Parabola
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

I've had this beer a few times (as well as I think four of the Anniversary blends which typically have a decent amount of Parabola to their individual lineages), but don't seem to have ever reviewed it. Now that it's available in single 12 oz bottles, I can crack one and give it a review without having to split it with anyone else! Hallelujah!

Parabola pours a very dark color but it stops fairly short of being pitch-black. A deep brown color holding up a rather small and demure head of khaki foam, this brew is stately in my glass and doesn't delve into the depths of insanity that some other big stouts tend to. It just looks the part quite well and doesn't initially scare me off, in other words. There are some small islands of suds on the surface, but overall this is just a remarkably clear and straightforward imperial stout pour.

I allowed this about 5 minutes to open up once poured into my glass, and I'm glad I did. I noticed a slight bit of metallic-ness right away, but it peters out quickly, revealing layers of rich coconut, tannic bourbon whiskey elements, intense roast character, charred dark fruits (plum, specifically) and a bit of ethanol heat. A little bit of interesting, rye-like spice here as well, which I find to be pretty characterful but which I can also see not being up every drinker's alley. Some brandy and/or rum-like molasses/brown sugar coming across as it warms to the 55F serving temperature suggested on the bottle. Very complex and deep.

Raisin, brown bread, roasted malts, prune and plum fruitiness melding with some coffee-like elements and oak woodiness. Tannins are surprisingly not as stiff as expected here; this is very smooth with a lot of fruitiness and dark chocolate coming together really well. Balanced as hell, with an earthy hop bite toward the finish of each sip, as well as more coconut, light vanilla and layers of whiskey sweetness from the barrel aging. I don't think this is the best-tasting BA stout I've ever had, honestly, but it is probably one of the most complex considering it doesn't use any adjunct ingredients. There's just a little too much fruitiness and esters from the English ale yeast for me. However, I do really like it. A pure, bold and excellently-sipping BBA imperial stout.

The feel is silky smooth, as expected. There's very little carbonation to this one; it almost comes across as a few steps removed from being a cask ale in that sense. The finish has a little heat, but it's really well-tempered for being close to 13% ABV. I can see very little reason to age this one to any real extent, as opposed to the bottle of Bravo I had last year that was really hot right off the bat. This is just about as drinkable as FW's other most well-loved BA beer, Sucaba. Hope to find a few more bottles of this, but I might be too late.

Black in color with no light penetration. There’s a fingernail of beige around the rim. The aroma is of bourbon, vanilla, and roasted barley. I’m tasting sweet bourbon, wheat, vanilla, and roasted barley. The mouth is sticky, chewy, and boozy.

 

 

12 ounce bottle poured into shaker pint glass. Lots of info on the handsome label (including a small red “No. 18” on bottom center of the label).

Appearance - BLACK! Completely opaque. A dense, dark brown head. Unfortunately, the head disappears quickly and there was zero lacing.

Nose - BIG! Dark chocolate. Marmite. Burnt toast. Alcohol. Maybe a whiff of cherries.

Taste - BIG! The alcohol, front and center, is followed by a mixture of dark chocolate, strong black coffee, and cherries. I picked up a little hop bitterness on the backend.

Mount - Syrupy with a mildly fizzy finish.

Overall - I’m going to be a naysayer here. I love this brewery (I’ve been there many times) and I do appreciate all of the effort that Firestone Walker puts into this beer but it’s just too much of a good thing. I actually poured the bottom half of the bottle into a brandy snifter and sipped at it, believing that an “attitude adjustment” might change my thinking. Nope. Moving forward, I should probably just avoid Imperial Stouts.

A- pure oil with a cocoa rim. Nearly no head. Delightful lacing.

S- spices hit up front, cinnamon, allspice, with strong notes of vanilla an oozing with some oaky bourbon

T-vanilla ice cream, bourbon, oak, dark candied fruit

M- thick


O- fantastic

2026 edition
Black, half finger of light brown head, decent enough retention given the ABV, a few spots of lace.
Smoke, tar, char, dried cherries, earthy, a bit of wood and vanilla, some pipe tobacco aroma
Lots of roasted malt: 92% chocolate, some char, a bit of smoke, a bit of a freshly paved road on an August day. On the fence of whether the dried cherry is sweet or tart. Just a hint of raisin. Earthy, slight hint of herbal and spice to keep it clean.
This is a heavy beer, a bit sticky, but much less than other stouts of this power. Lower carbonation, as befits it.
A really great BBA stout. Shame it showed up so late around here, but glad it did, and glad I finally got around to reviewing it after all these years of enjoying it.

