Everyone
93

Firestone Walker XVIII Anniversary Ale

Firestone Walker Brewing Company
Paso Robles, CA, United States of America


Vital Statistics

Release: Limited Single
ABV: 13%
Bitterness: 35 IBU
Color: 79 SRM
First released: October 2014

From the brewer

As a finished beer, XVIII is a dark and complex brew full of malt and barrel derived flavors, with Parabola leading the brew into the rich darkness. The beer is unfiltered and unfined, so there will be a small amount of sediment in the bottom of the bottle. XVIII is best enjoyed poured carefully into a half filled brandy snifter or wine glass. Allow it to warm to 55F to fully enjoy the pleasing and complex aromas. As the beer sits and breathes in the glass, rich dark chocolate, toasted oak and dark fruit character is revealed, so take your time. If you wait to open your bottle later, store it in a cool dark place. I suspect that this beer will age well and change favorably for years to come. It was an absolute pleasure in the making and I truly hope you enjoy our ninth oak-aged blend! The journey continues and it’s just as fun and exciting now as it was back in 1996.

Average Scores

Overall: 93 (logged 7 times)
Bottle: 93 (logged 5 times)
Draft: 92 (logged 2 times)

Who's been drinking this

Sweet, plummy, smooth.
Bottle at Home
Amazing beer! Reminds a lot of the Sticky Monkey I like so much. Great mix of caramel, molasses, dark fruits and oak flavors.
My first impression of this is that this was largely Stickee Monkee in composition, due to the color, thinner mouthfeel and forward plum/date flavor, but apparently this beer is almost 50% Parabola. Never would have guessed. A clean-ish finish with just a bit of tannic / woody astringency to close. This probably needs time to mature -- it was really good but I'd take a straight Parabola or Stickee Monkee any day.