Parabola Orange Bitters Barrel
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

1/19/2026, home, poured from a bottle, fireside.

Aroma - Deep sweet, bourbon and prune, candied orange peel, fig, roasted cocoa nibs, maybe a hint of pecan.

Taste - intensely sweet bourbon, brown sugar, prune, morrelo cherry, bitter baking chocolate, orange rind.

10oz pour at The Taphouse. Black pour, a few stray bubbles. Roasty aroma, boozy, orange peel. Taste is roasty malts, dark chocolate, orange liqueur. Strong, boozy.

Picked up this in a three-pack trio from Trader Joe's in Asheville 12-7-22 for $24.99. 2022 bottle; consumed 12-12-23.

Beer poured black with a great looking brown head that has great hang time.

Nose is a combination of roasted malts and candied oranges which gives a tad bit of a medicinal spin.

Taste is a lovely roasted malt base enhanced by resting in a bourbon barrel that is thrown in a different direction with the orange bitters rest which gives a hint of medicine. Finishes beautifully balanced.

Mouthfeel is medium to large bodied and very smooth.

Overall the orange bitter rest does not help this classic beer according to my palate but for some they may like it better. To each his own!

 

09/03/23 bottle @ home

10 ounce bottle into a snifter. A 2022 release, had 6/7/23.

Pours a mostly opaque dark brown, with a quarter inch foamy head and light foamy lacing. Aromas of bourbon, roasted malt, oak, citrus/orange, some chocolate and coffee, some char, light leather. Smells spicy. Flavors of bourbon, coffee, roasted malt, chocolate, vanilla, citrus/orange, spices. Has a spicy taste and some light, herbal bitterness in the aftertaste.

The bitters add citrus and a little orange, and a terrific spiciness in both the aroma and flavor. The base suffers no ill effects, it’s as delicious as always. This is a really solid effort.

12oz bottle. Poured out a an opaque, jet-black color with a small, light brown head of foam. It left thin rings of lace on the glass. It smelled of orange peel, bourbon, oak, vanilla and roasted malt. Sweet boozy taste with some zesty orange. Nice roasted malt, chocolate and toffee, too.

 

Roasted black body with a full brown head and mild lacing. So comparing to the orignal which I had back to back with this, the nose is noticeably more orange and sweeter pulling the bourbon out from the barrel more. Taste is pretty much what was expected: bitters and barrel go well together, again have that moment of a bourbon cocktail beer, but then the bitters take over covering up so many of the malt, barrel and roast nuances that make parabola the classic it is. Feel is affected by this, coming off more boozy, not as deep or balanced, almost has a bright and airy burning note above it all though roasted malts do eventual put this fire out. FW loves the cocktails inspired beers, I don't get it since they make such great classical styles well

Pours jet black. Aroma is subtle but clearly present. Nice combination of charred dark chocolate, roasted malts & candied oranges. Taste follows though much bolder and with pronounced bourbon and vanilla flavors. Medium bodied. Great Parabola variant.

A: Pours a clear opaque jet black in color with moderate amounts of fine active visible carbonation rising along the edges of the glass and moderate dark mahogany + dark cola brown + garnet red colored highlights. The beer has a two finger tall sudsy foamy dark tan head that slowly reduces to a couple of small to medium sized patches of medium thick film surrounded by a large patch of fairly mottled very thin film covering the majority of the remainder of the surface of the beer and a medium thick ring at the edges of the glass. Light to moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of roasted + lightly charred + toasted + chocolate + caramel malts with light to moderate aromas of caramel + dark fruit (fig + plum) sweetness. Moderate aromas of dark chocolate + orange jelly + candied orange rind and light to moderate aromas of coffee. Slightly stronger than moderate aromas of bourbon + toasted oak + vanilla.

T: Upfront there are moderate to strong flavors of roasted + lightly charred + toasted + chocolate + caramel malts with light to moderate aromas of caramel + dark fruit (fig + plum) sweetness. That is followed by moderate flavors of dark chocolate + orange jelly + candied orange rind and light to moderate aromas of coffee. Then there are slightly stronger than moderate flavors of bourbon + toasted oak + vanilla. Finally there are hints of earthy hops. Light to moderate amounts of roasty bitterness and bourbon booziness which lingers into the finish.

M: Medium to full bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Moderate amounts of alcohol warming in the finish.

O: Drinks pretty easily considering the strength of the beer and the alcohol is decently well hidden with a just shy of full mouthfeel with some alcohol warming. Nice complexity and the addition of orange bitters adds a nice twist to an already great beer.

 

 

Added picture you see
Part of the Vintage Trio Pack $24.99 Whole Foods
2022 Vintage
Smell of dark chocolate, oranges, sort of like those fancy chocolate variety candy boxes
Dark black color
Thick heavy mouthfeel
Medium-low carbonation
Taste of black coffee, dark chocolate, candy orange, roasted malts, bitterness finish, hides alcohol well
Overall a great beer for colder weather. Worth a buy.