28 (XXVIII) Anniversary Ale
Firestone Walker Brewing in Paso Robles, California, United States 🇺🇸
Strong Ale - American Winter|
Score
8.15
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Winning blend composed by Molly Longborg (Alta Colina/Little Souls), Kyle Jury (Booker Wines/Truss), and CC Aguirre (Booker Wines)
We come together with our winemaker friends to bring you Firestone XXVIII, a beautiful blend of DDBA, Stickee Monkee, Bravo, Helldorado, Velvet Merkin, Weldwerks Stout Blend, and PaRyebola. The finished blend is deep ruby in color and expresses caramel and bourbon aromas up front with speculoos and dark cherry close behind. The mouthfeel is decadently smooth with caramel cookie-like flavors complemented by rye spirit barrel-derived vanilla and other oaky spice accents. It’s truly a wonderful balance between decadent barleywine with just enough chocolate stout to give depth and move it into its own universe. This is another amazing super-blend, gifted to us by our winemaker friends, showcasing both our barrel aging cellar and the skill and artistry of our close neighbors and friends.
Final Blend:
DDBA – (9%) Imperial Special Bitter
Stickee Monkee – (37%) Central Coast Quad
Bravo – (28%) Imperial Brown Ale
Helldorado – (4%) Blonde Barleywine
Velvet Merkin – (4%) Milk Stout
Weldwerks Stout Blend – (7%) Imperial Stout
PaRyebola – (11%) Imperial Stout
We come together with our winemaker friends to bring you Firestone XXVIII, a beautiful blend of DDBA, Stickee Monkee, Bravo, Helldorado, Velvet Merkin, Weldwerks Stout Blend, and PaRyebola. The finished blend is deep ruby in color and expresses caramel and bourbon aromas up front with speculoos and dark cherry close behind. The mouthfeel is decadently smooth with caramel cookie-like flavors complemented by rye spirit barrel-derived vanilla and other oaky spice accents. It’s truly a wonderful balance between decadent barleywine with just enough chocolate stout to give depth and move it into its own universe. This is another amazing super-blend, gifted to us by our winemaker friends, showcasing both our barrel aging cellar and the skill and artistry of our close neighbors and friends.
Final Blend:
DDBA – (9%) Imperial Special Bitter
Stickee Monkee – (37%) Central Coast Quad
Bravo – (28%) Imperial Brown Ale
Helldorado – (4%) Blonde Barleywine
Velvet Merkin – (4%) Milk Stout
Weldwerks Stout Blend – (7%) Imperial Stout
PaRyebola – (11%) Imperial Stout
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8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Medium brown, bubbly head. I can definitely smell the Stickee Monkee on this, with the phenols, light chocolate, and a hint of chocolate. This has a good, rich malt, nice pale barley wine character. Not much carbonation. Accents of golden syrup, figs, raisin, with a touch of alcohol, a bit of oiliness, mild bitterness and a decent bit of tannins.
Tried
from Bottle
from
Elizabeth Station
on 24 May 2025
at 03:47
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Poured from 355mL bottle. Dark brown with small off white head. Lots of oak, the DDBA bitter comes out in the taste (not sure if I like that), dark dried fruits, touch of sticky molasses, decent, but not my favourite of the anniversary ales.
Tried
from Bottle
from
Elizabeth Station
on 24 May 2025
at 03:32
7.9/10
—
Appearance 9
Aroma 9
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7
Tons of bouton oak vanilla caramel chocolate super smooth not too boozy. The barrel character is super soft. Rounded palate. Superb
Tried
on 11 May 2025
at 12:59
9.3/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 9
Bottle from Tavour
Appearance: dark brown with a tan head
Aroma: vanilla, bourbon, woody, caramel
Flavor: medium sweetness, medium bitterness
Texture: light carbonation, creamy feel, full body, long finish
Delightful
Appearance: dark brown with a tan head
Aroma: vanilla, bourbon, woody, caramel
Flavor: medium sweetness, medium bitterness
Texture: light carbonation, creamy feel, full body, long finish
Delightful
Tried
from Bottle
on 29 Apr 2025
at 16:33
9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 9
Overall 9.5
EB - Bottle 12fl.oz. @ home - fonefan & Brugmansia House. 🏠🇩🇰 🍀☁️☂️ [ As Firestone 28 (XXVIII) Anniversary Ale ] ABV: 12.7%. [20250403]. 9/4/9/5/19
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Apr 2025
at 23:06
9/10
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Apr 2025
at 23:00
8.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8.5
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Poured from a 12 oz bottle.
Aroma is malt forward with lots of burnt sugar, caramel, toffee, toasted bread and crackers. Lighter chocolate and roast notes. Light raisin and dried cherries. Hints of vanilla and almonds. Medium light bourbon and alcohol notes with hints of oak.
Pours dark brown, but not quite black with brown hues on the edges and a medium large, thick, fluffy, light mocha head that recedes slowly to a small film that lingers.
Flavor is fairly sweet with lots of caramel, toffee, and chocolate. Lighter notes of roast, toasted bread, crackers and burnt sugar. Medium bitterness and medium light alcohol notes. Light raisin and dark cherry notes. Hints of vanilla and almonds. Medium light bourbon and light alcohol notes.
Mouthfeel is medium full bodied and a bit sticky with medium carbonation. Low astringency and medium low alcohol warmth.
Overall, a solid anniversary blend. This might be my favorite of the recent three. The bourbon notes add some nice complexity along with the vanilla and almond notes. The malt profile is more complex and there is a bit more chocolate.
Aroma is malt forward with lots of burnt sugar, caramel, toffee, toasted bread and crackers. Lighter chocolate and roast notes. Light raisin and dried cherries. Hints of vanilla and almonds. Medium light bourbon and alcohol notes with hints of oak.
Pours dark brown, but not quite black with brown hues on the edges and a medium large, thick, fluffy, light mocha head that recedes slowly to a small film that lingers.
Flavor is fairly sweet with lots of caramel, toffee, and chocolate. Lighter notes of roast, toasted bread, crackers and burnt sugar. Medium bitterness and medium light alcohol notes. Light raisin and dark cherry notes. Hints of vanilla and almonds. Medium light bourbon and light alcohol notes.
Mouthfeel is medium full bodied and a bit sticky with medium carbonation. Low astringency and medium low alcohol warmth.
Overall, a solid anniversary blend. This might be my favorite of the recent three. The bourbon notes add some nice complexity along with the vanilla and almond notes. The malt profile is more complex and there is a bit more chocolate.
Tried
from Bottle
on 01 Apr 2025
at 02:03
9/10
6oz pour split w Barry!
Tried
on 27 Mar 2025
at 21:35
8/10
Smooth, slightly roasty and more intense than 27, stingy woody oakiness, bourbon, toffee, vanilla, chocolate, cocoa and hints of prunes, syrupy earthiness, some warming alcohol. Perhaps slightly more unbalanced than 27, but still quite tasty.
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Mar 2025
at 16:51
8.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 9
Overall 8
12 oz. bottle, pours a deep dark brown with a small beige head. Nose reveals a complex, toasted English bready malt character upfront, gentle but complex bourbon barrels, a hint of cocoa, and a tinge of Belgian yeast. Flavour is elegant and refined, with wonderful bourbon character, English bready malt, a touch of toffee, and general brown sugar. The palate is not heavy at all, but moderately-bodied enough to express the many layers of complexity here. Beautiful blend as usual.
Tried
from Bottle
from
John's Marketplace - SE Powell
on 15 Mar 2025
at 05:48