As if I wasn’t bad enough that Easy Jack and Pivo Pils are tempting me on shelves, now Firestone Walker has to go and add a revolving hop series?
I will be searching for this one to compare against Union Jack to see what hops tricks have been happening up in Paso Robles.
A Very, Merry Un-Hopped Birthday
Firestone Walker should televise their annual Anniversary Blending Battle for the Cardboard Crown. Each year the stakes are high, the competition is fierce and sometimes you encounter unknown obstcles.
This year Brewmaster Matt Brynildson eliminated the use of hoppy beers in the blend. And XIX is comprised of only four beers: Parabola, Stickee Monkee, Bravo, and Velvet Merkin.
Brynildson “… was concerned that hoppiness might begin to encroach on the intended style of the Anniversary Ale, so [he] eliminated the temptation.”
13 winemakers participated under the more stringent rules with Sherman Thacher and Daniel Callan of Thacher Winery creating the winning blend which is…..
Parabola Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout / Aged in Bourbon Barrels / 33.33% of Final Blend
Stickee Monkee Central Coast Quad / Aged in Bourbon and Whiskey Barrels / 33.33% of Final Blend
Bravo Imperial Brown Ale / Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels / 16.6% of Final Blend
Velvet Merkin Traditional Oatmeal Stout / Aged in Bourbon Barrels / 16.6% of Final Blend
And now that you are partway to the car, ready to buy, you will need to be a little patient because XIX will be available in select markets across the United States starting in November. The suggested retail price is $23.99 for an individually boxed 22-ounce bottle.
With More Velvet
Anything that Firestone Walker puts into a fancy box should be a must buy for beer fans and that goes double for Velvet Merkin, their barrel-aged oatmeal stout which is set to return in its third bottled vintage.
What’s different? The 2015 Velvet Merkin includes a barrel-aged lot of an experimental milk stout version of Velvet Merlin.
Then the beer was aged in bourbon barrels from the Heaven Hill family, including Elijah Craig and Old Fitzgerald.
The 2015 Velvet Merkin will be officially released at the brewery on Saturday, September 12. A total of 3,500 cases (22-ounce bottles; $16.99) were produced, with availability slated for select markets across the United States.
A Book & A Beer – Tarkin
I did feel a little self-conscious checking out a Star Wars universe book at my local library. But with the first trailer for the Force Awakens out and the Comic-Con appearance of the stars young and old, I felt a little nostalgic for the original trilogy which is the only set of movies to my mind. (No matter how much you edit the abominations of Phantom, Attack and Revenge or re-order their viewing order.)
But after a long book on Alan Turing that nearly drained me, I needed something light and easy and Tarkin by James Luceno was just that. The book charts the rise of Peter Cushing’s DeathStar Grand Moff from his upbringing on the Outer Rim planet of Eriadu to commanding the construction of the destroyer of worlds.
Darth Vader and the Emperor are along for this novel too. Tarkin comes off as a supreme tactician who knows moves way before they happen, with Vader and the Force they seem unstoppable until they come across a rogue who can match them step for step with help from the inside of what will soon be the Empire.
It gets a bit repetitive with T&V making correct chess moves to match the rebel as they hop from planet to star system via lightspeed. Then it happens again and again. The flashbacks on Tarkin’s childhood are good as is how he rose in prominence in the power structure due to the fall of others but in the end this is all just backstory. Something that the actor probably didn’t have unless Lucas had an outline like it in his head. It serves as something that could be brought out in a bit of dialogue and actorly looks on set. But you can’t write every minor and sub-minor character their own backstory in a screenplay so if you are the completist type, this will scratch the itch for more on how Tarkin ended up on the original DeathStar.
Obviously, the beers to go with this are easy to pick. For SoCal locals Galaxy Defender from Monkish Brewing a Belgian-style blonde with grapefruit peels & Galaxy hops would be an excellent choice as would be the Citizens of the Galaxy IPL from Cismontane. No matter where you are in the country, there is probably a Galaxy hopped beer that will do the trick.
Or you could go to the dark side with the Black IPA Hop Vader from Beachwood Brewing or Wookey Jack from Firestone Walker.
Get Away and Brew
Are you a homebrewer or a brewer fan geek? Well, here is an opportunity for the well-heeled….
“….brew with some of the world’s best master brewers over two days at the rustic, yet luxurious Devil’s Thumb Ranch:
Matt Brynildson, Master Brewer at Firestone Walker
Steven Pauwels, Master Brewer at Boulevard Brewing
Andy Parker, Master Brewer at Avery Brewing
And one more mystery brewer who will be announced soon
Not only will you be brewing and hanging with these brewing greats, Craft Beer & Brewing will ferment and bottle these beers and send you a handful of bombers to enjoy. Just think! You’ll have the ultimate collaboration beers to share with your friends.
Two nights of luxury lodging at the spectacular Devils Thumb Ranch, delicious lunches and dinners at the ranch on Sunday and Monday, round-trip transportation from downtown Denver or Denver International Airport (at specific times only), craft beer at designated events, all the brewing supplies you’ll need, two Cooking with Beer Seminars and all taxes and gratuities are included in this memorable experience.”
Intrigued? Check out the LINK for more info.
