Firestone Walker Agrestic
American Wild Red Ale
This liberation begins its journey as DBA then continues through a “chrysalis” process involving 87% French and 13% American Oak barrels, and our proprietary collection of micro flora. To blend, we selected beer matured eight to 24 months in barrels, creating a synergistic beer. Immediately, toasted oak and lemon pith swirl on the nose and palate, followed by an amazing harmony of vanilla, coconut, Earl Grey tea and spice. The finish is crisp, with mouth-watering acidity and chewy tannins. Since we age, blend and bottle these beers once a year, there will be slight variation with each release. A santé!
This liberation begins its journey as DBA then continues through a “chrysalis” process involving 87% French and 13% American Oak barrels, and our proprietary collection of micro flora. To blend, we selected beer matured eight to 24 months in barrels, creating a synergistic beer. Immediately, toasted oak and lemon pith swirl on the nose and palate, followed by an amazing harmony of vanilla, coconut, Earl Grey tea and spice. The finish is crisp, with mouth-watering acidity and chewy tannins. Since we age, blend and bottle these beers once a year, there will be slight variation with each release. A santé!
3.8
276 reviews
Paso Robles, United States
Community reviews
Bottle from the Barrelworks in Buellton. Nose of very tart stone fruit, peaches and plums, quite overripe. Copper/amber color. Small but bright fruitiness from the start, light funk, smooth and pleasantly tart on finish. Thin body, and a bit sharp on the tongue. Fresh and punchy stuff.
Bottle. Red-orange, cloudy, with a low, thick head. Lactic nose, yogurt, cherries, touch acetic. Tart, lactic acid flavor, creamy, fruity. A bit too light in body but good.
A mellow sour, at least compared to the Love Child, which Scott and Andy sampled during the WC in 2018. Pours reddish brown, thick funky aroma, dark fruits and vinegar.
Love the red color with this relatively lower alcohol sour. The sour really hits in the front of mouth without being overly acidic.
Pours reddish brown with aroma of cherry, vanilla, and wood. Tart cherry flavor with wood, and vanilla. Quite tasty!
Tart complex subtle flavors and aroma however the most noticeable thing is how smooth it is/mouth-feel. Overall very impressive
I had this at Flying Saucer. Pours reddish brown with a off white head. Taste tart, fruity, cherry. I thought this was very good. I would definitely drink this again.
A dark reddish amber ale with a thin lacing off white head. In aroma, sweet fruity vanilla malt with light Brett, light lactic notes, light acidity, very nice. In mouth, a nice sweet fruity malt with loads of acidity, light Brett, light lactic notes, light funk, very nice and complex. On tap at Propagator location.
Slight sour cherry flavors that mix with brown wooded complexity. Mixes nicely, proabbly more enjoyable than likeles of the petrus series.
TAP. Pours a hazy copper with big long lasting head..
Sour funky aroma, a touch fruity..
Light malt to start, goes to the wild flavour, lemongrass, citrus, stick around.. Sourced Village bottleshop & taproom Honolulu
Bottled, 2014 vintage from the brewery. Pours clear golden yellow, some yeasties too. Nose is tart cherry, strawberry, herbal tea. Flavor is quite sour with plenty of acetic cherry and oak wood. Really nice level of sourness. Delicious. Flavors fade to funky barnyard yeast and drying acidity. Great beer that has held up with 3 years of age, and could probably go much longer.
Draught at the Propagator. Amber color, white head. Sour taste with citrus, ripe fruits, wheat, oak and a bit of vinegar. Sour finish with citrus, oak, wheat, ripe fruits and a bit of vinegar. Very nice sour ale.
Had twice now .. . ruby, solid foam .. great lacing .. . quite a tart number, from berry skin to sour wood .. mouth is plucky .. finish is pretty clean, slight sour burn at the end .. solid acidity throughout .. . why tow my shitty car?
Grand Liquor 11-13-20
Prev 3.9 HC&B 9-2-17
Pours light amber or maybe darker toasted orange. Nose has lots of sourish autumn characteristics, bit of vinegar. Tart. Lactic sourness. Earthy wild yeasts, oak, coconut, vanilla. Black tea and bergamot.Overall quite oak/forward, dry and crisp, easy to drink. Awesome!
