Paso Parabola
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
- From:
- Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
- California, United States
- Style:
- American Imperial Stout
- ABV:
- 13.5%
- Score:
- +4 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 4.17 | pDev: 6.47%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 4
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jan 27, 2026
- Added:
- May 06, 2025
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
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Imperial Stout Aged in French Oak Red Wine Barrels
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by wmeckley44 from Tennessee
4.35/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.35/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
2025 vintage, into a snifter.
Pours a deep mahogany with pretty good white foam, lots of bubbles surprisingly. Aroma is oak, vanilla, some coffee, and a ton of tannic red wine. Lots of red fruits and a little sweetness, as well as a rich savory note. Flavor is similar, very oak forward with vanilla, some cocoa, a little burnt coffee, and tons of red wine character. From tobacco to leather to some dark stewed plums, this one really showcases a great stout and the potency of wine barrels. It's a little hot and boozy probably since it's fresh, but I don't mind. The base stout is of course great, roasty, chocolatey, quite burnt and with a good bitter kick, and the wine and extra oak add dry fruitiness. I get a big red grape note on the finish, but the French oak feels more influential on the front end and mellows things out a bit. Finish is good, vaguely dry and tannic and quite long before ending smooth with a tiny bit of sweet grape. Feel is nice, pretty lively for a stout of this size, and I think the carbonation helps cut all the syrupy sweetness and big flavors. It's a big beer and you can tell, so I sipped it very slowly and let it warm over the course of an hour, but it was still pretty enjoyable. The heat was warming but not off putting.
I really like Parabola, I really like dry oaky red wine, I really like wine barrel beer, so this one was an instant hit. Great stuff.
Jan 27, 2026Pours a deep mahogany with pretty good white foam, lots of bubbles surprisingly. Aroma is oak, vanilla, some coffee, and a ton of tannic red wine. Lots of red fruits and a little sweetness, as well as a rich savory note. Flavor is similar, very oak forward with vanilla, some cocoa, a little burnt coffee, and tons of red wine character. From tobacco to leather to some dark stewed plums, this one really showcases a great stout and the potency of wine barrels. It's a little hot and boozy probably since it's fresh, but I don't mind. The base stout is of course great, roasty, chocolatey, quite burnt and with a good bitter kick, and the wine and extra oak add dry fruitiness. I get a big red grape note on the finish, but the French oak feels more influential on the front end and mellows things out a bit. Finish is good, vaguely dry and tannic and quite long before ending smooth with a tiny bit of sweet grape. Feel is nice, pretty lively for a stout of this size, and I think the carbonation helps cut all the syrupy sweetness and big flavors. It's a big beer and you can tell, so I sipped it very slowly and let it warm over the course of an hour, but it was still pretty enjoyable. The heat was warming but not off putting.
I really like Parabola, I really like dry oaky red wine, I really like wine barrel beer, so this one was an instant hit. Great stuff.
Reviewed by MutuelsMark from Kentucky
3.61/5 rDev -13.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.61/5 rDev -13.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Typical imperial stout color, black a ink. Head was tan, somewhat foamy. Nose is fairly weak from an imperial stout standpoint. Just a sweet smell, nothing jumps out on the nose. Taste is like the nose, somewhat sweet, no real flavors that jump out. No char or bitterness or anything on the backend. Rather blah beer from Firestone Walker, shocking....
Jun 02, 2025
Reviewed by pants678 from California
4.12/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25
4.12/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25
Black, very little tan head.
Get a bit of grape but otherwise smells like a BA stout.
Not getting enough wine flavor, it's just barely on the back. Tough to rate because this doesn't degrade the base stout, just a version that isn't all that different or novel.
Great feel.
May 17, 2025Get a bit of grape but otherwise smells like a BA stout.
Not getting enough wine flavor, it's just barely on the back. Tough to rate because this doesn't degrade the base stout, just a version that isn't all that different or novel.
Great feel.
Reviewed by rand from California
4.46/5 rDev +7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.46/5 rDev +7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
12 oz bottle into a snifter
The nose is roasty-er in this version with hints of grape must. Oak-forward in the palate, unsweetened cocoa and hints of brandy in tow. Medium finish, fairly well carbonated for the style.
However they tweak Parabola, it’s one of the best barrel-aged stouts made.
May 15, 2025The nose is roasty-er in this version with hints of grape must. Oak-forward in the palate, unsweetened cocoa and hints of brandy in tow. Medium finish, fairly well carbonated for the style.
However they tweak Parabola, it’s one of the best barrel-aged stouts made.
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