No Ends, Only Beginnings
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

Right from the first sip I was wowed. I've had some Imp. Stouts that are thin and weak. This one had a great mouthfeel which I love in an Imp. stout. Some sweetness which is enjoyable. Chocolate, some vanilla and a light touch of BBA. One of the best Imperial Stouts I've had in a long time.

 

Picked up a 500 ml bottle from the Craft Beer Hop Stop in PHX 11-19-24 for $12.99. 2022 Bottling consumed for review 9-1-25.

Beer poured black with a nice brown head with the original pour.

Nose is very nice as the barrels shine while the chocolate addition is playing second chair.

Taste initially had a decent roasted malt base but as i sip on the chocolate is slowly taking over the palate. There was some nice bourbon heat initially, but now the barrel is trying to balance the sweet chocolate. In the end the finish is a bit unbalanced and sweet with the chocolate and malts winning over the barrel balance efforts.

Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with each sip being soft and smooth.

Overall, this could have used another 9-12 months in the barrel to make this more balanced.

I used to really love imperial stouts, but I think it was mostly the novelty. Once you've had enough of these, they really run out of tricks.

This is a pretty good one, though. 2022 Vintage, nice pour: well carbonated for the style. Jet back body, khaki head, great retention.

Aromas of licorice, maple, chocolate, fig jam, plum jam, blackberry jam, bourbon, oak, caramel, vanilla, toasted coconut, cavendish tobacco and molasses. Everything you want in a classic BBA stout.

Chocolate, licorice and molasses dominate on the palate, as is the case with most of FW's heavier malty offerings. Could stand to be more complex, but is certainly satisfyingly so.

This one has a really long lingering oaky dryness on the finish that saves it from being cloying. But it is a tad syrupy in texture.

An excellent example of the style. Probably would have given it an A a few years ago.

80 B-

 

 

Look: It pours very dark brown with a dark head. Head retention is low.

Smell: Chocolate, bourbon and alcohol up front with figs and vanilla in the back ground. The alcohol is noticeable in the aroma.

Taste: Strong dark chocolate flavors in the initial flavor with bourbon and figs in support. It has some dark cherries in support. Initially there is moderate bitterness to start and turns more to a sweet finish. There are low vanilla and wood notes.

Feel: It has a full body with strong alcohol warming. The finish is balanced towards the sweet side. It has a rich and velvety texture.

Overall: Strong flavors although it is a bit heavy on the palace. A nice warmer.

Excellent pour, deep brown and good head that dissipates, leaving some behind.

No real nose.

Wow. Smooth, so easy to drink. Delicious. Great balance - a good stout that is not too sweet.

This is fantastic.

 

 

 

Bottle:
Pretty thick dark tan to brown head atop a jet black body. Spotty lacing as the head forms large bubbles and settles to a medium thick collar. Nose is that of a rich stout with some dark fruit notes (like fig) with a little tang. A mix of roast and Baltic porter sweetness with just a little bit of the bourbon barrel coming through to me.

Taste starts with an unsweetened cherry cola vibe. The carbonation isn't cola-like, but is a little more active than I expected. Fig, date, and root spice with a hint of booze in the opening. Roast joins the party late and really embitters the finish, where it finds the spice that makes its way all the way through the taste. The finish helps get this beer into a pretty enjoyable state for me.

550ml bottle poured into a snifter

A- pours jet black in color with. a one-finger foamy khaki head that reduces to a ring around the glass

S- aromas of charred malt and dark chocolate, followed by black licorice and prunes. You have to swirl the glass to get the barrel to come out, it adds oak and a raw bourbon note, as well as a hint of vanilla

T- an array of dark fruit up front with notes of figs, plum and raisin. Mid-palate brings out a charred chocolate malt note, followed by oaky barrel juice that gives some caramel and vanilla. The finish brings out a black cherry note, as well as more chocolate and barrel juice. Lingers of bourbon, char and cherry

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

2022 vintage

It’s nice to see just a straight forward bourbon barrel aged Stout without any adjuncts from time to time. Though when going the no adjunct route I do prefer a different barrel treatment or none at all, but I’m sure this will be great regardless. Let’s pop it open and find out what it has to offer

