Firestone 14 - Anniversary Ale
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

Firestone 14 - Anniversary AleFirestone 14 - Anniversary Ale
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
American Strong Ale
ABV:
12.5%
Score:
97
Avg:
4.4 | pDev: 8.86%
Reviews:
307
Ratings:
726
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 25, 2023
Added:
Nov 02, 2010
Wants:
  213
Gots:
  542
The blend consists of: 31% Double Double Barrel Ale, 29% Sticky Monkey, 27% Parabola, 7% Velvet Merkin, 3% Good Foot, 3% Black Xantus
View: More Beers
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Mora2000:
Photo of Mora2000
Reviewed by Mora2000 from Texas

3.76/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks to mar for sharing this bottle. I have been looking forward to this one.

The beer pours a dark brown coilor with a white head. The aroma is a disappointment. It it not bad, but it is not what I was expecting. I get a lot of soy and toffee, as well as some leather. I also get something that resembles trash. Hopefully the flavor will be better.

For the flavor, I get a lot of roasted malt and chocolate, which is coupled with a lot of barrel-aging characteristics. I get a nice amount of oak and maple, as well as quite a bit of vanilla. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Luckily, the flavor was much better than the aroma, which salvaged this beer. Glad I got to try this one.
Dec 28, 2010
More User Ratings:
Photo of brewandbbq
Reviewed by brewandbbq from New Hampshire

4.25/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bottle from 2010.

Pours dark brown with a short-lived head of tan. Minimal retention or lacing. Dark chocolate, espresso, toffee, bourbon in the nose. Fuller bodied with a slick, syrupy mouthfeel. Sweet malt, raisins, dark caramel, chipped toffee on the palate. Finishes slightly boozy with roasty undertones.
Mar 25, 2023
 
Rated: 4.5 by dafla67 from Pennsylvania

Jan 02, 2023
 
Rated: 4.5 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Mar 21, 2021
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
2010 vintage; drank 2/26/15 @ Harvest Hop Haus.

Rusty brown/orange appearance.

Minimal khaki head; no lace.

Marshmallow, milk chocolate & mild booze heat in the nose.

Medium thick, sticky mouthfeel.

Booze heat, caramel & faint pickle juice flavors.

Drinkable but not enjoyable; clearly past its prime.
Jan 01, 2020
 
Rated: 4.62 by Hangryginger from Connecticut

Dec 23, 2019
 
Rated: 4.46 by SadMachine from New Jersey

Dec 01, 2019
 
Rated: 4.21 by QuakeAttack from California

Jun 03, 2019
 
Rated: 4.33 by prototypic from Ohio

Apr 13, 2019
Photo of LiquidAmber
Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington

4.55/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque black in the glass with a thin brown head that dissipates to patches with slight lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, molasses, dates, vanilla, oak and a little oxidation. Flavor is dark toasted and caramel malt, vanilla, milk chocolate, dates, a little coffee and whiskey. Medium bodied with light creaminess. As always with this fine ale, the stout and barleywine characters are dominant, but well balanced. I get clear notes of Sticky Monkey too. Age has mellowed everything into a dark and malty whole with lots dark fruit flavors. Probably aged this a little beyond the pale, but it has held up beautifully. I'm not sure there is any reason to age these any longer. I'm going to be digging out my 15 and 16 too in the next few months. This is one of the great blended strong ales anywhere.
Feb 25, 2019
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

3.82/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Bomber into a snifter appears dark brown with khaki head.

The aroma includes caramel, vanilla, molasses, raison and booze. Overall mostly a sweet malty nose to this.

The taste is sweet caramel, vanilla, molasses, raison and slight papery oxidation in the aftertaste.

This is medium in body with light carbonation. Overall this was much better than I was anticipating.
Jan 08, 2018
 
Rated: 4.31 by WormGod from New York

Dec 11, 2017
Photo of rudzud
Reviewed by rudzud from Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Picked this up at Russell's in Amherst almost 6 years ago.

A - Poured into my Duvel tulip a nice deep dark brown almost black with a thin half finger fizzy mocha head that fades very quickly to leave a thin, thin halo and light wispy blanket.

S- Aromas of dark fruits, caramel, coconut, toffee, some light malt sweetness as well as some leather like aromas. Little bit of raisins. No discernible alcohol.

T - Taste is similar to the nose. Still a little hot alcohol wise. Sweet dark fruits, raisins, nice chocolate notes, like dark chocolate covered raisins. Some sweet caramel and toffee, almost sticky sweet. Maybe some coffee notes, I almost get a little flash of apples. Very little vanilla and oak.

M - Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, alcohol is light. Finish is a bit sticky.

O - Overall this was a solid beer. The age has really mellowed this beer out, but at the cost of it becoming very sticky and on the sweet side.

Serving Type: Bottle
Aug 30, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by Erik-P from Canada (BC)

Aug 03, 2017
 
Rated: 5 by wiescins from Illinois

Jun 05, 2017
Photo of NeroFiddled
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

4.37/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Firestone Walker Brewing Co. "14th Anniversary"

I actually had this with David Walker at Capone's Restaurant in Norristown, PA on 13 April 2011. I can't remember if it was draft or bottle and it's not listed in my notes, but I believe it was on tap. He explained to me what was in the blend it was made up from but I wasn't aware of any of those beers at the time so it didn't mean anything to me. But I told him I was aware of Double Barrel Ale, and that I used to drink that quite often. "But how's that possible?" he asked, "They haven't been available until now" - it was the Firestone Walker release party as they'd just started distribution in PA. "Ah, when you're traveling." he said, beating me in answering his own question, but no, I countered, that wasn't it. I had to think about it - "Ah, yes, I used to have to go to Maryland to get it. State Line Liquors." Which was actually traveling, but not in the same sense he'd meant it. He remembered. Apparently, State Line was the only place in MD that distributed it back then. Anyway...

Appearance: Brown -black body beneath a short head of tan that holds fairly well and leaves some minor spots and splashes of lacing behind.

Aroma: Alcohol, caramel, oak, coconut, toffee, vanilla, chocolate and light dark fruits.

Flavor: Mainly malty with creamy coffee, bittersweet chocolate, dark fudge, milk chocolate, a touch of oak, and molasses. Some fruitiness makes its way through with apple, sweet red cherry, and some fig and prune. It finishes dry with some alcoholic heat and nuttiness. The flavor fades quickly but the heat goes on.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied. Moderate carbonation. Velvety. Creamy. But with some heat.

Overall: Impressive. Quite a rich beer. I can forgive the alcohol a bit given it's greater qualities.
Mar 03, 2017
 
Rated: 4.5 by Casey3236 from Pennsylvania

Nov 13, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by suckaj from Florida

Oct 27, 2016
Photo of StraightNoChaser
Reviewed by StraightNoChaser from Georgia

4.66/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
6 years old. A gift from a generous pal.
look: very dark, nearly opaque ruby. A modest tan head on the pour that mostly dissipates. Some transient lacing. Tick, viscous legs.
smell: Rich, complex, decadent nose. Dark fruit, vanilla, chocolate, coconut, oak, a hint of booze.
taste: Holy shit. All the flavors of the nose but instead of the sipper i was expecting, it is paradoxically rich, decadent, but easy drinking and mellow. It's, well....perfect. I wouldn't change a thing.
Jul 31, 2016
 
Rated: 3.98 by Stinger80OH from Ohio

Jul 25, 2016
Firestone 14 - Anniversary Ale from Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 97 out of 100 with 726 ratings