Tag: Firestone Walker

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Featured Review – Firestone Walker XVII

I am running out of the 22oz bombers! I only keep 5 years running of the Firestone Walker Anniversary blend and with XVII done, I am down to only three.

Here is my review of this five year old beer:
This has really mellowed perhaps due to the brandy barrel or to using imperial brown ale as blend leaders. There is bourbon on the nose but not overly harsh. Initial part of the sip has a little spirit but not the alcohol bite. It is a little thin with a slight silky texture that is sticky on the tongue but there is still a little carbonated zip to this one. It almost reminds me of good English toffee.

And as a reminder, here are the blend details for the beer designed by Neil Collins and Chelsea Franchi of Tablas Creek Winery.

Bravo / Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels / 30% of Final Blend
-Imperial Brown Ale

Sticky Monkey / Aged in Bourbon and Whiskey Barrels / 25% of Final Blend
-English Barley Wine Brewed with Mexican Turbinado (brown) Sugar

Velvet Merkin / Aged in Bourbon Barrels / 15% of Final Blend
-Traditional Oatmeal Stout

Parabola / Aged in Bourbon Barrels / 15% of Final Blend
-Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout

Double DBA / Aged in retired Firestone Union Barrels / 8% of Final Blend
-Double strength English Pale Ale

Helldorado / Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels / 4% of Final Blend
-Blonde Barley Wine Brewed with Buckwheat Honey

Wookey Jack / 100% Stainless Steel / 3% of Final Blend
-Black Rye India Pale Ale

This has really mellowed perhaps due to the brandy barrel or to using imperial brown ale as leaders bourbon on the nose but not harsh. Initial part of the sip has a little harshness but not the alcohol bite little thin with a slight silky texture sticky on the tongue reminds me of good English toffee little carbonated zip to this one still

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A Feral Fox


Want to taste pure gold? As in Great American Beer Festival 2018 gold? Well then run to the Venice-ish Propagator to pick up the first-ever 750ml beer from Barrelworks and Firestone Walker. Feral Brut is “a beer & wine hybrid “champagne” made in collaboration with Foxen Winery.”

The beer is part of the Terroir Project of Firestone Walker (as if they need another world-class beer event) and hopefully not the last.

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Blending Season

It is that time up in Paso Robles….

From the FW Facebook page

First of all, just give me the gin barrel Helldorado now. Second, rum and gin? Wow. Those might have to be mutually exclusive. But I am anxious to hear what percentages is the latest winning blend. And more anxious as to when Firestone Walker will release it.

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Terroir Firestone

Seems like Firestone Walker is cornering the high-end festival market. From the Barrel, Pils & Love and of course the super popular (rightly so) Invitational to the new Terroir.

There are rules to this earth driven event though. Each of the breweries making their way to the vineyard-y area of Los Olivos would be making their own beer but:

1. same grain bill
2. same maturation period in barrels
3. same co-fermented percentage of wort & wine grapes
AND “all grapes had to be grown within 100 miles of each brewery”

Beavertown – London, England
Garage Project – Wellington, New Zealand
Jester King – Austin, TX
Side Project – St. Louis, MO
Sierra Nevada – Chico, CA
Trillium – Boston, MA
+ BarrelWorks – Firestone Walker too.

Oh and there will be more beer (and wine). With Firestone Walker, there always is:
“This event will also feature five guest breweries who are not part of the 2018 Terroir Project but who are pushing boundaries & exploring new realms of wild ales. Also in attendance are four wineries whose grapes have been used in beers before.”

All for just $65 plus you will be far away from the madding LA crowd and amidst agriculture.

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FW Invitational – 1 Week Out

Now, let’s talk about this year’s collaboration beer for the fest….

This year’s beer started at the festival, last year as Creature Comforts and Firestone Walker came together to brew up what would become Mother’s Milk, a barrel-aged imperial milk porter.

Mother’s Milk is a bigger beer at 11.6% ABV. It was “aged for nearly a year in rye whiskey barrels inherited from a premium spirits producer” with added oats, lactose sugar and sea salt.

12-ounce bottles ($10.99) will also be available for a limited time at all Firestone Walker locations starting on June 2. A mere 300 cases (12 x 12-oz bottles) were produced.

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Review – Lion Claaws from Los Angeles Ale Works and Firestone Walker


This milkshake collab between Los Angeles Ale Works and the Firestone Walker – Propagator pours like a grapefruit juice. The aroma is pineapple mixed with coconut. First taste unveils a lot of lactose. A lot. This is sugary. Only little over a week old and the hops of a DIPA are just not to be found. There is some orange juice but that just creates a creamsicle effect.

As it warms some of the bitterness starts to peek through but by then the battle has been won by the lactose. Strong fun flavors but the balance is off to me.