Helldorado
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

From the 650 ml bottle with a 2016 vintage date. Sampled Nov 8, 2021.

The pour is a kind of honey amber tone with yellow hues under the light and a modest, then disappearing off-white head.

The aromas feature boisterous caramel and toffee malts and toasted brown bread aromas. Slight essence of cherry or cocoa and mildly oaked. The booze sensations are low profile.

Medium to full, smooth mouthfeel.

The taste lines up as very, very sweet and malt forward with a powerful dose of toffee, caramel, Graham cracker and lower earthy hop note. I get a little more of that 12% booze in the flavor. Warming at the end.

 

A thin, white head makes a brief appearance before resigning itself to a thick ring and a veil. The beer is golden amber(SRM 6-7)with a profusion of micro-fine carbonation racing throughout. A curtain of fine lace coats the inside of a double-walled Nolan snifter.

Whiskey holds dominion over light peat, oak, and vanilla. Hints of coconut show up with warming. At room temperature, the coconut disappears, allowing lavender perfume.

The whiskey has a boozy prominence in the flavor. Caramel malt and light oak exist within the middle, while warmth transitions the whiskey to rum and coke that is heavy on the rum. Bitterness and sweetness are equal partners, both mild. The finish is long and filled with alcohol fumes.

The full body works to accentuate a texture of velour. Alcohol has the heat expected, while remaining far from hot or overwhelming. Carbonation is fine and fizzy.

This is definitely a contemplative beer that one can sip while meditating or reading. I paired a second glass with Fromage de Jacques. The cheese brightened the beer flavors, while the beer nullified the cheese funk.

2017 Vintage:

A 12 ounce draft pour into a tulip glass.

Look- Pale amber, translucent, sudsy white head, virtually no head retention or lacing.

Smell- Caramel, honey, bourbon, vanilla, oak, medium strength of scent.

Taste- Caramel, honey, vanilla, bourbon, mildly spicy, high strength of flavor.

Feel- Between medium and full body, average carbonation, highly creamy, moderately mouth warming, mildly mouth coating.

Overall- Pale amber and translucent with virtually no head retention or lacing. The bouquet was a simple mix of caramel, honey, bourbon, vanilla and oak with a medium strength. The flavor tracked with the nose, but had more strength and a nice touch of spiciness. The body was between medium and full with average carbonation. Overall this beer provided a pleasant drinking experience, but was too simplistic to garner a higher rating.

Received in a trade with @colts9016! 2016 vintage poured from a 650 ml bottle into a Barleywine glass!

L- Hazy amber color with a thin head.

S- Stone fruit and slight pine notes.

T- Slightly burnt caramel, vanilla and plum.

F- Moderate mouthfeel with a very dry finish.

O- Outstanding.

2017 so 7 years old. Could be interesting.

Pours amber with little head. Little carbonation rising. Lots of floaters. Nothing surprising given the beer's age.

Aroma is sweet. Honey, malt, bread and some floral notes.

Taste is sweet, honey but not overly sweet. Malts. vanilla some hints of citrus & oak.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied. Cleansing.

Overall, nice beer. Held up quite well over the 7 years. Surprisingly drinkable. Definitely worth a try.

Review: 2159
Name: Helldorado
Brewery: Firestone
Location: Paso Robles, CA
Style: American Barleywine
ABV: 11.8%
Date: 2016
I decided to go deep into the cellar and pull this eight-year-old barleywine out. I am using a tulip glass and serving the beer at 48 degrees. The hard pour created a frothy, airy, half-fingered, off-white head with poor retention. The quick dissipation left no lacing on the glass. The beer's color charts at SRM 14 are dark amber with orange hues. The beer's clarity is clear, with a few carbonation bubbles and sediment on the glass. Considering this is a high abv and over eight years old, I will let the head retention slide. I did notice quite a bit of carbonation, which is a good sign.
Nosing the glass, I noticed no apparent off-flavors in the beer. The first aroma I smell is the massive malt complex of toasted malts, caramel, bread crust, and malty sweetness. A subtle hop aroma, with scents of floral blossoms and herbal and light orange notes, lingers. The other aromas I smell are honey, vanilla, earthiness, oak, and light char notes. The beer has an English Barleywine vibe and malty sweetness, but this beer smells fantastic.
Upon tasting, the beer revealed a slight but intriguing hint of oxidation. The flavors unfolded in a symphony of complexity, starting with a robust malt profile of toasted bread crust, roasted grains, caramel, and a delightful malty sweetness. The hops, with their grapefruit, floral, herbal, and orange peel notes, added a refreshing twist. The barrel's influence was evident in the wood, light char, and resin flavors, while hints of vanilla, honey, coffee, faint chocolate, and whiskey added layers of depth. This was a beer to be savored, each sip revealing a new nuance.
The mouthfeel is sticky and slightly astringent, finishing tannic and warming. The beer's body is medium-plus and has medium carbonation.
Oh my god, this beer is fabulous! It held up well and was lovely on the palate. Because of the 11 percent ABV, I was nervous it was overaged. I remember buying it in the winter of 2017 before I left Vegas. The beer was eight dollars at Albertson; I purchased two because Total Wine had it for 28. I have sat on it since then; what a delight to enjoy this beer tonight. I will give the other bottle away for someone else to enjoy it.

