Firestone Walker 11 (XI Quercus Alba)

Formerly brewed at Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Style: American Strong Ale
Paso Robles, California USA

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

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A distinct brandy aroma floats off of this reddish/brown aged ale. Very sharp taste. Not too much beer left in here, primarily spirits now to me.

UPDATED: OCT 25, 2010 Bottle. Pours a murky brown color with a slight tan head that surprisingly had pretty good retention. The smell reminds me a lot like parabola with dark chocolate with vanilla notes. The taste is really nice and well blended with notes of chocolate, toffee, vanilla, and nut. Nice notes of the bourbon barrel as well. In the vertical or horizontal, this is my favorite. Really well blended. Well done. Medium mouthfeel with a nice creaminess to it.

(22oz bottle thanks to biergut) murky clearish brown with nice ring of tan bubbles. Nose of milk chocolate, raisins, very mild but pleasing oxidation, dates, vanilla, graham crackers, sweet caramel, almost endlessly complex. Taste is big time graham crackers, milk chocolate, creamy, perfect sweet balance, no alcohol detectable almost at all, notes of bourbon flavor, mild vanilla. Absolutely delicious. Soft body with creamy carbonation, medium thickness, complex with a medium length duration. The flavor left behind is amazing. Extremely smooth, probably more so than any other 11% beer I’ve had.

This is a good beer but too harsh for my palate. Enjoy at your own risk. I enjoyed this with a friend at NCHS.

Might be starting to show it’s age a bit, but still excellent. Aroma and flavors are not super strong: lighter, but in an elegant way. Vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, maybe a hint of maple - quite malty but not super sweet. Light to medium oxidation. Pretty nice stuff.

Black pour with brown edges, Aroma is dark chocolate, toffee, some boozy heat, a flutter of char, and maybe a touch of oxidation. Mouthfeel is viscous but silky as well. Flavor is a burst of vinous oak barrel notes, charred chocolate, bourbon, burnt toffee. Rich and full, only showing a bit of its age, really a treat.

22oz bottle shared by largadeer, finally. Thanks, Chris! Pours very dark brown with a one-finger light beige head that leaves bubbly foam for awhile. Very good aroma - typical of Firestone anniversary beers with caramel, roast, chocolate, oak barrel, vanilla, and bourbon. The flavor is very nice, much better than I expected from people who have told me this beer has gone downhill. Toffee, chocolate, roasted malt, maple syrup, bourbon, oak, and vanilla. A little thin on the palate, but there is nice soft carbonation and a good slick mouthfeel. Good stuff, most similar to 12 off the top of my head, although I haven’t tried them side-by-side.

Bottle thanks big time to to ajm. Pours a dark chestnut color with a medium white/gray colored head. The aroma is great; mostly heavy dark fruits, bourbon, more wood, roasted molasses. The flavor is wonderful; more of a old ale or imperial brown, I assume this is due to age. Anyway, a smooth rich fruitiness, dusty and musty, sweet dark fruits, bourbon and noticeable brandy, charred oak, dark caramel and molasses. Hot and very smooth still. Wonderful, how good was this fresh? Awesome.

A damn fine beer, I would drink it until my liver gave way. Nothing offensive at all, just beer bliss. Would get again fo sho. Tasted like it was on its way downhill, still very rich and complex, deep caramel notes, hints of roast, unique and tasty

A: The pour is dark amber in color with almost no head to speak of. S: A lot of different forms of sweetness going on here in the nose. Caramel, chocolate, and vanilla provide that sweetness which goes hand in hand with the bourbon, dark fruit, and a bit of oak. T: The beer has stood up somewhat well, though there is a bit of oxidation present. Like the nose would indicate, brown sugar, caramel and toffee sweetness dominate, along with just a hint of dark fruit and a fairly substantial bourbon/barrel influence. M: The body is on the full side of medium with a very low carbonation. A bit sticky and creamy. D: Still a pretty nice beer, but I would drink this sooner rather than later. The oxidation is noticeable and I don’t think it will be getting any better.