Pours almost completely pitch black with a finger of creamy tan head that slowly fades fades to a thin ring and leaves minimal

The bourbon is the focus of the nose, but there’s great fruity notes that keep everything in check. I’m picking up on aromas of sharp bourbon, black cherry, cocoa powder, fig, roasted peanut, burnt caramel, toasted oak, molasses, and red grape

It’s a lot sweeter in taste, but not in a way where it’s unbalanced. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting sweet bourbon, crème brûlée, milk chocolate, smooth oak, red grape, roasted peanut, vanilla bean, and light molasses. The swallow brings notes of sweet bourbon, burnt caramel, molasses, smooth oak, vanilla bean, milk chocolate, light raisin, and brown sugar

A medium full body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a slick and chewy beer. Finishes a tad sticky but dries out slowly

What an odd one. There’s such a huge discrepancy between aroma and flavor that I can’t help but be disappointed, yet I enjoy it overall

L: Pours caramel, forming a thin tan head that is quick to fade. A faint swirl of bubbling foam lingers on the surface, and a very thin ring of lacing around the edge suggestive of carbonation. Held to the light, this beer has a

S: Notes of dark chocolate, bourbon barrel, oak, vanilla. Some light char and brown sugar. Roasted malt.

T: Follows the nose. Starts off with dark chocolate, bourbon, oak, and roasted malts. There are hints of brown sugar and raisin that balance the flavors.

F: Medium- to full-bodied, biased toward full. It has a wet, silky mouthfeel. Moderate levels of carbonation.

O: Good flavors and aromas, fairly balanced. Worth a try.

The beer pours very little head and what head does come out is a dark brown color. The beer itself is a very dark brown color such that it strongly resembles a bourbon brown.

The smell is pretty good. It has sweet dark chocolate notes upfront followed by the bourbon notes that include a bit of orange.

The taste is pretty good. It has a nice semi-sweet dark chocolate and baking spices that make seem like a brownie made with bourbon. The bourbon has some orange notes with a light vanilla in the finish.

The feel is pretty god. It has a heavy body with a smooth texture with a bit of thinness to it. It has a very light and soft carbonation that goes away quickly.

Overall, if you can't tell by now, the beer is pretty good. The taste is delicious and not overwhelmingly sweet while the bourbon works well with the notes.

2024-03-26
500ml bottle served in a hotel tumbler glass. 2022 vintage. Bought it at the Propagator a couple days ago.

Pours black with a small head. Looks pretty still. Smell is a little booze and a lot of chocolate, some vanilla and char.

Taste is chocolate sweetness, medium roast coffee, a little vanilla sweetness, moderate char bitterness. But primarily sweet flavors.

Mouthfeel is thickish, no, just thick. A little fluffy, very smooth. Overall, pretty nice beer.

Pitch black pour with a brown cap. I actually mostly agree with the description, "aromas of semi-sweetened dark chocolate, fig and vanilla meet flavors of bourbon & baking spices", with some dark chocolate added, very nicely done. The taste however comes across much more smoky and earthy with an oak emphasis emerging, sweet chocolate malt is underlying with earthy barley, much more one dimensional. Body is characterized by mild booziness and chewy malt, but not super deep, though the barrel complexity does emerge as it warms.

500 ml bottle into a snifter. A 2022 release, had 8/11/23.

Pours a dark brown, mostly opaque, with a short head and speckled cling. Aromas of bourbon, roasted malt, fig, oak, raisins, vanilla, chocolate, some tobacco and brown sugar. Has a spicy aroma. Mostly similar flavors- bourbon, chocolate, roasted malt, oak, raisins, vanilla, some fig and brown sugar. Has a spicy taste. It’s fairly sweet. Smooth, a good fuller body, appropriately carbonated.

The barrels star here, and the malts are very expressive. Very good aromas and flavors. Much sweeter than expected, though. Worth a purchase.

Poured at fridge temp. Pours black with very little brown head. The nose is really nice. Sweet malts, roasted malts, baking chocolate, and a touch of molasses. The taste is definitely not a typical imperial stout. Quite sweet. Almost a bit odd that it's so sweet. Vanilla, malts, dark fruit, and some bourbon. Not much of the roasted malts left. Almost a bit syrupy. Not my favorite, but not bad.