The Propagator outpost of Firestone Walker is up to their 9th generation with their latest DIPA….
…coming from the recipe minds of the Venice location.
Gen-9
Parabola Exploration
Yesterday, I joined Firestone Walker brewers Jordan Ziegler and Sam Tierney, to see the “many faces Parabola can take on through adjuncts..” There were over seven tastes of new experimental variants of the imperial stout, some only available for very short times.
This event at The Propgator brought together members of the Brewmasters Collective, an enthusiastic group of Firestone fans ready to taste Parabola in its newest incarnation as well as learn about the nuts and bolts of adjuncts in an imperial stout.
It starts with an inspiration. New Orleans offered Ziegler ideas as did the plane ride when the snack was a Stroop Waffle cookie. Then it goes to small bench tests where you try adding adjuncts and seeing what works and doesn’t. Fig was fine in tests but really called for an accompaniment so Ancho Chili was brought in to make a duet.
From there, it becomes how best to get a flavor punch. Thai bananas are good but lacked that Cavendish appeal. (sorry) The way you toast coconut and then deciding if circulating the beer through it or steeping it in the beer is a better preparation.
Mix in that Parabola is aged in differing bourbon barrels from super wet Elijah Craig to reliable Heaven Hill just adds another level of complexity. Then you have to make sure the resulting beer has a Firestone house taste to it as well.
For me, the plain 2014 Parabola was the best. You got a nice bourbon and oak note on top of a luxurious stout but the real action was deciding what of the flavored beers ranked highest. To me it was the Thai Bananas Foster. The interplay of fruit and stout just worked. Second was Coconut closely followed by the Peanut Butter (really peanut flour) with the Fig and Stroop Waffle in a lower tier of interesting and Mixed Berry bringing up the far back.
Oh and another plus, we got a taste of the newly reformulated XPA as well which I thought was a bright and hoppy addition to the line-up.
If you needed a temptation to join the Brewmasters Collective, this type of event would fit the bill.
Hazy for CA
The latest Firestone Walker Propagator beer is one of many in a group effort to celebrate California beer and support the California Craft Brewers Association, which is the non-profit that fights for craft breweries all over the state.
FW has chosen to brew a Hazy Imperial IPA. Look for it now.
A Cold Generation
Time passes by so damn fast. Reading the evolution of the Firestone Walker – Propagator anniversary IPA’s is getting longer.
So here is a shortened piece from the FW website – “For Gen-7, we decided on a massively hoppy Double Cold IPA at 8.7% ABV brewed with pilsner malt, rice, and dextrose, which gives it a bright golden color and relatively light and dry profile for such a big beer. We built the hop blend on the classic Gen-1 mix of Citra and Mosaic, this time blending Citra with Mosaic Cryo and Mosaic Incognito in the whirlpool. Incognito is a newer type of varietal hop extract that allows us to pack in even more mosaic flavor in the brewhouse without overloading our kettles with green matter.
For the dry hop, we layered on more Citra and Mosaic Cryo, plus Strata CGX (another cryo-like concentrated hop pellet) and Rakau from New Zealand. This blend gives Gen-7 a punchy mix of citrus, stone fruit, melon, and berry flavors.”
Decocted Propagator
Looks like Firestone Walker is back into the pilsner game with this collaboration with St. Petersburg, Florida’s Green Bench Brewing.
Dabbling in Decoction from Firestone Walker’s The Propagator beer will be an American pilsner that hits 4.7%
Double Barrel Reviews – Gold Rider and Daisy’s Favorite from Firestone Walker
Firestone Walker has been reading my mind again as they have done more gin barrel-aged beers and have dabbled in using bitters barrels too.
Let’s start with the bigger ABV of the two, which surprised me, the Daisy…
Imperial Blonde is sort of like imperial pilsner to me, I appreciate the level up game but it also defeats the purpose of a blonde ale. Daisy’s Favorite pours a dark orange color and their is a mingling of spices on the nose. A soft but sturdy botanical flavor leads to a bit of alcohol burn at the end. The spices pop as it warms and the ABV doesn’t show up as strong. I would have maybe liked a little more juniper beer or coriander to add an extra dimension.
Gold Rider has been the beer talked about a bit more. Mentioning Cognac will do that. This has a big barrel aroma. Very French mixture of whiskey and grape. Lighter mouthfeel to this one, the aroma leads you to expect one thing and then you sip and it is different. I am missing the lemon aspect to this though, unless that is what is contributing to the lightness.
To choose a winner: I would pick the Daisy. It had a simpler mission and hit the mark, the orange bitters in the Rider emerged well but it needed more Cognac and lemon.
Next Gen
Every year is a new generation and at the Propagator in Venice, Firestone Walker that means more IPA.
Here are the details – “Each April, we celebrate another year of good times and brewing at The Propagator R&D Brewhouse with an anniversary beer release. This year, we teamed up with our friends at El Segundo Brewing Co. to create Gen-6 Double IPA, a riff on our now-classic Propagator house IPA, Gen-1.”
Move Over Pastry Stout
Firestone Walker and their Propagator left cookies for us like we leave cookies for Santa…
I do like the Double Milk Stout idea, I just hope the results aren’t too sticky sweet.
Firestone Walker – Citra IPA vs Double Mind Haze
Time to play catch-up on releases from Firestone Walker…
Firestone Walker Propagator Citra – very light on the palate almost like a session IPA. Getting grapefruit first and foremost. Getting a bit of Meyer lemony notes as well. Hazy yellow in color. They certainly know how to keep it murky.
Double Mind Haze – another FW hazy appearing masterpiece. This is a rather odd beer to me. Has a cheek warming amount of alcohol and a bit of a bite to it. Texture is there but the flavor leads more to buttery or barely blood orange.
Wasn’t super jazzed about either to be honest but I would take the Citra if forced to choose.
Nectar
Bears and Lions on surfboards and New Zealand hops for the next 16oz can from the Propagator branch of Firestone Walker. Gen-4 was really good so I will be heading to their company store to find this one.