Firestone 15 - Anniversary Ale
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

 

A: Poured into a snifter to a deep brown beer which is topped by a dense and slightly rocky finger and a half of light tan head which fades quickly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of caramel and faint dark fruits with some slight coconut notes and vanilla sweetness.
T: Taste is sticky caramel and vanilla with some nice oak, a touch of chocolate, coconut, some dark fruits, and brown sugar. On the swallow there's more oak, caramel, toasted malts, coconut, vanilla, and brown sugar sweetness
M: This beer has a thick and full bodied feel on the palate. It's slightly chewy with soft but adequate carbonation while the beer has a drying finish.
O: Overall this is a really excellent beer that has held up to the time surprisingly well. I was kind of worried that this one would have fallen off but I'm pleasantly surprised as it doesn't have any taste of oxidation. Really nice balance and complexity on this beer as well with some flavor notes that taste more like port than a beer at this point.

 

2011 vintage; drank 2/3/15 @ California Split.

Murky brown/red appearance.

Minimal tan head; decent lace.

Marshmallow, vanilla, mild banana & mild booze heat in the nose.

Thick, sticky mouthfeel.

Brown sugar, caramel, vanilla & mild booze heat flavors; a great dessert beer.

Opened 11/24/19.

I suggest drinking this beer now to anyone who still has a bottle or two. The alcoholic burn that I'm sure was a big part of this beer when it first came out is basically gone now and the beer has mellowed out a little bit too much. It was still very enjoyable but the flavors were all a bit more muted than I'm used to tasting in Firestone Anniversary Ales. I'll let the other reviews above and below mine get into the sensory details, I just wanted to encourage those who see this to drink now.

 

Bottle Date: 2011
Palate Contaminants: none

This is just one of those things that you simply think doesn't exist, and then it does. That said...

Please, please, please, please, please... PLEASE let this still be okay.

It was cellared by a good – nay, outstanding, exceptional, and superlative – beer shop. So, I have my hopes.

Small amount of medium-fine carbonation, very little lacing. The color is brown-red. So far, so good.

I'm really encouraged by the scent. The main ones up front are cloves and figs. Medium intensity. There's also some sweetness connected to molasses. Cola nut, too. It doesn't volatilize any more than necessary. Now, for the biggie.

There's some goodness left, but I'd guess it's had better days. The primary flavor is a woodiness that's akin to nut husks. Even more clove flavor, spilling over to what I'd call an herbal nature. Dates more than figs. Sweetness is moderate-heavy, but it has to compete with some sort of bitter liquor taste that I haven't encountered before. So, overall the flavor is good, but it thins out toward the end, leaving me to think that there used to be more to matters. I'm used to alcohol fading into the background with aging, but if everything else exits, I suppose it can make a comeback.

It's not nearly as heavy as its successors. Good quantity of medium carbonation left, and it's not really prickly. Although present, the alcohol isn't sharp. The nut husks and cloves are the main flavors in the aftertaste, although burnt sugar is in there.

All things considered, I'm happy. This had might as well score a 4.9 for how memorable it is.

 

Poured from a bomber into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Cloudy/opaque mahogany brown pour with thin fizzy off-white head. Falls fast... very thin rim of lacing.

S: Sweet and boozy... brown sugar, caramel, and toffee mixed with fruit.

T/F: Follows the nose. Sticky sweet and boozy. Vanilla, caramel, toffee, plum, cooked raisin, and fig. A little spice... bourbon coming through as it warms. Definitely warming... medium bodied.

O: Lots going on with this one... but a big slow boozy sipper. This has aged pretty well... was probably better a bit younger but the aged product is still delicious. A nice dessert after a rough day on the job.

Seven year old bottle, properly cellared and poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark reddish orange with a quarter finger khaki head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of dark toasted and caramel malt, dates, raisins, cocoa, bourbon and oxidation. Flavor is caramel malt, mild toasted malt, dates, raisins, light cocoa, vanilla and bourbon and a little cardboardy oxidation. Toasted malt reappears a bit more in the finish. Medium bodied with light creaminess. Very interesting; this version has dropped off a bit from the full maltiness of any other Anniversary I've had. This leans very much towards an English/American barleywine blend, with very light stout character. Compared to the 14 I had a few weeks ago, this is considerably less malty and less integrated, with more sharp fruit notes. This has admittedly been aged a bit longer than I anticipated and has held up quite well, but I would not add another year to this one. One more from this era to go (16) and I'll have caught up to all versions of this. This is one of the stellar blended strong ales, but this one shows it's limits with long term ageing.

22 oz. bomber at cellar temp.
Moderate to vigorous pour yields a 1/8 inch light tan that is down to a ring in a few minutes. Very dark brown, almost black, body. Nose of dark malt, dried dark fruit, caramel, vanilla, and bourbon. Taste mirrors nose very nicely with abv noticeable, but not so much in your face. Being a blend of eight strong beers, you know it should be complex, and it certainly is. As it warms the bourbon comes forward a bit in aroma and flavor. Nice feel for a 7+ year old and overall, a real nice treat. Cheers!

 

 

 

 

22 oz bottle poured into teku glass

Dark amber-brown with a half inch fluffy off white head

Nose: bourbon, rich caramel/toffee, vanilla. Hints of dark fruit. Interestingly a decent amount of herbal hops sneaks in toward the end which was unexpected.

Taste: similar to the smell. Strong caramel and bourbon character. Barleywine and quad components definitely dominate the profile. Flavors meld exceptionally.

Mouthfeel is crazy smooth. Body is on the light side, liquid silk. Finishes semi-sweet.

 

 

 

 

Picked this up a long, long time ago. Not sure why I held on to it...

A - Poured into my Duvel tulip a nice clear, albeit super dark chestnut hue with a thin half finger tan head that fades somewhat quickly to leave a thin wispy blanket. Decent legs.

S - Aromas of biscuits, toffee, fairly strong metallic twang, little bit of burnt caramel, maybe a little bit of old slightly spoiled dark fruits.

T - Taste is similar to the nose. Thankfully the metallic qualities are gone. Light creamy coffee, toffee and caramel, little bit of toasted malts, flashes of anise. Nice almost acrid roast from the RIS. Little bit of oak and some creamy bourbon. Malty with just a little bit of molasses. Very pleasant.

M - Mouthfeel is a bit on the sticky side, rather light on the carbonation. Leaves an almost thin but sticky mouthfeel. Not a fan.

O - Overall while the aroma and mouthfeel have certainly dropped off hard on this the taste is still very enjoyable. Still...with the way it's drinking now it would be an absolute chore to get through an entire bomber solo.

Serving Type: Bottle

 

 

 

 

Fitting end to SF beer week. I found this in the back of my beer fridge. I did not intend to age this for 5 years+ but it's still ok. Looks like pond water after 5 years but still has a slight hint of molasses on the nose. All of the strong flavors have faded . I should have opened this two years ago.

 

 

 

 

Another one I let age for 5 years. Still an awesome brew, but I would not hold one that long again. Pours a clear dark brown color with reddish highlights throughout. Very small, fast fading off white head. No lacing. Strong aroma. Oak is still prominent after 5 years. Elements of a barleywine and a stout. Malty, with strong caramel presence. Taste is very good. Oak bitterness and rich malt, like a stout but with some toffee and caramel and bitterness (from oak) like a barleywine. Mouthfeel is rich with a fairly strong alcohol presence. This one must have been really "alcohol hot" when fresh! I really enjoyed this one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looks like absolute trash in a glass, but tastes like heaven. Another great one from the barrel series by firestone. It's not quite the beer that 18 and 19 are, but this one is also 5 years old, so it is hard to tell.