Firestone Walker … a brewing company out of Paso Robles, CA that until recently hasn’t gotten much play here in Chicago or the Midwest in general. They’ve been around, though, and right now we’re reviewing/celebrating their 14th Anniversary Ale, lovingly referred to by enthusiasts as Firestone 14. It’s a blended ale made from 6 different barrel-aged beers, part of FW’s Proprietor’s Reserve Series. Here’s the run-down the makeup of this epic ale:

31% Double Double Barrel Ale (Double English Pale Ale)

• 10.9% ABV
• Aged 100% in retired Firestone Union Barrels
• OG= 24.0P FG=5.8P IBU=30 Color = 16

29% Sticky Monkey (English Barley Wine)

• 12% ABV
• Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels
• OG = 24P FG = 4.5P IBU = 45 Color = 28
• Brewed with Mexican Turbinado (Brown) suger

27% Parabola (Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout)

• 13% ABV
• Aged in Bourbon Barrels
• OG=30P FG=7.5P IBU=80 Color=Black
• Hopped with Simcoe, Bravo, Styrian Golding and East Kent Golding

7% Velvet Merkin (Traditional Oatmeal Stout)

• 6% ABV
• 100% Aged in Bourbon barrels
• OG= 15P FG=5.5 IBU=32.5 Color= Black
• 15% Oats / Hopped with 100% US grown Fuggles

3% Good Foot (American Barley Wine)

• 13% ABV
• Aged in Bourbon Barrels
• OG = 23P FG = 5.5P IBU = 80 Color = 26
• Brewed with copious amounts of American grown hops

3% Black Xantus (Coffee-infused Imperial Stout)

• 11% ABV
• Aged in Bourbon Barrels
• OG= 27P FG = 6.8P IBU = 55 Color = Black
• Rich Stout made with Mexican Coffee roasted locally by Joebella Coffee Company

Taylor: I wasn’t sure what to expect from this monster. I’ve never had a blended ale like FW 14 before and was excited to see what all that complexity would be like together. This one poured a thick, oily black with barely any head to speak of (not surprising at 12.5% ABV). I would characterize the smell as roasty, chocolatey, and boozy with some slight coffee traces as well. The nose is kind of confusing due to all the different blended flavors. My first sip of FW 14 was at a chilled temperature and … wow. I think your brain expects it to taste like an imperial stout based on smell and appearance, but it doesn’t taste like a stout at all. 60% of this beer is Double English Pale Ale and English Barley Wine … and those two contribute most of the flavors. It’s roasty/toasty, malty, with a definite hop (or is that coffee?) bitterness. And the ABVs are in your face. I wasn’t totally blown over … I think maybe this many strong beers in one sip causes more confusion than anything else. I would be interested to try this after a few years of aging. Grade: B+

Tom: Embarking on a journey into the world of barrel aged beers (six to be exact) with the Birkey brothers my expectations ran high. Disclaimer: the bottle was taken right out for the fridge and poured. It should have been given some time to warm just a tad. For this reason (and the higher abv) the head was a little weak sauce. However, what was lacking in presentation was made up for in the aroma. Upon my initial appraisal, the biggest identifying smells were figs and dates. This was followed by warm Bourbon notes which gave way to deep coffee and almost chalky roasted grains. I did not get a huge boozy heat as I found all aspects of the beer to be supportive. The flavor was rich and had some massive complexity. It hinted more towards the barleywine style, but the stouts did come through enough to add dark layers. Residual sugars, oatmeal (which was noticeable), and coffee gave a full-bodied creamy albeit “velvety” mouthfeel that finished smooth and oaky. I enjoyed the Bourbon oaky flavors that were obviously abundant. Grade: A-

Noel: Intriguing. It’s the reason I picked this beer up in the first place, and the reason I became increasingly excited the more and more I read about it. Blending different beers always seemed like a fun idea to me, but this moves it past “fun” and into the realm of blending as an art form. Six different barrel-aged beers, combined in very specific amounts with the help of winemakers? Color me interested. The tasting seems like a whirlwind now, but here are my scattered thoughts on the experience. 14 Anniversary Ale is a big, bold beer with class. It’s mellow from all the barrel aging, yet brash because of the ridiculous amounts of malt and hops fighting for your attention. Sharp, dark fruit and chocolate flavors mingle with heavy alcohol and bourbon sweetness, then fade into a bittersweet hop-coffee finish. And yes, there are almost too many subtleties to expound on, so I won’t. All the blending renders it fairly “uncategorizable” as a beer style…but I think it succeeds regardless. It’s refined and cool…but a seriously tough customer all the same. The James Bond of beers, perhaps. Did it blow my mind? No. But would I drink it again? In a heartbeat. Craft breweries take note: this is how you blend beer. Grade: A