Firestone Walker Sticky Monkey

Brewed by Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Paso Robles, California USA

Serve in Snifter

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Draft at Firestone 14th party. Light brown golden pour with tiny head. Aroma was honey bourbon, brown sugar. Taste was sweet alcohol, bourbon, oak, with slight bitterness. Pretty good.

A - Served a cloudy brown-copper color with a little bit of white head. The head fades down pretty quickly leaving behind a touch of lace. S - Aroma is full of sweet brown sugar and rich caramel malts. There is a touch of Bourbon, vanilla, and some nutty smells as well. T - Starts off with some sweet rich caramel malts with some brown sugar and some nutty flavors. Through the middle, the Bourbon comes through with some oak and vanilla. The finish is a mix of rich sweet brown sugar and dark fruit with some Bourbon and some booze. M - Medium-full bodied with very mild carbonation. Feels smooth with a sweet and warming finish. D - Very drinkable. Very sweet and bold with a nice bourbon mix with the sweet rich caramel and nutty malts.

On tap @ City Beer Store. Poured a clear dark amber, verging into brown territory. There’s no head, just a thin ring of white. The smell is toffee, bourbon, sweet sugar, with a little vanilla. The taste is really like brandy. there’s some ripe apple, brown sugar, vanilla and some strong alcohol, though it’s smooth to an extent. Mouth feel is medium-thick, with absolutely no carbonation. The finish is very sweet apple.

On tap at Toronado. Pours a dark reddish amber with a small white head that settles to a ring and leaves a good amount of lacing on the glass. The aroma is big caramel, some brown sugar, bourbon, vanilla, some plum, and a bit of brandy. A hint of of alcohol, but not much. The taste is sweet with caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, plum, and some bourbon. The finish is warming with a little alcohol apparent. Big, full bodied beer, but not syrupy. Low carbonation.

Tasted on draft at FoBAB 2011. Pours opaque dark amber with an average tan head that leaves a thin collar of lace. The nose is candied banana, vanilla, toffee, caramel, and brown sugar. The flavor is more roasted bitter, with burnt brown sugar, toffee, candied banana, creme brulee, and vanilla. The body is full and oily with average carbonation and a long toffee, bitter burnt sugar, and candied banana finish.

FoBAB 11’- This was one of my favorite beers of the day. Pours a ruby red with off white head. Nose and taste are sweet, woody, and malty. Definitely not for those who like their BW’s hoppy. If you like them sweet, this one brings a nice blend of wood, caramel, vanilla, and dark sweet fruits and malts. Very well balanced with almost no heat. It’s a keeper!

fobab. pours amber off white head. nose caramel booze vanilla, flavors are boozey phenolic vanilla toffee molasses too sweet and booze.

FoBAB 2011. Pours cloudy brown with an off white head. Boozy aroma, dark fruit, sweet malt, vanilla. Flavor similar. Okay.

Tap at City Beer in SF. Ah, the elusive blend component in the anniversary brews. A great tick. Clear cocoa brown in color with a small beige head. The aroma is big and very nice with huge toffee and dark fruit notes - prune, raisin, and fig - with bourbon and brandy. Oaky toffee on the flavor, mildly sweet with great raisin/dark fruit notes, brown sugar, bourbon, brandy, and vanilla. Rich and decadent. Fairly full body with a good level of carbonation. A top notch barleywine. They should bottle this!

On tap at City Beer. Pours black with a thin beige head and a treacle aroma. Ther is a hearty chocolate and brown sugar flavor with a nice bourbon trail.

Draft at FoBAB 9. I get why they blend this one. It is lacking in overall composure but offers some good pieces that could fit the puzzle. Pours a ruddy brown with a fluffy head. Nose is boozy. Sharp burnt raisins, ethanol and vanilla. On taste, big caramel notes, burnt almost, more coconut and vanilla, wood tannins. Alcohol is high, between the native barrel booze and the beer alcohol. Just doesn’t seem quite right. Bit thin bodied as well.