Parabola - Maple
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

 

Solid, if uninspiring, maple barrel aged stout. The maple is clearly evident providing flavor and sweetness. It's a bit rough around the edges, lacking the harmonious blended nature of better barrel aged stouts.

 

 

On tap at Apex.

Black with a dense, brown head with great retention and lacing. Thos nose doesn't have a lot of maple, instead focusing on the base stout, which isn't a bad thing but not what I was expecting. Mild maple vanilla, a touch of honey, dark chocolate. On the palate, there is a weird astringency that is a little oaky, along with a mildly fake sweetness, rather Splenda like. Fatty on the finish, with vanilla and vanilla, this is really disjointed.

On tap at the Apex in pdx.

The beer pours the expected blackish brown color with good retention and lot's of sticky lacing all around. The nose is attractive, but seemed a bit muted. I get some maple and cola aroma, along with light chocolate and vanilla. The beer is much richer on the palate, with the maple taking Center stage. Mouthfeel is fairly full, but the finish is a bit gritty and off putting. Alcohol is pretty well integrated into the flavor profile, and drinkability is decent. The beer is a bit too sweet for my liking, but the array of flavors on the palate are impressive.

Good beer for sure, but I'm not sure how well the maple flavor works with the base beer. Not sure this is a beer I'd want to order again.

 

 

From tasting notes 12/17/19
Had on-tap at Belmont Station in Portland, OR

Appearance - Served up 10oz into a tall snifter, near black with cola brown edging where the light penetrates, and a thin, broken layer of suds. Lacing is good with broken webbing, lines and small spotting.

Smell - Maple, roast and some slight burnt sweetness. Faint chocolate and vanilla. Hint of bourbon.

Taste - Prominent maple upfront and throughout, then notes of vanilla and chocolate poke through. Underlying caramel, roast and a fair burnt sugar flavor emerges near the finish. Faint oak. Aftertaste lingers mostly with those maple and burnt sugar notes.

Mouthfeel - Full-bodied with low carbonation. Creamy upfront before a dry, warming and sticky finish.

Overall - Decent variant of the OG Parabola, though I would have liked the maple be more of a subtle addition rather than be the prominent flavor, because it adds too much sweetness for it to be amazing. Glad I got to try this, regardless. 10oz is a good pour size, as it definitely leans on the sweet side.

On tap at Playground in Downtown Santa Ana, CA.

Into it. Into it like a squirrel hoarding a nut for Christmas. I take a sip and I like it. I like it like a Kardashian likes, I don’t know, anything given to them for free. It’s good. It’s well and good like the lightning bolt that cured your uncle’s rheumatism. Hella sexy, hella velvety, and just with that nice sweet maple touch...

Yep!

Picked up a 32 oz Growler from Kings Beer & Wine 12-18-19 for $20.00.

Beer poured black as night with a beautiful tan head that has some great hang time.

Nose has hints of roasted malts, maple, and chocolate.

Taste is very well balanced. Roasted malt base and maple tie together nicely while a light touch of bourbon and vanilla on the back end. Finishes on the sweet side.

Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and very smooth and satisfying.

Overall a nice beer but not as good as the original.

 

On tap at BC's Pizza & Beer

A: Pours nearly black with a frothy cocoa brown head that settles to a thin layer and leaves some nice lacing.

S: Dark sugar and maple, smooth bourbon, toasty malt, chocolate, nice barrel presence with some oak and vanilla, rounded out with light earthy herbal notes.

T: Big hit of dark sugar up front, maple, brown sugar, and toffee, smooth bourbon, molasses, roasted malt, dark chocolate and a little char, vanilla, some oak, a touch of spice, and a bit of earthy bitterness to tie it all together.

M: Full body, somewhat mild carbonation, creamy smooth, just a hint of warmth.

O: Really happy to get to try this one. Super fun variant to see them play around with, and a great desert beer, but overall I think I still prefer the classic by just a bit.

On tap at the local wine/cheese shop. Nose is the best part of this one, with a little bourbon behind the maple syrup, vanilla bean, dark chocolate, and tobacco. After that, all sorts of good things going on, but the maple syrup is too sweet and there’s a syrupy element to the mouthful that I don’t like. Still good but nowhere near the regular version of the beer.

 

 

 

 

Draft pour into a small snifter.

A: pitch black with a persistent light brown head. Patchy lacing.

S: Maple syrup, dark chocolate, coffee grounds, grape skins.

T: Maple syrup up front, in a big way. It dominates the palate for a good while until the beery nuances poke through mid-palate ish. Deep roast, coffee, cigar tobacco, smoke. Fruity suggestions of grape skins and black plums. Mildest whisper of bourbon and oak. Sweet and smokey finish.

M: Thick body. Syrupy and coating. Rife with residual sugars. Gentle but prickling carbonation. Slightly warming.

O: It's just so sweet. The balance just never quite lands where it needs to and the maple dominates. It's to the point that is is cloying and tough to finish. I love Parabola. It is honestly one of my favorite Imperial Stouts. This version just needs a little honing.