Firestone 20 - Anniversary Ale
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

Pours cola colored with a quarter inch of tight, beige foam that falls to a thick ring and islands.

The smell is...gentle? But it's busy... I get some chocolate, bourbon, then some rum-like sweetness. Caramel and toffee notes leaning brown sugar, a little vanilla and maybe coconut? Dark fruit that seems raisin-like and plum. Just a faint booziness. There's a red wine must in the background and a tiny bit of spiciness.

Flavor bomb - smooth and everything is integrated into a cohesive whole. Everything in the aroma is in the taste but hard to separate. I do get a more pronounced bourbon and rum taste after the swallow. The main event is mildly chocolaty, more dark fruit than I expected and plum/prune taste. A little vanilla fliats in and some coconut. Red wine character, sweet like brown sugar and caramel. A little bitterness and a little black pepper at the end along with a weak resinous note. It's drinking just slightly sweet but it has a little bitter counterbalancing that. A little licorice long after the swallow. Very nice.

Feel is smooth and silky. A little carb tingle at first but not for long. I get some carryover of bourbon and rum. It's not dry.

Overall a very enjoyable beer. Smooth and easy drinking, lots of flavors all working together. Great blending technique here.

Drank 11/20/2025

A: opaque; very dark brown - almost black in color; less than a 1 finger light brown head that receded quickly to a thin collar; very little lacing;

S: prune, raisin, and a bit of bittersweet chocolate; as it warmed, the bittersweet chocolate was replaced by an oaky booziness;

T: dark fruit throughout; prune and oak dominate from the middle through the finish; ginger is noticeable in the aftertaste; boozy, but not hot; as it warmed, oak balanced out the prune from the middle through the finish and cherry replaced the ginger in the aftertaste;

M: medium to full bodied; light to moderate carbonation; dry finish;

O: complex and interesting; a really nice sipper;

Brown hue when poured, beige head, dark brown in glass. Nose maybe faded, coffee and toffee. Taste is boozy delight with many flavors from all the contributing ales. Toffee and coffee backed by fig, candy sugar, chocolate. Big body and low carbonation.

Well balanced with an assortment of flavors that work well together (oak, toffee, bready malt, chocolate) and an assertive strength that warms. Good mouthfeel and light carbonation.

Pours so dark brown that it looks black with a 1-2 finger thick foamy tan head that faded in average time and left minimal lacing. Nose consists of caramel, molasses, charred malts, vanilla, faint bourbon, dark fruit like cherries, brown sugar, cocoa powder, woody oaky notes, raisins or dates, piney accents and whiffs that come off metallic. Tastes sweet up front with molasses, brown sugar, and caramel, followed by piney hops, dark fruit, vanilla, charred wood, fruitcake, hints of bourbon and/or port wine, cocoa powder, dry chalky yeast, black licorice and some booze as it fades off on the dry side. Smooth while still having some texture and weight, it faded and left with some pine, bourbon and sweet flavors like French toast. I’m sure this was much better in its prime, but still a very enjoyable brew after aging 8 years.

Drank in April 2024, way past its prime in my opinion, sorry for the low ratings...

22oz bottle into a tulip. Pours a deep dark chocolate brown with a nominal amount of carbonation, not much head to speak of. A thin ring of bubbles is sustained around the edge of the glass.

Aroma is rich and complex: toffee, figs, dates, chocolate, caramel, vanilla, booze, oak. Lots going on, as expected for the FW anniversary series.

Taste is likewise full of intermingled and layered flavors, many of the same as noted above. Good blend of sweet and bitter, neither dominating. Bready malt reminds me of a Belgian quad. Some vaguely spicy notes as well.

Mouthfeel is chewy and full bodied but not heavy or sticky. Just about right.

Again, as expected, an outstanding addition to the anniversary line for Firestone Walker, one of the best breweries that I know of in terms of both barrel aging and blending.

Bottle from my cellar. Ebony pour, small soft ring of beige head. Sweet roasty aroma. Taste is sweet, milky, chocolate with an afterglow. Incredibly smooth.

22oz bottle poured into a snifter

A- pours deep brown in color with a one-finger foamy off-white head that reduces to a ring around the glass

S- rich malty nose with initial aromas of brown sugar, caramel, brownie batter & fruitcake. Barrel elements add oak & equal parts bourbon and brandy, which add aromas of light vanilla, red grapes, black cherries & raisins. Hints of pipe tobacco and just a trace of citrusy hops

T- rich and malty up front with notes of caramel, toffee, brown sugar & molasses. Mid-palate brings out dark fruit notes of black cherry, raisins, figs and prunes. Beyond the fruity notes, the barrels start to come out, adding wet oak, bourbon and brandy. The finish turns to chocolate & a hint of cinnamon spice and booze. Caramel, brown sugar and oak on the linger

M- medium body with moderate-low carbonation leads to a creamy mouthfeel that continues into a silky and velvety warming finish

O- as with all of the anniversary beers, the complexity is impressive. It opens up more as it breaths in the glass

22 ounce bottle, 2016 vintage. Served in a Teku, the beer pours a very dark brown color with about an inch tan head that stuck around a while. There's also a good amount of lacing. I like the aroma, the brew smells like bourbon, vanilla, dark fruit, brown sugar, molasses, brandy and caramel. For the most part I think the taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also the addition of some dark bread, toffee and woody flavors. And a little bit of booze too as the brew warms up. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's slick and a bit syrupy with a moderate amount of carbonation. I thought this was good overall, but think it might have packed more of a punch when fresher. Certainly worth trying if you get the chance!

Another outstanding Anniversary brew from FW.To my taste… above and beyond.
Was late to the party and was fortunate to pick up a bottle at FW Venice bottle shop a few years after release. Related, BIG kudos to the Venice team. Everybody from bar/beer guy to bottle shop guy to someone on phone who ok’d selling a single Anni… perfect! People who definitely know their beer AND are reallly cool people. I thought Paso Robles and Barrelworks people were great; but Venice people were as good as I’ve met anywhere.
Ok…beer…
Classic look and smoothness, but this one just reached out a bit more aroma wise. The taste lept out with super rich Parabola lovingly highlighted by the big quad SM and imp brown Bravo.
Unsure if I should think of this as a special year Anniversary… or maybe the best Parabola yet.
Had mine at about 5+ years out.
Special brew!

 

Look: It pours dark brown with a slight bit of clouding. It clears as it warms. The head is light brown. Head retention is low.

Smell: A strong rich malt blend of caramel, toffee, and nuts to start. There is a bit of sweetness in the nose with black cherry and a bit of cherry pipe tobacco. There are hints of dark fruits.

Taste: The flavors are caramel, toffee, dark cherry, nuts to start. There is a bit of sweetness with some dark fruit and alcohol. It also has a low wood note plus some vinous qualities.

Feel: It has a full almost chewy body and smooth alcohol warming.

Overall, a very complex blend of flavors and aromas. An absolute pleasure to drink.