(2026 variant) See previous reviews of various vintages of Parabola, this iteration with the same exceptional balance; good but lighter palate heft; a complex flavor profile with so many subtle notes of bourbon/choco/javaish/oakey/roasty/burnt-charred tastes all wrapped up in a whisky warming backend. Cheers to XXX years, Firestone Walker!

Parabola (2026) from Firestone Walker. Six pack of 12 fl oz bottles, received 17/03/26 from Bine & Vine, San Diego, CA. $ 123.00 (Including tax and shipping)/$ 1.71/fl oz. Stored at 40 degrees F at home. Reviewed 20/03/26, review 3710. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Only date on the bottle is “2026.” Served at 56.1 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 58.8 degrees F. ( Label states “SERVE AT 55°”)
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Deep Amber (SRM 18), clear.
Body – Brown (SRM 20), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lit, same with amber at the edges.
Head – Average (Maximum 1.0 cm, aggressive center pour) Tan brown lightening to wheat as it oxygenates, high density with a few rocks, rapidly dropping to a 0.3 cm crown and a thin partial cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 3 – Not much – just a little roasted chocolatey malt – no hops, no alcohol, no bourbon, no barrels.
Flavor – 4.5 – Mildly bitter with slight earthy malt flavor. Chocolate, No hops, no alcohol (13.4% according to the label). No bourbon, no barrels. No dimethylsulfide, no diacetyl. Initially, comfortable gastric warming which slowly builds to a slightly uncomfortable level before dampening back down.
Palate – 4.5 – Full: Creamy: Soft but lively carbonation.
Style: Fits general BA description.
Final impression and summation: 4 Uncredited label art. Excellent flavor, weak nose. Ludicrous price point.

 

 

 

2026 edition (18th batch, in history). Parabola has a thin, beige head, a black appearance, and no lacing. The aroma is of burnt toast, cocoa, coffee, and cream. The flavor is of those elements, with lots of sweetness and bitterness, with bourbon barrel, in the under-taste. Parabola has a heavy body and a mostly-dry finish.

RJT

2025 Parabola Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels. No. 17, 14.1 ABV.
Poured from a bottle into a stemmed Teku.

Appearance: pours a very rich extra dark chocolate, think 90% cacao or higher. Very slight toffee colored head which quickly dissipates to a ring, swirling leaves a sticky ring which coats but does not leave running legs.

Nose: cocoa nibs, and red fruits up front, with all the vanilla, saddle leather and caramel you would expect the barrel to leave behind. Surprisingly, this does not smell at all boozy, interesting when considering the ABV.

Taste: Begins very sweet, almost candy before the dark chocolate, vanilla swirl comes through, before smoothing into caramel, toffee and the slightest hint of butter rum. The alcohol is muted until the back of the pallet where the heat hits but in a pleasant not overpowering way and finishes with the red fruits and vanilla crème. This is very complex and is the result of an excellent base stout with carefully executed barrel aging.

Feel: starts off syrupy but really drys out as it progresses on the upper pallet, almost to point of cottonmouth. The heat of this beer is mostly felt in the cheeks and at the back of the mouth. The front of the tongue keeps the bitterness and sweetness.

Overall: This is exceptional but I do have some complaints, this is more a joke than anything. Although we’ll aged I think it could have used a little more time in the barrel, the vanilla of the oak is there, but the caramel is slightly muted and the bourbon punch is missing, it’s possible this is due to the bourbon that was in the barrel, for example if this was a wheated bourbon like Makers instead of something more complex like Stagg or Russell’s. Bottom line a little more time for the beer to pull some of these sugars would push this to a five.

The aging I think would also improve the mouthfeel. The drying effect is expected in this but the conversion of sugars would likely balance it across the mouth.

With this being said, I wish I had four more, one to open each of the next four years to see if it matures with rest in the bottle. I’m caressing this because I’ll miss it when it’s gone like a lost love. For a bigger craft brewer Firestone Walker continues to demonstrate its skill and craftsmanship.

Absolutely outstanding! Fantastic aroma, taste, and mouthfeel.

 

This is the 2025 Edition which is rated as 14.1 ABV.

Pours a black color with a 1/2F tan head and light filmy lacing.

Smells of bourbon, dark chocolate, coffee, figs, cherries and vanilla.

Tastes of coffee, oak, chocolate, figs, cherries, caramel, vanilla and cinnamon with a spicy boozy warm finish.

Heavy body with very light carbonation. Rich, creamy and syrupy mouthfeel.

This is a very indulgent, big and strong sipper.

World class indeed!

 

 

Pours like midnight oil with dark mahogany highlights and a caramel colored head.

Caramel, toffee, fig, sticky buns, coffee, and chocolate in the nose.

Caramel and toffee followed by sticky buns malt middle, finishing dry with bitter coffee and chocolate notes.