2017 Firestone Walker Parabola

Scotch On Scotch wasn't a stout, it was a scotch ale.

 

Having just moved to Iowa (where FW doesn't distribute) 6 months ago, this thread is killing me - a 2013 Parabola was one of my all time favorite beers. I moved from Delaware, where I could usually count on the guys at State Line in Elkton, MD to hold some of the FW boxed beers for me.

I'm Matt, by the way. I joined BA for access to the reviews/ratings/emails/magazine back in 2009, but this is my first foray into the forums. I can't post in the newbie thread since I exceeded the 30 day limit by just a few days.

I wanted to start becoming more active in the forums to meet fellow beer geeks in my new hometown of Cedar Rapids. Perhaps I'll start trading at some point, too? Let me read up on various threads around here to get a feel for things. Happy to be here with you all!

 

I know it was a scotch, I got it fresh living in Kansas. I'm just saying it didn't do so hot; and was a fail on their part, half decent scotch ale, missed the scotch barrel.

 

I'm saying boulevard had not been know for their stouts. I don't know why they decided to have parabola to be brewed by them.

I think I know a little about Boulevard, since I get immediate distro, live 20-25 miles from the brewery, get their beer fresh, literally less than a week old.I think I know what their brew is a little quicker than you @Abstractual

Cheers though.

 

Who gives a s%$#T which brewer brews a beer. I'll take Parabola over mostly any other BA stout.

 

I do. It's like going to a restaurant for a specific chef only to find out they aren't cooking that night, or going to a concert only to find out the band you wanted to see cancelled.

 

All depends on how good the cover band is

 

We are going to see FW distro'd in Iowa Mid May.....so there is hope!!....

 

It's not like Boulevard is brewing a new Parabola, it is the same beer with the same recipe, Boulevard is just helping Firestone Walker by using their barrels and brewing capacity to help brew a larger amount of Parabola so that a few more areas can actually get some this year. A lot of brewers contract brew. Sip of Sunshine is brewed at Two Roads, all of Evil Twin beers are currently brewed at different breweries, etc. And to make things even more clear, FW and Boulevard are both partly owned by the Duvel Moortgat family, so this isn't that far-fetched.

 

Try a blind taste test. I would bet you couldn't tell one Parabola from another...

 

3 cases seems like a lot for one retailer. Most retailers in my area got less, and I am 3 hours from Paso Robles.

Also, I do not care who brews it, as longs as the quality doesn't change. Which after having one, it didn't. More Parabola is a good thing!

 

My billfold can tell.

 

Why the hate on boulevard stouts? Dark truth is an excellent stout and their limited release stuff is mostly rated at 4.0 or higher. I'd agree they're not known for stouts, but they do a good job.

 

They have had infection issues in the past with imperial stouts.

 

Didn't know they had serious issues with that. I remember hearing they had a release that was bad once, but that's all I heard about it.

 

Agreed! Bouldevard Imperial stout is great and all of the variants of that have been awesome! My only knock has been the "hotness" of the yeast they use. I think they use a Scottish strain for a lot of their stronger beers that doesn't always seem to have the smoothest or well hidden alcohol character that a lot of other brewers have in their beers. As for infection issues- that is the first I've ever heard of that, not saying it's not true, but wastn't aware.

 

I picked up two bottles in Lakewood, co at $10.99 a piece! I found the label quite humorous- Matt Brynildson goes into great lengths to be almost apologetic that this year's batch was brewed at boulevard. Don't know why they had to put this on the label, but no matter to me! I'll judge the beer's contents, not the fact that it wasn't brewed in Paso Robles!

 

Scored one yesterday for $9.99 but today was a bit better. 6 for $8.99 each. No limit.

 

So being 2-1/2 hours from Firestone, it was a good lunch stop on the way down to do the super bloom of spring wildflowers in the Temblor Range this week. I picked up another case of 12. I had bought 26 bottles (22oz) of 2013 and that's been gone for over a year, so with sharing and aging, 3 cases (12oz) is good number for that. I had 18 bottles of 2014 of which 4 remain.

Drinking one of the 2017s right now. It does need a little age to it and I've always found that it takes about 24-30 months to mature, but still really enjoying it. I'll leave you with the SLO Co bloom:

 

I want to age mine but damn these things are tapping me on my shoulder saying "drink me". I will listen but 3/4 of what I have will be aged