share. 18
Draught at Copenhagen Beer Celebration 2015. Opaque almost black liquid with medium off-white head. Aroma of coconut, vanilla, coffee, raw sugar. Taste is light to medium sweet and light to medium bitter with notes of vanilla, coffee and toffee. Full bodied with low to medium carbonation. Delicious, complex.
Bomber shared with some new friends at Vitamin B in Sofia, Bulgaria. Somehow I’ve had this before but hadn’t rated it. You know what they say: Ticks or it didn’t happen. Well now it’s happening. Black in color with a small light beige head. The aroma is very complex, with bourbon, oak, caramel, roast, smoke, dark chocolate, coconut, and vanilla. The flavor is also great, medium sweet with a balanced bourbon character, overripe fruits, and some booze on the finish. Fairly full-bodied and slick on the feel with soft carbonation. Very good, even among FW anniversary beers.
Bottle as part of a Firestone Walker 14-19 vertical tasting. Great, although still probably too young/hot. Parabola is clearly dominating in this batch, and like Parabola it probably needs a few years before the heat dies down and the flavors really come out. In addition to Parabola’s chocolate and coffee, there’s a nice rum raisin flavor from the combination of the barleywines and the barrel aging. Overall, this is one complex beer, although I’d give it another year or two.
Draught. Reddish brown coloured. Unclear. Small light beige dense head. ARoma. Ripe fruits, sweetness, alcohol, spice, light roast, wood. Flavour. Sweetness, alcohol, ripe fruits, spice, some herbs, roast, Medium to full bodied. Ends smooth and fruity with a nice alcohol bite on lips and palate. Loads of things going on here. Nice.
Deep brown, beige head, aroma of barrel, wood, vanilla, coconut, toasted coconut, brandy, flavor of coconut, toasted coconut, wood, vanilla, fresh, fun, excellent, full bodied.
Courtesy of Brian
Dark brown color with medium sized head. The barrel is evident in the aroma, then the malt, and some alcohol. Sweet malt flavor, strong fudge, chocolate, strong bourbon barrel flavor, and strong booze.
Not elegant, but very enjoyable.
650ml bottle @ Alex’s. Pours a dark brown with light beige head. Nose is sweet malts, molasses, wood, vanilla, bourbon. Flavour is yum, caramel, vanilla, wood, bourbon, with an overall roasty flavour.
Tasting at Alex’s. 650ml bottle (thx, Brian!). Ppurs an opaque reddish brown with a beige head. Aroma is dark fruits, bourbon barrel, vinous, some nuts. Taste is very complex with the same notes. Wow! Excellent!
Bottle @home (Euro-vision 2016 tasting.) Pours brown with a red tinge, tan head. Nose is whisky, brown sugar and fruitcake, its got some spices in there once it warms up a bit. Taste is full on Christmas cake, big brandy, raisins a touch of vanilla at the end.
Black colour, beige head. Sweet aroma, caramel, raisins, malts, fruity notes, vanilla. Sweet malty flavour, dried fruits, caramel, raisins and apricot. Sweet finish, malts, sticky sweet fruits.
(from 65cL bottle @ RBBSG IV, the Hot and Sweaty Edition, Gent 2015. Thanks for sharing, Benzai!)
Bottle thanks to Rick. Pours a very dark brown with medium beige head that lasts. The aroma is roast, chocolate, wood, vanilla, bourbon. Thick body, chewy, caramel, roast, vanilla, wood, bourbon, nice sweetness, very good.
Light boozy, molasses tobacco smell matches the taste exactly. You taste a lot of alcohol from the bourbon barrel, but still so smooth. Mouth is nice and and even for this abv. Burns the back of your throat. Pours dark brown. Tap.
On tap at CBC 2016, yellow session. Pours dark brown, beige head. Roasted malts, chocolate, vanilla, cocoa, wood, bourbon. Sweet with some bitterness. Complex. Full bodied. Incredibly smooth, velvet, silky - really impressed considering the abv. Unexpected for me. Exquisite.
Draft. Woah this is boozy. Complex. A bit tart and abrqsive. Not the biggest fan.
650 mL bottle. Deep brown body. The nose is dominated by barrel aromas. Bourbon and brandy. Lots of oak. Nutty malts. Smells really sweet, too. Tastes of oak throughout. Really strong oak. Nutty malt. Brandy barrel more prominent than bourbon up front. Vanilla and then some fruity malts. Heavy and extremely boozy. Difficult to drink, but tasty.
CBC 2016 Yellow session. Dark brown body with a thin white head. Aroma of dark chocolate, roast, molasses, bourbon, taste of vanilla, oak, raisin, coffee, slick bitterness playing with the sweet malts, perfectly balanced beer, with bournon notes in finish, really nice!
Aroma has defined roasty and bourbon character. Pours black in color with a nice tan head. A complexity (obviously) of roasty, malty sweetness with a boozy edge. The parabola contributions are noticeable.
Notes: Bottle at the Denver Rare Beer Tasting ’15
Bottle shared by Karl Meyer thanks. Brown and fluffy semi lasting head. Very nice and complex aroma from chocolates caramell and wood aging
. Big bitterness but still very enjoyable. GIVE ME MORE! ??
Bottle @ EM Opening Tasting, on the Hill of the dragon. Pours Nearly black with a creamy head. Vinous and Rich nose. Toffee and Dark fruit. Molasses. Rich and complex. Warming sipper. Thanks to Hackobock for the Trade.
At Copenhagen Beer Celebration 2016 Yellow session.
brown, slight white head.
aroma of cherry and oak.
taste sweet alcoholic. nice
Tap at CBC 2016, Yellow session. Malty. Aroma of caramel, chocolate overriped fruits, dried fruits with wooden notes, bourbon. Light alocholic. The flavours starts sweet but ends bitter. Deep and Complex
Draught at CBC.
Pours black.
Like the previous it is a heavy brew, sweet and lots of barrel tastes, messy.
Sample at cbc. Pours dark brown. Aroma is malty, aroma from barrel aging appearent. Taste is sweet, with barrel, wood.
Tap at cbc16, copenhagen. Dark brown color, tanned head. Fantastic aroma has bourbon, oak, licorice, coffee, chocolate. Super deep taste, lots of flavors. Chocolate, coffee, wood.
On tap at CBC 2016. Dark malty smell with bourbon and caramel. Similar taste, sweet with roasted sugar, coconut and wood. Very nice!