FW + DM = New & Improved Paso
After I put this week’s L.A. Beer Blast to bed, I started rifling through my e-mail and came upon one from Firestone Walker.
I reflexively smiled thinking about some barrel-aged beer or new sour surprise from Barrelworks. But when I clicked the link, this is what I saw:
My first thought was “Oh no, I now have to see a bunch of ill-informed beer snobs posting about how they won’t drink FW beer because they aren’t independent anymore.”
Then I calmed down and realized that this might just be the straw that breaks the beer snobs anti-consolidation back. How can they use their copy/paste rant here? The near universal love of Firestone and the stewardship of Duvel with Boulevard and Ommegang will pretty much lay to rest any qualms that the auto-haters have.
I will post more about this next week over on Food GPS as I process the news with some pithy answers from the David Walker himself to my hasty questions that I e-mailed last night.
New Beer Sunday – 1
The Firestone Walker anniversary beer components are becoming more and more readily available which may well lead to blending parties as people try to make an even better blend.
The next beer to buy for your blending or cellar or just to share with friends is the strange hybrid Helldorado—a blonde barley wine aged in retired spirits barrels.
The beer will be released on the 18th and is a great way to see how a base beer, in this case a pale blonde, can be barrel-ized into something really intriguing.
Not too Stickee
Today! That is when the Central Coast Quad that drives spellcheck crazy is back. Stickee Monkee 2015.
The 2015 vintage is year two of the release of the CCQ from Firestone Walker and it is a wonderful mixture of the Quad and its Belgian influence with the aging in three different types of bourbon barrels from Woodford Reserve, Elijah Craig and Four Roses.
It will be available in select markets across the United States. The suggested retail is $16.99.
Review – From the Barrel with Firestone Walker
From the Barrel presented by Firestone Walker is a one of a kind event. I often wish / lament that events or beers were held here in Los Angeles and FtB fits into that category.
It is a well-run show. You know that the choices of beer, spirits and food will be plentiful and good. But it is the not-so-little things that make this event a success. The amount of tickets sold is regulated. The location adds to the ambience. The localness of the vendors. All of it is needed or even the best beer will not taste as good.
FtB is unabashadely a post-prohibition party and even I, a non- costume dress up guy who tired of Halloween long ago, had fun dressing up a bit.
What caught my palate on the drink side was Crooked Stave’s Blueberry beer was really good as was the barrel aged Manhattan shaken by the Eureka! Burger folks. I was also taken with the selection of Moonshines from straight-up to Apple Pie to Sweet Tea from American Born, Ninkasi threw a change-up with an IPA, This is Why I’m Hop that cut through the bigger beers on offer.
Even with three hours, there was no way that I could taste all that I wanted to taste without passing out. That is both a good and a bad thing. I am of the temperament that if given ten choices, I will want to try all ten. I would be happy with five but if I miss five then I feel like I got less. All of that is to say that I think the choices (except for food) could be trimmed back a bit. This would not detract from the experience and also free up some much needed elbow room.
That leads to my second suggestion for improvement: seating. Costumes are not usually the most comfortable. Especially the high heels for women. But there was no real place to sit. There were a few table tops to place your tray and glass on but a few picnic tables spread around would have been very welcome.
I was an still am split on whether the placement of vendors worked or didn’t. Part of me would have liked the whiskey in one area, beer in another and food in another with maybe a crossover table where a beer aged in a whiskey barrel would be in between that brewery and that distillery.
The main question in an event review is; Would you go back again? The answer is, yes.
Bootlegged & Blindsided – Full(ish) Recap
Firestone Walker + L.A. Beer Bloggers = #FW3.
There comes a point where surprise becomes the new normal. Firestone Walker has reached that point.
The now annual trip has featured tractor rides to an organic farm. Blending my own gin and this year the historic barns of the Central Coast. That may sound facetious or trite but these trips north from Los Angeles have given me so much. Not only as a beer blogger but just as a total person.
That is why I feel compelled to post multiple times across so many social media platforms. Literally, it is the only time that I post on Instagram. My least utilized app.
That is just prelude to what I learned on the 2015 trip (aka LA2FW3) which I will list out because I don’t want to leave anything out:
Sour Opal (which will be “liberated” on the 25th of this month) is yet another winner from Barrelworks. It is a close second to my all-time favorite of Bretta Weisse.
Just the fact that it was mentioned, partially in jest, that Bretta Weisse would be canned made my day.
From the Barrel might not get the love that the Invitational gets but if I had more time and seating options, it would be really close. Firestone Walker knows their way around a tentpole event.
I now know much more about acidity in sour beers. And Olalliberries.
I hate coming in last in a competition especially when the winners get cardboard Firestone Walker crowns.
I could really get used to tasting wine. There is something about the setting of Thacher Winery that just relaxes a person automatically.
BBQ and wine go really well together as do beer and cupcakes.
Beer at 10am is fantastic. Especially nitro cream Velvet Merlin.
I like Easy Jack and 805 more than Pivo Pils.
Oh, and I do not have the talent to chug a beer. Probably a good thing.
(I will go more in depth about From the Barrel later on this blog and tomorrow is a recap of the Acid Trip with Jeffers over on Food GPS)