3.6 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Sampled January 2009
A vigorous pour sneaks up on my and creates a bit of a foam over in my 25cl tulip glass. The head starts out a fat-three-fingers in height with a nicely browned, dark tan color. The beer is quite dark, but more of a concentrated brown than black color, when held up to the light the beer shows flashes of a brilliantly clear, ruby color. The aroma has a nice mix toasted coconut, a light barrel spiciness, lots of vanillin, butterscotch and a finish that has a touch of bourbon like warming to it. The aroma is incredibly smooth for showing so much barrel influence and is actually not quite as powerful as I was expecting. Notes of toffee, hints of dark fruit and some toasted grain notes provide a touch of character underneath the other more dominant notes.
This starts out on the cool side (high 40s to low 50s), but I plan on slowly consuming this over the course of the evening. Thick, viscous and heavy as it first hits my tongue, there is a solid prickle of carbonation as the bubbles struggle to release from the beer. The beer is sweet tasting, but this is balanced a lot by spicy bourbon notes, a lingering woody bite in the finish, a middle that has notes of toasted coconut as well as a roasted malt contribution that is sprinkled throughout. The finish also has a touch of cherry like fruitiness to it, though this quickly succumbs to a more dominant, spicy, bourbon heat (which can be a little too much at times). The sweetened coconut flavors are heightened by barrel influenced notes of vanillin and butterscotch.
As the beer warms up it looses a bit of the sweetness but remains quite rich. This is most definitely a sipping beer. While I was grilling some chicken I was noticing a bit more fruit in the flavor as it seemed to bring out notes of figs and raisins. Dark caramel notes, some solid toffee and some salty caramel start to become noticeable after my third pour of this beer. The flavor has some nice things going on, but it just gets too hot, almost phenolic in the finish because of the barrel spiciness and higher alcohols.
Perhaps not quite as much toasted coconut as the XI, but this certainly has quite a bit of it too. I really like this in strong, barrel aged beers, and it makes me wonder what are they doing / using that most other brewers are not. For some reason I am not quite enjoying this near as much as the 10 or 11, it is not bad, but just doesn’t achieve the finesse of either of those brews.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Bottle - celebratory of Devils winning ECF. Pours dark walnut brown with tan head. Nose/taste of walnuts, dark toffee, charred caramel, molasses, vanilla, oak, dark fruits and raisin. Complex. Slight alcohol in finish. Medium body.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 16/20
@HallingHansen tasting, thanks for sharing. Pours brown with a small beige head. Aroma is roasted malt, raisin, plum, chocolate, oak, vanilla and alcohol. Flavour is roasted malt, raisin, chocolate, oak, vanilla and alcohol.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
bomber. Pours dark brown with a small tan head. Nice nose of whiskey/bourbon, some sugary sweetness. Taste is very well developed of barrel aged barleywines, lots of sugary sweetnesss, some stickiness, and lots of alcohol presence. Very easy to drink.
4 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
At HallingHansen Grand Tasting, thanks for sharing. Pours a clear and dark brown beer with a weak head. The aroma is malt, dried fruit, sweetness, vanilla, fruit and wood. The flavor follows the nose with additional alcoholwarmth. The palate is sweetness and alcoholwarmth. Overall a really good beer.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Bomber. Poured medium chocolatey-brown with a short-lived, but easily-resuscitated smoked beige head. There was a lot going on in the aroma.. redder vinous notes and charred oak led, with sweet bourbon and dark molasses not far behind.. black pepper and a hit of smoked peat deep down.. warm, but not unreasonably so.. really nice. The flavor found a base of milk chocolates and molasses with accents of sweet vanilla, bourbon, and tangy oak.. chocolates and cocoa come back on toward the back, and ride delicious rye whiskey through the long, belly-warming finish. Heavier-bodied with low carbonation on the palate.. oily and coating in a good way.. the boozage was well-masked.. excellent brew!
4.5 AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
(Bottle) Pours dark brown to black with almost no head. The aroma is oaky up front with butter, wood, vanilla, light coconut and light dill. Chocolate and mild caramel. Undertones of cinnamon, brown sugar, molasses, dark cherries and dark fruits like raisins and prunes. Soft, mild and creamy on the nose. The flavour is light to medium sweet and light to medium bitter. Oaky and chocolaty. Undertones of brown sugar, dark fruits and hints of cinnamon. The mouthfeel is super silky, round and light oily with a light carbonation. Some tannins and alcohol on the finish. Medium to full bodied.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
Bottle. Dark brown body with a small head. Aroma is roast, tobacco, dark fruit, bourbon. Flavor is chocolate, roast, tobacco, booze.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Bottle very generously provided by Amy - many thanks! Pours a dark brown with a quickly fading tan head that reduces to a ring of foam on the edges of the glass. Steady ebb of carbonation. Aroma is up front dry rye followed by sweet brandy before giving way to clean, sharp bourbon with distinct vanilla, a bit of oak, and lingering bourbon over smooth, sweet malt into the finish. The aroma reminds me of Bagby’s last stand at PP Carlsbad. Taste is a rye/brandy melange with distinct, soft bourbon notes over sweet malt with some roast/leather (perhaps the tobacco character suggested), just a whisper of alcohol heat, and a pleasant caramel/toffee flavor. Clean, coating mouthfeel with only a smidge of oxidization toward the final third of the flavor profile and it doesn’t make the beer any worse for the wear IMHO. Certainly the various barrel influences must have been more distinct when this beer was first released but I do not get the sense that the beer is "over the hill" or degraded to the point of meaningfully detracting from the drinking experience. Perhaps the beer is getting close to the tipping point but there is a well-integrated smoothness to the overall blend and the dominating barrel aromas/flavors that I’m really enjoying. Firestone Walker is so good at pulling off barrel aged beers like blended wines. Excellent beer and I’m glad to have enjoyed a bottle. Cheers Firestone Walker!
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
22 ounce bottle at Utah holiday tasting. A great rich malty beer. Notes of plum, dark stone fruits, vanilla, and hints of port. A great big beer that needs to be shared.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Bottle at javit’s Birthday Tasting: Pours clear tawny, with a deep brown hue; forms a very thin pale tan head, and no lacing is apparent; clearly softly carbonated. Nose is barrel, old leather, tobacco, jam, and smoke. Flavours of tobacco, tar, red licorice, sweet tea, creosote; a bit sweeter than I’d have liked, but otherwise wonderfully complex.
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