Bottle. Poured hazy dark ruby color with an average frothy off-white head that mostly lasted with very good lacing. Moderate to heavy sweet spice and dark fruit with an small wood aroma. Medium to full body with a smooth texture and soft carbonation. Medium to heavy complex sour flavor with a medium to heavy complex sour finish of moderate to long duration. This beer also exceeded my expectations.
Thnx to BRW. Pours unclear amber. Small to no white head. Smell is intense, vinegar, wood, bit lactic acid. Mild fruity undertone. Taste is very full, dry, tart, oak, some fruit, lactic acid as well as acetobacter. Nice.
Thanks Carl! Very tart, had a pleasant vinous and oakiness with the sour red taste. The spices and vanilla shown through to give a kick of sweetness and earthiness. Very good.
Aroma is wonderful, rich dark fruit, gingerbread, funk. Taste is similar but far less intense. Pretty good.
Bottle. Pours reddish gold with a small white head. Aroma of fruit, wood, and funk. Taste is tart cherries, wood, funk, spice, and some vinegar. Very good.
Aroma is stock sour ale yeast and a hint of vinegar. The flavor is fruit, sugar/candy, malts, mild vinegar and a tart/sour finish.
This is a fantastic sour - in fact this is what I would recommend to a sour virgin, looking for a text book example of the style. Balanced, though bitter and funky, weighty but easy drinking with a long sweet/dry finish.
Small bottle from Mile High. Agrestic is a beautiful deep red hue with an endless off-white head. I made the decision to pour the whole beer into the glass, so some sediment clouded up the beer a bit. I had a good feeling about this beer as Firestone Walker’s reputation precedes them. Instantly it smells amazing. Cherry notes, about as real as it could be without the actual fruit, burst out of the tulip. Round fruit vinaigrette, pie crust, oaky vanilla, toffee all are noted. The palate is creamy and full despite being really dry. What an expert beer with attention to every detail. The funk starts to become more apparent after a few sips, coming through as wool. Big black cherry notes are in the flavor too with great oak, toffee, baking spice, and consistent sourness. Nothing is off-putting in the slightest. It makes me contemplate the endless other sour beers in America that seem so one-dimensional or a little rough by comparison. Agrestic is just a clean, complex, harmonious beer. Another winner for these guys.
Sour cherry, sour raspberry, lemon, coffee beans and earth on the nose. The taste is intensely sour, with more wine-like flavors that grab at the corners of your palate. Complex. Spiced. Dry. Really delicious.
Bouteille partagée avec Marc-André. Excuse-moi dude. Avant toute chose, cette robe si minutieusement filtrée m’inquiète beaucoup. Claire comme un jus en poudre et surmontée d’une mousse identique à celle du même jus, ça peut difficilement être bon pour moi qui aime le wild yeast et les bières non ’’traitées’’. Du jus de raisin, du beurre, du sucre. C’est peu acide, très rond, beurré, rempli de jus de raisin gras et sucré. Une boisson qui m’est franchement très désagréable.
Bottle from Healthy Spirits. Nice mostly clear reddish amber appearance with a small off-white head. Nice aroma, cherry, vanilla, wood, funk, vinegar, spice. The flavor is medium tart and somewhat funky, lots of cherry, good malty base. Dry and somewhat biting feel, nicely carbonated, slightly tannic. Really solid.
Clear deep copperish amber with a thin white ring of foam. Lovely brisk amber malt and subtly tart lacto sourness with faint cherries and a subtle vanilla whisper. Lovely gently tart flavor with light cherry and a pop of lacto acidity, gentle woody amber, and a lovely mellow malty finish. Lovely gentle acidic cherry tones throughout.
Draft at the source - Aroma of sour wood. Color of marmalade with a thin wispy white head. Cherries and sour fruit, hay, notes of caramel, lemon zest, urine and earthiness. Delish!
Golden Amber with a pale head. Aroma is sour stone fruit, cherry, red wine vinegar. Light bodied, sour on the palate with an acidic finish. Taste is red wine vinegar, sour cherry, red currant.
Sampled at the 2016 Czech Heritage Festival in a footed pilsener glass, a cloudy reddish brown with sudsy beige foam, long-lasting with lace. So, Double Barrel Ale is delicious and complex as is, right? Well, this is infinitely more so: beyond tart into sour territory, crisp and grainy, earthy, leaf composty, black pepper, vanilla, toasted oak, yogurty, lemony, intense carbonation with a Champagne bite. Light body, thirst-quenching without being thin nor watery, lingering multi-layered aftertaste. A phenomenal brew.