Saturday, March 22, 2014

Review: Firestone Walker 17th Anniversary Ale

Firestone Walker 17th Anniversary Ale
13.3% ABV
Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Paso Robles, CA
22 oz btl
Served in Dogfish Head signature glass
No date on bottle (2013 edition of this annual ale)
Reviewed on 2/15/14

This strong ale pours a dark brownish-reddish color with a decent ivory-colored head that dissipates quickly. Good lacing.

Smell consists of malt, hops, dark fruit including raisin and cherry, vanilla, some bourbon, some tobacco, some wood.

Taste consists of cherry, vanilla, bourbon, malt, raisin, caramel, some hops, touch of chocolate, woodiness.

Mouthfeel is fairly smooth on the palate with some bitterness on the back end.

Overall, this is a tasty, smooth strong ale that masks its high ABV quite well. Cherry, vanilla, and bourbon flavors hit the palate immediately. Caramel, wood, and chocolate flavors provide pleasant accents. This one goes in various directions--strong ale, barleywine, and even stout. I'm a broken record on this--this is another high quality product from Firestone Walker.

My score: 96

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