Paraboloid
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

A bit extra cold, which may have affected the pour. Still nice, deep dark brown.

Good nose, nothing in particular, but pleasant.

Very nice flavor. I am not comparing to Parabola side by side, but pretty sure this is not quite as sweet. Delicious. Burnt, roasty flavors.

Excellent. Top notch.

2024 vintage aged in 20 year ec and 10 year willett barrels.

Wow, this is a strong, big, boozey beer. Lots of cocoa, chocolate, fudge. Bourbon, oak, vanilla, leather, tobacco. Raisins, figs, molasses, caramel. So strong, so boozey. But I like it.

This what I want in a barrel aged stout. Big barrel presence without being too hot, malty char, light chocolate and a bit of vanilla. Barrel is very lightly sweet but mostly in background. Weighty mouthfeel but not too heavy. Letting this stout warm will reward you. Good carbonation. For rye stout fans, don't miss this one.

Clear, dark brown pour, appears black and opaque in the glass; thin khaki colored head. Fantastic aroma; rich dark chocolate; raspberries; a suggestion of coffee and vanilla; rye spiciness; very faint oak. Big dark grain and boozy flavors; milk chocolate; light bourbon; rye spiciness; vanilla sweetness. Heavy body; silky viscosity; well-balanced alcohol warmth permeates through the residual sugars.

This is a spiffy little big beer. Two years of age haven't hurt the appeal of this beer (makes me wonder how it would have been opened shortly after its release). Dense, rich, and silky with some great smell. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for another version of this beer.

ABV: 15%; pouring temperature: 42 °F; bottling info: 2022 Vintage №.1; beer cap: BEER BEFORE GLORY
Source: unknown

 

A - Pours pitch black with a creamy one finger tan head. Light amount of sticky lacing.

S - Aroma is coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla and charred oak.

T - The taste is black coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, caramel, charred oak and bourbon barrel.

M - Full body with medium/low carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel with a nice soft finish.

O - Top notch. Highly recommended.

09/03/23 bottle @ home 2023 vintage

Appearance - The beer was deep blackish brown with tan bubbles of carbonation rising to the top of the pour.

Smell - The nose had both bourbon and chocolate, with an almost dessert-like quality.

Taste - The beer was like Parabola with a deeper chocolate bourbon profile. The barrel notes seemed to be wet and fresh. Vanilla oak notes paired with black cherries and leather. The taste profile was strong but not overbearing, lingering on the tongue.

Mouthfeel - Without being liquid cement, the body had a nice lingering thickness.

Overall - This was an amazing beer. Highly recommended!

The beer was consumed as part of a tasting on 2/17/24. 2023 variant.

A&S: Amazing looking beer. Jet black beer that still has great carbonation after 18 months in the barrel. Tan foamy head leaves good lacing as you consume and maintains at least in a thin layer. Initially, I got a ton of booze and chocolate when the bottle was cracked, with a touch of vanilla. Later on, more of the woody character came out.

T&M: The taste is not as multidimensional as I expected. It's boozy upfront and from the midtaste to the finish it has heavy dark coffee and burnt tobacco tones. Not getting much chocolate, cherry, fudge, or vanilla. Mouthfeel-wise, this beer isn't heavy on the palate. It is on the lower end of full-bodied, but is also highly carbonated, especially for the style.

Overall: Very good beer overall. Although I am not sure about the price I would likely not buy this one again, but it is worth a try.

 

On tap at the Paso Robles taproom today.

The beer pours the expected blackish brown color with fairly decent head retention and light lacing. About what I would expect for a beer that has seen some serious barrel aging. On the nose I'm picking up vanilla, some licorice and light bourbon. It's nice, but isn't as impressive as I was expecting. The flavor profile replicates the nose, but with considerable molasses and a slight roasty flavor component as well. Mouthfeel is fairly full, with a long, boozy, slightly roasty finish. Alcohol is pretty well integrated into the flavor profile, though you can tell the abv. is up there a bit.

A good, solid, ba impy stout from the folks at FW, but this isn't anything extraordinary IMHO. Give me the regular parabola any time over this beer. Glad to have tried this, but this probably isn't something I need to order again any time soon.

Pours deep dark reddish brown with a one finger silky mocha head that fades quickly to a film. The nose has hints of boozy oak and vanilla and maybe light cherry notes. Taste is rich with oak, vanilla, leather and plum. Super smooth flavor and mouth feel, this is a very well balanced profile with just the right booziness. Really a treat to have been able to have, thanks to the "big stouts" Extreme Beer Box.

Held onto this from Extreme Stout box. Worth the wait. The 15% is well hidden. Complex tastes and aroma. Not overly boozy. Really great post-Thanksgiving night cap.

 

2023
Look - perfect, black thick fantastic tan head rimming lacing
Smell - rich dark chocolate, dark red fruit, caramel woody and molasses
Taste - about the same as the smell but with some booze and more barrel
Feel - full body medium light carb, slight creamy
Overall - outstanding

 

12oz bottle from the Extreme Stout Box poured into a taster glass shows a lightless black body supporting a thin cap of tiny chestnut brown bubbles and leaves the glass clean.

Aromas of chocolate and stone fruits dominate, with notes of wet oak and even some spice.

Flavors open up as it warms with chocolate, rye, bourbon, cherry, plum, vanilla, leather, and char all melding together.

Mouthfeel is thinner, more sharp, than expected with carbonation present, yet leaving a slight grit and sticky residue.

Overall a prime example of blending, a FW expertise.

 

Firestone Walker keeps pumping out 12 oz. Reserve bottles. I keep buying them. Already had this a few times so I know what’s coming.

Black. Low bubble count. Unlike it’s little cousin one can smell the booze on the breeze, along with hefty barrel & chocolate. Malts are somewhat subdued by the aggressive barrel.

Paraboloid is no Parabola, but what is? What it is, is delicious. Like the nose the barrel is aggressive, with both bourbon & spicy rye coming through strongly & distinctly; the spiciness really gets up into the sinuses. I don’t really want to delve further, because it’s beautiful. Sweet espresso, vanilla, moderate heat, with a drying oak finish. But this is really about the skillful barrel aging. I’d be happy with a year’s supply of this.

It’s been over 13 years since my first bottle of Paraboloid’s divine cousin, Parabola, entered my life. This isn’t quite as good…which isn’t saying much. An elite beer & a master lesson in the use of barrels.