Firestone 16 - Anniversary Ale
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

Firestone 16 - Anniversary AleFirestone 16 - Anniversary Ale
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From:
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
American Strong Ale
ABV:
13%
Score:
96
Avg:
4.35 | pDev: 9.2%
Reviews:
176
Ratings:
1,144
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 17, 2023
Added:
Nov 15, 2012
Wants:
  138
Gots:
  476
23% Velvet Merkin
22.5% Stickee Monkee
20.3% Double Double Barrel Ale
10.8% Parabola
8.1% PNC
5.4% Helldorado
5.4% Bravo
4.5% Wookey Jack
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Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by russpowell:
Photo of russpowell
Reviewed by russpowell from Arkansas

4.35/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Picked up in Pineville, MO

Pours an effervescent ebony with 2 fingers of tan head. Stellar lacing & average head retention

S: Dark fruit, a touch of booze

T: Figs, raisins, a bit of dark chocolate & then a touch of port, & a hint of boozey cakeyness up front. Bourbon elbows its way forward as this warms, some toffee, figs, black currant & cherry (boozey bing cherries). Finishes slightly dry, with rich dark fruit, a little vanilla, caramel & chocolate, just a bit of leafy hops & booze coming through

MF: Chewy, ever so slight carbonation, sticky, much warming

Pretty easy to drink despite the heft & complexity. I really nice effort, not cheap by any means, but I'd buy again if given a chance. I'm so thrilled we have Firestone Walker in the near-by Show Me state!
Dec 13, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.24 by hopley from Massachusetts

Dec 17, 2023
Photo of StJamesGate
Reviewed by StJamesGate from New York

4.5/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
Chocolate brown with a ribbon of tan; fig jam, cherry brandy, caramelized sugar, oaked vanilla, cocoa powder… on the nose; rum cake, chocolate malted milk balls, caramel shortbread, pomegranate syrup, and a drying espresso bean end; smooth, dry, medium.

4 4.5 4.5 4.25 4.75

Whichever of the 8 beers in the blend you choose to look for, you can find, which is a bit of a miracle. Both the bourbon + brandy barrels come through individually. And the years have been kind: booze is more an awareness of the ABV through feel rather than actual heat.

Proper dessert beer, yet more - starts to transcend into liqueur. I'd have no hesitation in serving this to a non-beer drinker after dinner.

World class.
Jul 25, 2023
 
Rated: 4.26 by smi69 from New York

Jul 07, 2023
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.09/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Had on tap, aged 9(!) years! Brownish black pour with a tan cap that slowly fades into a collar. Aromas of smoke, dark oak, roasted malt, molasses, earth and cocoa with various booze intermingling. Taste is much the same, light vanilla emerges, roast is very strong, nose is certainly cleaner in the complexity. Feels warm, chewy, roasted, and boozy, aged has mellow things but mild mannered complexity is still there. Fun to try it with so much age on it
Dec 30, 2021
Photo of BEERchitect
Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky

4.3/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Sherry, meet Stout. Stout, this is Sherry. You two are going to make beautiful beer together. Firestone Walker weaves in several of their love children in barrel aged form creates a worthy of a sixteenth birthday.

With a deep brown, almost stout-black pour, XVI releases a dainty swirling espresso froth before seducing the olfactories with a complex and appetizing blend of coffee, cream, dark fruit, coconut, whisky, smoke, char and port wine. With the very first sip, there's a dry and leathery sweetness that greets the tongue with dark chocolate, light cream, molasses and honey.

As the complexities evolve, the middle palate shows a shift to dryness as the malts tighten into a toasty, roasty and smoky char of burnt toast, Turkish coffee and roasting walnuts. As hints of leather and tobacco follow, so does a fruitier center taste that swirls around fig, date, prune, raisin and plum. As hints of dark grape, cherry and berries evolve, the taste trends bitter, earthy and with a rye-driven grit in finish.

Full bodied but leathery-dry, the extended age of the beer has allowed more mature madiera, sherry and port flavors to come with the dry malts as hints of fortified brandy mingles with a long linger of coffee and toast. Now where to put the candles.
Nov 10, 2021
 
Rated: 4.25 by Gambyt20 from Illinois

Jan 31, 2020
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

4.09/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
From old, undated notes. Had this on draft.

Dark brown hue.

Tan head; minimal lace.

Coffee & cream nose.

Thick mouthfeel.

Chocolate, coffee & caramel flavor.

Smooth & very tasty, with a satisfying chocolate finish.
Jan 01, 2020
Photo of LiquidAmber
Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington

4.21/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured into a Firestone Walker tulip. 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, dried plum, dates, vanilla, oak and a little oxidation. Flavor is dark toasted and caramel malt, vanilla, milk chocolate, dates, oak and whiskey. Medium bodied with light creaminess. As always with this fine ale, the stout and barleywine characters are dominant, but well balanced. The oak and dry character has dominated this at this point; there is a woody, slightly smoky note and dry finish. Aged this a little beyond its prim, but it has held up well. I will not be aging these this long again. I think this is best with two to three years on it.
Oct 14, 2019
 
Rated: 4.34 by mooseo from Pennsylvania

Jun 02, 2019
 
Rated: 3.69 by johnnyboy76 from Oregon

May 15, 2019
Photo of SHODriver
Reviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A: Poured into a snifter to a black beer topped by a dense finger of light tan head which fades quickly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing.
S: Smells of lightly roasted malts, faint coffee, dark chocolate and some slight dark fruits. Really interesting nose but a little soft with hints of caramel and vanilla
T: Taste is roasted malts, coffee, dark chocolate, slight dark fruits, caramel, a little coconut, hints of oxidation, and a little vanilla. On the swallow this one is very sweet with a lot of vanilla followed by some fruitiness before the roasted malts and oak come in before some dark fruits and chocolate begin to linger once those strong flavors fade.
M: On the palate this beer has a slightly velvety and silky feel with a good heft without being too thick. Carbonation is adequate for the style and right where it should be while the beer has a drying finish.
O: Overall this is a really nice beer with some great flavors and complexity. It's fallen off a little bit and is showing some age but it's still very good. It's time to pop these open if you're still sitting on one.
Jan 19, 2019
 
Rated: 4.31 by Dark_Scarecrow from Virginia

Dec 01, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by dafla67 from Pennsylvania

Jul 16, 2018
 
Rated: 4.41 by taospowder from New Mexico

May 11, 2018
 
Rated: 4.5 by MurphDog14 from Illinois

Mar 18, 2018
Photo of RyanK252
Reviewed by RyanK252 from California

4.3/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bottle poured into a snifter

A: Pours dark brown with a frothy khaki head that settles to a light layer and leaves some spotty lacing.

S: Big dark sugary nose, brown sugar, smooth bourbon, vanilla, toasted coconut,

T: Sweet barrel candy, brown sugar, vanilla, toasted coconut, nice spice, smooth bourbon, a little milk chocolate, and toffee sweetness.

M: Full body, mild carbonation, just a touch of warmth.

O: Like many of FW's big beers this can get a little sweet, but as a nice sipper with some age on it it's quite enjoyable.
Jan 22, 2018
 
Rated: 4.46 by WormGod from New York

Dec 11, 2017
 
Rated: 4.66 by Sound_Explorer from Washington

Dec 09, 2017
 
Rated: 4.2 by daem3384 from California

Nov 12, 2017
Firestone 16 - Anniversary Ale from Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 96 out of 100 with 1144 ratings