Firestone Walker Parabola

Brewed by Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial Stout
Paso Robles, California USA

Serve in Snifter

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22oz bottle from Bottle Barn, $12.99 I believe, and no date--maybe a little over a month ago? Black body with a couple finger tan head, fair retention. Lots of chocolate and bourbony vanilla in the nose, followed by some light butter cream and oatmeal. There’s also some solid underlying roast. Flavor is pretty hot with lots of bourbon., added juicy raisins, still has the butter cream notes and whatnot. Finishes semi-dry with bitterness at a 4, fairly boozy but very tasty. Light to moderate carbonation with a thick full body. Just a good tasty hot bourbonated imperial stout.

On tap at Papago for all of 5 minutes. Pours pitch black with a brown ring of foam. Smells of soy sauce and molasses. Approximates Bells 9000. Tastes of Colgate, black licorice, toasted marshmallow, and dark fruits on the mid. Finishes with bourbon and vanilla that really linger on the palate. Alcohol becomes more apparent as this one warms. It should age like a champ. Well done.

I’ve had this several times at the Bistro Barrel Aged festivals, just never rated it. This is from a 22 ounce bottle purchased at the Davis Food Co-OP. The aroma on this is really nice. Lots of chocolate, with moderate sweetness and a nice deal of bourbon and some oaky-wood hints, too. There also is some leather present and a little bit of salty soy sauce, too. Really quaffable. Opaque black body with a medium light brown head that is strong and leaves some stellar lacing. Starts a little acidic and hot on the tongue, before some chocolate maltiness and roastiness comes through. Strong bourbon in the middle with some oak, too. The finish has a bit of an astringency present, and a fairly nice bitterness. The finish is rather warming...this definitely has some alcohol in it, but the ethanol isn’t overly noticeable. The astringency is a bit weird, but otherwise this is enjoyable. I don’t know if aging this will really improve it much, though.

Bottle from KnB. Pours black as night, with a beautiful 1-finger of brown sugar-colored head. Aroma is blanketed in oatmeal, almost a chocolate-chip oatmeal cookie. The first sip is absolutely heavenly. Full, creamy mouthfeel with just the perfect little amount of carbonation is accompanied by silky smooth flavors of roasty oak, oatmeal and hints of chocolate, coffee and bourbon. Whereas so many of these newer BB-aged RIS are just bourbon bombs, this is a wonderful display of restraint and subtlety. Long afterfinish leaves me wanting more.

Bottle shared by ewestern
A wonderful imperial stout that successfully throws in a perfect mix of bourbon flavor. Probably the best bourbon barrel aged beer I’ve ever had, just because it adds to the beer without masking any of the other great stout characteristics. Also one of the few beers that I can actually taste tobacco in. A well made stout that is strong in flavor but smooth and drinkable. Nice one.

Bottle purchased at Bev 4 Less. Nice aroma of coffee, charred wood, some chocolate on the nose. Flavors of toasted malts, chocolate, coffee and wood. Really good.

Good God this beer is fucking amazing! From the moment you pour this black stallion into your glass you’ll notice it’s alluring aroma of chocolate, vanilla, oak, licorice, and bourbon. Upon tasting this full bodied beast, you’ll notice that as you practically chew the beer, the tastes of chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, and oak transport you to a magical land... Well maybe that’s the 13% abv... but it goes down SMOOTH and is just absolutely fucking delicious. I only wish that I could get more of these.

Bottle shared with bigmmartin & ericwestern. Aroma is bourbon, oak, burnt malts, and chocolate. Smooth/complex palate. Leaves a nice roasted malts/bourbon aftertaste.

On tap at Beachwood BBQ. Chocolate, vanilla, some oak, and a nice amount of bourbon. Not in your face bourbon, but enough to add to the complexity. Smooth considering the high ABV. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Got this at the Monterey Deli in San Francisco. Pours like motor oil. Tastes like smokey chocolate, vanilla, and coffee, finishes with lots of alcohol. Amazing imperial stout.