Firestone 16 - Anniversary Ale
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Beer Geek Stats:
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- Style:
- American Strong Ale
- ABV:
- 13%
- Score:
- 96
- Avg:
- 4.38 | pDev: 9.13%
- Reviews:
- 172
- Ratings:
- From:
- Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
- California, United States
- Avail:
- Retired (no longer brewed)
- Wants
- 140
- Gots
- 481
SCORE
96
World-Class
96
World-Class
Notes:
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
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
Reviews: 172
| Ratings: 1,137
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Reviews by yoitsarch:
More User Reviews:
3.31/5 rDev -24.4%
Brown glass bottle with black papered over pry-off pressure cap and paper pull-tab purchased in SoCal years ago and served into an Odell stem-tulip in me friend's gaff in high altitude Fort Collins, CO. Reviewed live. Expectations are above average; I'm skeptical of this brewery's beers but the current 96 rating is interesting.
Served cold and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.
No bubble show forms as it's poured.
HEAD: One finger wide. Khaki colour. Nice even smooth consistency. Nicely creamy. Retention is above average - about 2.5 minutes. No lacing sticks to the sides of the glass as the head recedes.
BODY: Opaque dark black. Nontransparent; no yeast particulate or hop sediment is visible.
Appears adequately carbonated. Far from unique or special looking for the style.
AROMA: Vanilla, bourbon, and marshmallow. Neutral barrel sugars. My broken nose can't pick up anything else; all apologies.
A pleasant aroma of mild strength.
TASTE: Has a lovely bourbon tone throughout, with some nice vanilla and oak notes. Barrel sugars bleed in. Kisses of dark fruit; they blend in so well I can't isolate them. Caramel. Sticky dark fruits. Maybe a hint of raisin. Toffee. Dark malts. Marshmallow. Treacle.
On the sweeter side, but not boozy.
The oak is lovely, as is the complementary bourbon. It's surprisingly well balanced for a Firestone Walker blend, and boasts impressive complexity as well as some limited subtlety. I like it, and it has some loose cohesion, but it isn't gestalt. Well-executed and enjoyable.
Nice depth and amplitude of flavour. Above average intensity and duration of flavour.
TEXTURE: Fairly chewy. Full-bodied. Aptly thick. Smooth and wet. Has plenty of heft and weight on the palate, but while it's a sipper, it never feels overbearing or unnecessarily heavy.
Not oily, gushed, astringent, scratchy, rough, or harsh. The alcohol is present but doesn't distract. Decently carbonated.
OVERALL: She's a sipper, but she's enjoyable. A nice blend from Firestone Walker. I'm surprisingly happy I picked this up; it isn't as disappointing as most of this brewery's highly celebrated brews. I wouldn't necessarily get it again, but I do like it. Worth trying. I think this made the top 250 list upon release; that's unwarranted, but it is indeed tasty.
As good as it is, though, is all that blending and effort really necessary? Other (i.e. superior) breweries make far better strong ales with far less tinkering. Maybe Firestone Walker should hire staff capable of blending their own good beers without requiring the input of others (and the marketing opportunities associated therewith). Ultimately, it's a bit too sweet, which holds it back.
Low B-
2,782 characters
Brown glass bottle with black papered over pry-off pressure cap and paper pull-tab purchased in SoCal years ago and served into an Odell stem-tulip in me friend's gaff in high altitude Fort Collins, CO. Reviewed live. Expectations are above average; I'm skeptical of this brewery's beers but the current 96 rating is interesting.
Served cold and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.
No bubble show forms as it's poured.
HEAD: One finger wide. Khaki colour. Nice even smooth consistency. Nicely creamy. Retention is above average - about 2.5 minutes. No lacing sticks to the sides of the glass as the head recedes.
BODY: Opaque dark black. Nontransparent; no yeast particulate or hop sediment is visible.
Appears adequately carbonated. Far from unique or special looking for the style.
AROMA: Vanilla, bourbon, and marshmallow. Neutral barrel sugars. My broken nose can't pick up anything else; all apologies.
A pleasant aroma of mild strength.
TASTE: Has a lovely bourbon tone throughout, with some nice vanilla and oak notes. Barrel sugars bleed in. Kisses of dark fruit; they blend in so well I can't isolate them. Caramel. Sticky dark fruits. Maybe a hint of raisin. Toffee. Dark malts. Marshmallow. Treacle.
On the sweeter side, but not boozy.
The oak is lovely, as is the complementary bourbon. It's surprisingly well balanced for a Firestone Walker blend, and boasts impressive complexity as well as some limited subtlety. I like it, and it has some loose cohesion, but it isn't gestalt. Well-executed and enjoyable.
Nice depth and amplitude of flavour. Above average intensity and duration of flavour.
TEXTURE: Fairly chewy. Full-bodied. Aptly thick. Smooth and wet. Has plenty of heft and weight on the palate, but while it's a sipper, it never feels overbearing or unnecessarily heavy.
Not oily, gushed, astringent, scratchy, rough, or harsh. The alcohol is present but doesn't distract. Decently carbonated.