 

A 2017 bottle that has been hanging around the basement. Poured in my Firestone snulip for a quick review.

Pours a clean gold with a tiny bit of foam. The smell is candy sugar and booze. The taste begins slightly sweet and fruity followed by whiskey, vanilla and wood in the finish. The feel is light, clean and warming.

Overall I didn't quite know what to expect and was blown away by how well it held up. I purchased this in 2017 back in the midwest and moved this bottle halfway across the country in 2018. Time and distance did nothing to diminish my enjoyment. Crack 'em if ya got 'em!

Sampled 2017, an excellent blonde barleywine, clear coppery color with minimal head; absolutely brimming with barrel character as all FW reserve brews do.

2017 vintage. Glowing amber with a good amount of fizzy head with medium retention. Aroma is like a light caramel / traditional barleywine aroma. Fairly muted overall. Taste has plenty of bitterness with some faint caramel. Lots of alcohol. Overall, good not great.

2015 24 ounce bottle poured at 48°. Nice ‘pzzzzz’ when opened set the tone right away. Effervescent on the pour, didn’t leave much foam at all.
Smells of barrel right up front, lite toffee and sweet on the nose.
Taste is barrel.,. right now, damn near harsh. Honey lightens the mood. Not overly sweet, which I like. Prune. Sour cherry, just a tad. Everything finishes harmoniously dry and leaves a 13.2% after burn.
Feel is medium, great carbonation given it’s 7 years old.
Enjoyed this sippy beauty after Thanksgiving dinner. It’s a celebration.

2015 vintage, 13.2% abv

I got this bottle in a BIF from the absolute fucking legend @Eziel along with some other truly awesome stuff. Another beer that’s perfect for the Cellaruary thread. So, a “Blonde Barleywine” to me sounds like a Wheatwine, but will this be as sweet? Let’s pop it open and find out

Pours an opaque brownish orange with a finger of off white head that quickly fades to a ring and leaves minimal lacing

Well it certainly does smell rather sweet, but not in a cloying way. I’m picking up on aromas of burnt caramel, orange marmalade, toffee, sweet honey, toasted oak, golden raisin, and lightly toasted malt

Once again, I’m glad this isn’t overly sweet like I thought it may be, and I’m surprised by the slight boozy bitterness present in this 7 year old beer. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting sweet toffee, brown bread, golden raisin, sweet vanilla, coconut, light oak, and a touch of bourbon. The swallow brings notes of sweet caramel, toasted oak, toasted coconut, earthy bourbon, light cherry, and honey

A medium full body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a hot and sweet beer. Finishes surprisingly dry for what it is

Well this certainly isn’t my favorite Barleywine, (and does lean more into Wheatwine with the sweetness) but it was a fun beer to try. Not sure if I’d necessarily go out of my way to try it fresh but I wouldn’t say no if offered

2015 bottle.

2017. bitchin' orange marmalade color

 

 

taken from notes, 22oz bottle poured into a snifter

Pours an amber color with a one-finger foamy off-white head that has good retention. Smells of oaky bourbon, sugary malts, berry-like hops and caramel. Taste is sweet and malty, giving notes of caramel, vanilla, dried tropical fruit and oaky bourbon. Medium body with moderate carbonation, foamy mouthfeel that turns slightly creamy into the finish.

Bottle from 2016

A: Poured into a snifter to a deep golden orange beer which is topped by a dense and slightly rocky two fingers of off white head which fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass
S: Smells of caramel, cocounts, faded hops, oak and a touch of vanilla
T: Taste is caramel, honey, faded piney hops with a little citrus, some coconut, oak, toasted malts, a little doughy bread, along with a little vanilla. On the swallow there's more coconut, caramel, faded hops, oak, and some slight lingering vanilla
M: This beer has a body which is on the slightly heavier side with a slightly syrupy feel. Carbonation is slightly effervescent and adequate for the style while the beer has a drying finish due to the ABV.
O: Overall this is a really well done beer. This lighter barleywine brings a lot of complexity to the party along with a really nice amount of balance. The beer has also held up very well for being bottled in 2016. Definitely a nice summery style of a barleywine.