Firestone 26 - Anniversary Ale
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

 

12oz bottle. Dark brown pour , fizzy tan head, settles to thin ring. Sweet, boozy aroma, caramel, brown sugar, root beer. Taste is sweet, light roasty notes, lots of barrel, malty, boozy. Always an excellent birthday celebration from Firestone Walker.

 

 

 

Pours clear, dark brown in color with one quarter inch head. Taste is big bourbon barrel and caramel. Heavy body, moderate low carbonation, slightly sweet, roasty. I know this may have been better fresh but FW does so much better. With this much aging, all I get is bourbon, not all of the normal nuances...a disappointment with age.

 

 

 

12 ounce bottle into a tulip snifter. Had 4/9/23.

Pours a medium brown with ruby highlights in the light, semi opaque, with a one inch quickly dissipating foamy head and a decent amount of foamy lacing. Aromas of bourbon, caramel, oak, chocolate, light vanilla, light brown sugar and char. Has a bit of a fruity aroma. Flavors of bourbon, a little rum, malt, vanilla, caramel, oak, chocolate. Smooth, a very good lighter full body, well carbonated.

There’s definitely a big Velvet Merkin influence and overall, it’s an excellent blend as usual. Look forward to these every year.

 

Received a bottle in a trade 12-6-22. 2022 Anniversary Edition consumed for review 6-23-23.

Beer poured dark brown with a very nice tan head.

Nose is very nice with notes of roasted malts, chocolate, leather, vanilla, and bourbon.

Taste is awesome with the large, blended malt base taking on strong notes of the barrel with vanilla and bourbon standing out. Getting light roast and notes of chocolate in my post sip aspiration. Finishes perfectly balanced.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and smooth. Not as big and chewy as in the past.

Overall another tasty cuvee from Firestone, my all-time favorite BA blender!

 

bottle into glass
Fairly thin, deep tan head. Really dark, murky brown look. Rich and sweet, caramel, toasted dark malt, with a touch of a medium toasted wood note, for the aroma. This is very succulent, full and balanced, to start off the taste. This a blend of 6 different barrel aged, heavy beer styles and they really must have deliberated over the final blend, as this is very balanced, quite smooth, not too heavy bodied, nor very sweet. The flavors are: Smooth, dark roasted and toasted barley malt and mixed grains, a presence of the bourbon and brandy barrels, some caramel and toffee, in tow, for the taste. Finish is balanced and smooth, well done.

 

 

 

Firestone Walker XXVI Anniversary Ale BBA American Strong Cuvee, 11% ABV. Pours black with a 1.5 finger brown head that left some lacing. Nose is sweet chocolate, toffee, and wine. Taste follows plus bourbon and oak, slightly sweet, slightly bitter, char. Decent mouthfeel, overall outstanding. Pretty complex, and of course better as it warms.

 

Bottled fall of 2022? Poured at 54° straight out of my chiller. Tight khaki head dissipates fairly quickly leaving an island of micro dots yet a heavy ring and some spotty soapy lace; brown body with ruby hues; thick legs sheet the glass on swirl. Nose is sweet bourbon and oak; booze on exhale. Bourbon entry with sweet milk chocolate behind; charred oak; vanilla middle; no coffee but I do get a splash of white grape; oaky bourbon but more chocolate shows up as beer warms. Silky feel; medium body, not at all adjuncty; some warmth in mouth from 11% abv; dry barrel/oaky white wine tongue coating; very dry finish. Overall a tasty complex beer - lots going on here from sweet to roasty to boozy to dry; drinks thin and the barrel notes are a step or two ahead of the various bases; very dry, but I would gladly drink again.