OVERALL: She's a sipper, but she's enjoyable. A nice blend from Firestone Walker. I'm surprisingly happy I picked this up; it isn't as disappointing as most of this brewery's highly celebrated brews. I wouldn't necessarily get it again, but I do like it. Worth trying. I think this made the top 250 list upon release; that's unwarranted, but it is indeed tasty.
As good as it is, though, is all that blending and effort really necessary? Other (i.e. superior) breweries make far better strong ales with far less tinkering. Maybe Firestone Walker should hire staff capable of blending their own good beers without requiring the input of others (and the marketing opportunities associated therewith). Ultimately, it's a bit too sweet, which holds it back.
Low B-
2,782 characters
4.31/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.28/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.47/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 22oz bottle into a pint glass:
A look: Pours a dark brown with a nice copper head and moderate retention. Lacing isn't too prominent.
Smells complex: Oak, bourbon, chocolate, vanilla, coffee, fruits, roasted malts, and boozy.
First sip: Really tasty. Raisen bread comes to mind, with the §ucaba coming through prominently. Toffee, chocolate, oak, caramel, and vanilla.. very delicious.
On the palate: Billowy, rich, full, and smooth. Sits well and goes down easy.
The verdict: Pretty awesome. This is a cool series by FW, and they continue to amaze me with the quality of stuff they put out. I'm glad I have another one I can age for a while and compare my notes with.
688 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 22oz bottle into a pint glass:
A look: Pours a dark brown with a nice copper head and moderate retention. Lacing isn't too prominent.
Smells complex: Oak, bourbon, chocolate, vanilla, coffee, fruits, roasted malts, and boozy.
First sip: Really tasty. Raisen bread comes to mind, with the §ucaba coming through prominently. Toffee, chocolate, oak, caramel, and vanilla.. very delicious.
On the palate: Billowy, rich, full, and smooth. Sits well and goes down easy.
The verdict: Pretty awesome. This is a cool series by FW, and they continue to amaze me with the quality of stuff they put out. I'm glad I have another one I can age for a while and compare my notes with.
688 characters
4.2/5 rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Christmas dinner 2012
A - Poured out an opaque, jet black color with a one-finger, off-white head of foam. It left thin sheets of lace on the glass.
S - It smelled of vanilla and oak. Some dark chocolate notes, too.
T - It tasted of roasted malts, vanilla, oak, bourbon, toffee and a touch of bitter hops. Fairly boozy, too.
M - It was smooth and clean finish. A medium to full bodied brew.
O - This is fantastic. Firestone Walker's anniversary beers have all been great.
476 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Christmas dinner 2012
A - Poured out an opaque, jet black color with a one-finger, off-white head of foam. It left thin sheets of lace on the glass.
S - It smelled of vanilla and oak. Some dark chocolate notes, too.
T - It tasted of roasted malts, vanilla, oak, bourbon, toffee and a touch of bitter hops. Fairly boozy, too.
M - It was smooth and clean finish. A medium to full bodied brew.
O - This is fantastic. Firestone Walker's anniversary beers have all been great.
476 characters
4.03/5 rDev -8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Firestone's 16th Anniversary Ale came 4th in my recent beer tasting of Firestone Walker's top beers. Out of the seven BA guys we had at the tasting. Firestone's 16th Anniversary Ale got an average rating of 4.09 from the 7 judges. Being that it was 2 years old, and a retired beer, it held up pretty well.
305 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Firestone's 16th Anniversary Ale came 4th in my recent beer tasting of Firestone Walker's top beers. Out of the seven BA guys we had at the tasting. Firestone's 16th Anniversary Ale got an average rating of 4.09 from the 7 judges. Being that it was 2 years old, and a retired beer, it held up pretty well.
305 characters
4.5/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.67/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
From 650 mL bottle to pint glass
Ahh, Firestone's blended series continues. Notes of anise, vanilla and caramel leap from the glass while the deep mahogany and rich complexion keep with expectations. Having sampled Firestone's barrel-aged, there's a certain signature profile unique to the brewery, which makes Parabola and Abacus ridiculous. Pretty much the same thing here.
Boozy notes blend with anise and chocolate. Oak and vanilla are bordered by a touch of hop crispness. The whole mouthfeel is cohesive and singularly but nuanced. Finishes long but doesn't linger.
This brew is amazing, and it shows Firestone has developed a trademark barrel-age flavor. The beer is extremely dangerous, 13% is afterthought...sip slowly.
733 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
From 650 mL bottle to pint glass
Ahh, Firestone's blended series continues. Notes of anise, vanilla and caramel leap from the glass while the deep mahogany and rich complexion keep with expectations. Having sampled Firestone's barrel-aged, there's a certain signature profile unique to the brewery, which makes Parabola and Abacus ridiculous. Pretty much the same thing here.
Boozy notes blend with anise and chocolate. Oak and vanilla are bordered by a touch of hop crispness. The whole mouthfeel is cohesive and singularly but nuanced. Finishes long but doesn't linger.
This brew is amazing, and it shows Firestone has developed a trademark barrel-age flavor. The beer is extremely dangerous, 13% is afterthought...sip slowly.
733 characters
Firestone 16 - Anniversary Ale from Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Beer rating:
96 out of
100 with
1137 ratings
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