Heavy Souls
Firestone Walker Brewing in Paso Robles, California, United States 🇺🇸
Collab with: FrauGruber BrewingStout - Pastry / Flavoured - Imperial Special
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Score
7.88
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We teamed up with Frau Gruber from Germany to craft Heavy Souls, a unique pastry stout. Brewed with pecans, hazelnuts, and vanilla beans, it offers a sensory journey evoking praline pie, s’mores, and candied figs. Aged for 12 months in 12-year Elijah Craig Bourbon barrels, it blends complexity with decadence. Experience Heavy Souls—a collaboration masterpiece, rich in barrel-aged flavors that linger delightfully.
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8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8.5
Texture 9
Overall 8.5
12 ounce bottle from Tavour. Jet black pour is topped by a creamy tan cap. Aroma of sweet roasted malt, vanilla, toffee, cocoa and oak. First sip is sweet and tangy. Quickly followed by tasty notes of candied pecans, milk chocolate, caramel, oak, bourbon, chocolate fudge. Thick and viscous mouthfeel. Rich and decadent. Try it! Meanwhile, I’ll have another sip…
Tried
from Bottle
from Tavour
on 12 May 2026
at 04:15
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
2024 bottle drunk 3/5/26.
This smells much more balanced than the darker ray I just had, while still offering up a ton of rich, sumptuous vanilla and a bit of nut paste richness. Caramel and fudge with little/no roast, but still enough acidicy from gentle barrel character. No alcohol, no excessive sugar. Could be a bit more barrel, but it's there and well-done.
Rich and malty with a lot of caramel character in place of the usual fudge/chocolate/roast. Bourbon is, as the nose, a bit timid, but it doesn't leave you scratching your head. Just wish there was a bit more spice/wood/tannin to help balance the rich malts. Still, barrel aside, this is a rich and rewarding beer with lovely, tasteful adjunct and no alcohol noted.
This smells much more balanced than the darker ray I just had, while still offering up a ton of rich, sumptuous vanilla and a bit of nut paste richness. Caramel and fudge with little/no roast, but still enough acidicy from gentle barrel character. No alcohol, no excessive sugar. Could be a bit more barrel, but it's there and well-done.
Rich and malty with a lot of caramel character in place of the usual fudge/chocolate/roast. Bourbon is, as the nose, a bit timid, but it doesn't leave you scratching your head. Just wish there was a bit more spice/wood/tannin to help balance the rich malts. Still, barrel aside, this is a rich and rewarding beer with lovely, tasteful adjunct and no alcohol noted.
Tried
from Bottle
from Tavour
on 09 Mar 2026
at 15:42
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
2024 bottle drunk 3/5/26.
This smells much more balanced than the darker ray I just had, while still offering up a ton of rich, sumptuous vanilla and a bit of nut paste richness. Caramel and fudge with little/no roast, but still enough acidicy from gentle barrel character. No alcohol, no excessive sugar. Could be a bit more barrel, but it's there and well-done.
Rich and malty with a lot of caramel character in place of the usual fudge/chocolate/roast. Bourbon is, as the nose, a bit timid, but it doesn't leave you scratching your head. Just wish there was a bit more spice/wood/tannin to help balance the rich malts. Still, barrel aside, this is a rich and rewarding beer with lovely, tasteful adjunct and no alcohol noted.
This smells much more balanced than the darker ray I just had, while still offering up a ton of rich, sumptuous vanilla and a bit of nut paste richness. Caramel and fudge with little/no roast, but still enough acidicy from gentle barrel character. No alcohol, no excessive sugar. Could be a bit more barrel, but it's there and well-done.
Rich and malty with a lot of caramel character in place of the usual fudge/chocolate/roast. Bourbon is, as the nose, a bit timid, but it doesn't leave you scratching your head. Just wish there was a bit more spice/wood/tannin to help balance the rich malts. Still, barrel aside, this is a rich and rewarding beer with lovely, tasteful adjunct and no alcohol noted.
Tried
from Bottle
from Tavour
on 06 Mar 2026
at 01:07
8.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8.5
Flavor 8.5
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Thanks fonefan! Black colour, small head. Aroma is chocolate, syrup, some toffee, mild fudgeish tones with mild berries. Flavour is chocolate, syrup, some alcohol, mild fudge and some mild berries to it.
Tried
from Bottle
on 13 Feb 2026
at 18:09
6.1/10
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Appearance 5
Aroma 6.5
Flavor 7
Texture 5
Overall 6
Sample, thanks fonefan! Viscous black, minimal head. Somewhat custardy and bourbony vanilla aroma with some chocolate and toffee. Very sweet with full body and viscous mouthfeel. Maple syrup, chocolate alcohol and vanilla. Warming sticky finish. Not quite pastry style, but over sweet and sticky.
Tried
on 04 Feb 2026
at 21:27
8.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 9
Overall 9
Bottle 12fl.oz. @ home - fonefan & Brugmansia House. 🏠🇩🇰 💻👀 🧑🎄🌲 ❄☃️ ☁️☂️ [ As Firestone Walker / Frau Gruber Heavy Souls - 2024 ]. ABV: 12.5%. [20251230]. 8/4/9/4-/18.
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Dec 2025
at 21:30
9.3/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 9
Bottle from Tavour
Appearance: dark brown with a thin tan head
Aroma: nuts, vanilla, bourbon, woody
Flavor: medium sweetness, medium bitterness
Texture: light carbonation, creamy feel, full body, long finish
Delicious
Appearance: dark brown with a thin tan head
Aroma: nuts, vanilla, bourbon, woody
Flavor: medium sweetness, medium bitterness
Texture: light carbonation, creamy feel, full body, long finish
Delicious
Tried
from Bottle
from Tavour
on 23 Aug 2025
at 23:13
6.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Bottle. Pours opaque near black, Aaron's is neopolitan ice-cream, fudge, nuts, vanilla. Flavor is sweet light bitter, heavy adjunct. Medium plus body. Eh 4,6,7,4,13
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Nov 2024
at 18:46
9.3/10
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Appearance 9
Aroma 9
Flavor 9.5
Texture 9
Overall 9.5
Pours pitch black, big mocha head. Scent is full, roasty, chocolate. Sweet, full, mild but present nuts, vanilla. medium intense bourbon. Taste is full, roasty, vanilla, what a flavorbomb ! Chocolate, sweet but balanced. Biscuits. Hazelnut is mild, but present. So, so good !
Tried
on 11 Nov 2024
at 06:35
9.2/10
Tried
on 13 Oct 2024
at 12:07