Firestone 22 - Anniversary Ale
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dark mahogany with slight ruby ​​reflections, not very abundant and persistent foam of beige color.
The scent is very intense and elegant, molasses, caramel, coffee, cocoa, ripe cherry, light toasting, typical oak notes of oak, vanilla and bourbon.
On the palate, the entrance is sweet, greedy and decadent, molasses and caramel, coffee and cocoa, raisins, followed by delicate notes of roasting, wood, vanilla and an infinite ethyl embrace of bourbon, rum and a touch of dryness given by gin. Final with gentle bitterness. Soft body but not totally full, low carbonation.

 

 

Bought at CoolaBoola Bottle Shop. Poured into a BrewDog snifter.

A: The body is a rich dark brown with some purple hues that's highly interesting. It's not thick as a stout and is not light as porter but it gets stuck somewhere in between.
S: The aroma is very good with hints of brown sugar, molasses, light malt roasting, vanilla, deep dark berries and with just a small note of oak.
T: The taste surprisingly takes me back to some dubbels and quads from Belgium, with notes of molasses, toffee, caramel, brown sugar and huge punch of alcohol in the end.
M: Body wise, it's medium high with a very reasonable carbonation for a 3 year old beer. Alcohol is felt throughout the beer though it's not overwhelming - which is incredible running at 12.7% ABV. Bitterness is mild. Sweetness is medium high.
O: First time having an Anniversary Ale from Firestone and I'm delighted to do so. The beers these guys brew are pretty awesome.

Reddish brown/mahogany pour with scant tan to khaki head.
Nose of toffee, molasses, brown sugar, vanilla and bourbon (with a bit more bourbon!).
Tastes of caramel toffee, molasses, raisins, dark fruit, vanilla and brown sugar sweetness. The bourbon is present also on the palate, carrying a bit of woody boozy heat.
Medium full mouthfeel with tingling carbonation - sweet brown sugar and bourbon booziness linger nicely with warming effect.

A - Pours a dark reddish brown with a one finger creamy tan head. Nice soapy lacing.

S - Aroma is brown sugar, molasses, oak and bourbon.

T - The taste is brown sugar, caramel, chocolate, raisins, dark cherries, vanilla, oak, rum and bourbon.

M - Medium body with medium carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel with a nice soft finish.

O - Another really tasty anniversary beer from Firestone Walker. Tons of flavors going on and yet everything works so well.

Pours a syrupy murky reddish brown, minimal foamy head. Great aroma of brown sugar, caramel, toffee, molasses, candied dark fruit. Flavor is sweet brown sugar, bourbon barrel, sweet but nicely balanced. Booziness is not overwhelming. Fairly thick and viscous, syrupy. Overall this aged nicely, is delicious.

6/21/21
12 oz bottle, 2018 vintage
4.5 rating

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simply excellent output from Firestone.

Bottle Date: 2018
Palate Contaminants: tres leches for dessert

Clear, but yet dark enough to begin to obscure things after 3-4 inches. Not cloudy at all. Fine head goes away quickly. So, points for uniqueness on the initial thing.

Smell is heavy on molasses, anise, and Brazil nuts. Butterscotch and cinnamon. It's really savory, which isn't that common for the nose. It's just so deliciously woodsy and nutty. I'd actually maybe go with pecans as the main one. Sweetness is moderate. Anise ramps up as it warms.

The taste is more nondescript wood, although it's not charred. What nut remains is toasted hazelnut. Anise is much more present in the taste than the smell. The taste also has some bitterness that isn't usually in these anniversary brews. The flavors are so heavy that it buries the moderate-heavy sweetness. Alcohol is also definitely present, and that's what knocks it down a notch.

Alcohol continues in the aftertaste. It's usually not a big deal, but it is at the point of being detrimental here. The wood and bitterness continue to echo, and they do play pretty well together, which isn't always the case. The carbonation is very fine and very nicely integrated.

So overall, pretty good compared to everything out there, but a little below the mark that FW usually hits with this series.

