As mentioned with the 2011 review, this is a Firestone Walker beer and it is a blend of three different beers so it’s sort of a baby version and extremely baby version at that of the anniversary beers that they release each year. It is called an Imperial brown and I don’t know how much longer Firestone will actually brew this particular brand but if you can get your hands on the 2014 it is out and you should get it.
The ’12 pours a hazy red brown color. Very thin head that dissipates quickly. The aroma is bourbon on ice. And the initial taste is almost bourbon and coke. Light bourbon mixed with a sweetness that is just a touch too much for me. And at the back end the brown ale taste lurks around and then fades off. It still has some good carbonation to it as well that starts the whole thing off.
The Verdict: It certainly doesn’t taste bad but the residual sweetness gets a bit cloying the more you drink of it. I don’t know if another year would do wonders or if a year earlier would have had other notes that have now dropped out but it seems off the mark so I have to rank this as a really minor failure considering that it is an under 10% beer and under $5 beer too.