 

 

Dark,dark brown with a tiny bit of head. Smell is boozy, malty goodness. Brown sugar, rum, molasses, banana bread. Very interesting and complex on the nose. Taste heavily mirrors the nose. Boozy rum up front, with the brown sugar / molasses following right behind. Nice and complex, with several layers. Medium feel / carb.

12 oz bottle poured into a tulip

A-Dark brown, almost black, with a small tan head.

S- Dark fruits, bananas, chocolate, bourbon, hints of rum and gin, brown sugar.

T- Dark fruits, chocolate, bananas, vanilla, brown sugar, bourbon, some plums and cherries, toffee, hints of rum and gin.

M- Smooth, medium to full body.

O- Being 44% Stickee Monkee the Quad/Belgian flavors take center stage, but the other beers add a lot layers to this. Another tasty anniversary from Firestone Walker.

 

2018 Bottle:
L - Deep brown with light brown/amber highlights and a tan head that dissipates quickly leaving behind a thin cap
S - Sweet malt up front and throughout along with hints of rich rum, spices, charred wood, smoke, tobacco, bourbon, dark fruits, figs, raisins, some nuttines and hints of caramel as well.
T - Incredibly complex but largely follows the nose: Sweet malt and rich, sweet bourbon and rum up front and throughout followed by notes of sweet caramel, figs, dark fruits, raisins, spices, vanilla, and coconut intermix with a charred wood and smoke finish. A slight hint of alcohol on the backend.
F - Full bodied with a light to moderate amount of carbonation. Smooth and creamy.
O- An incredibly complex American Strong Ale - the flavors really opened up after 2 years of aging this one.

At 57° pours ruby brown with excellent clarity; fast, fizzy light tan head disappears quickly leaving a thin incomplete ring, no cap, no lace; heavy legs and some micro dots of lace on swirl. Bourbon nose becomes phenolic as beer warms; boozy rum on exhale; semi sweet malt. Rum up front, followed by spicy gin, bourbon, semi sweet toffee, vanilla and oak; no hop flavors, no bitterness. Medium minus body; moderate minus carbonation; smooth mouth feel; warmth from 12.7% abv; slight boozy burn on tip of tongue; almost dry and yet creamy at the same time. Overall, balanced but boozy; gin and rum linger; amazing how such a small percentage of spirits compete with bourbon barrel notes; easy to drink as this blend feels thin, but taste reminds me to sip; barrel flavors dominate the malt backbone, yet I’d be happy to drink again.

12oz bottle poured into a snifter. The aroma is wonderfully complex and something that I could hold my nose to all day long. Dark alcohol soaked fruits, tons of barrel notes, just fantastic. The taste follows the precedent from the aroma and surely doesn’t disappoint. Sweet bready malts make way for some booziness in the finish. Overall, this is a fantastic anniversary ale for a great brewery. Here’s to another 22 years!

 

 

 

Pours a dark brown that pulls up just shy of black, revealing a little ruby tint to the edges when held against the light. Evidence of some lighter ales in this mix. Head is a finger of khaki foam that retains well. Considering this is a 2018 anniversary ale, and is being consumed in April 2020, that's a good showing. Aroma is jam packed with notes - toffee, raisins, fig, clove, caramel, molasses, charred coffee and roasty, toasty, nutty and caramely malts. Barrel character is prevalent, adding some char and bitterness along with a little woody oak to round it out. One thing is for sure - complexity is huge. Sweetness with a twinge of bitterness. Flavor profile is raisins, toffee, fig, caramel, molasses, chocolate, maple syrup, roasty coffee and roasty, toasty, nutty and caramely malts. Woah - huge! Some big sweetness characteristics right up front, and while they remain all the way throughout, they do subside slightly towards the finish, allowing the bourbon barrel to poke through. It is dessert like, but with the bourbon sear at the end, keeps the sweetness from lingering. Mouth feel is medium-thick that expands to a more full thickness as it warms. Texture is crushed velvet with a light siltiness, adding a little presence to each sip. Overall, depth and complexity is huge here, and yet it all works together well. It's sweet, hot and yet still bitter, netting out a noble balance.

Served in a 15.5oz Speigalau tulip from a 12oz bottle. Poured and reviewed on 4/19/2020; 2018 bottling.