The second half begins with Firestone Walker XVI (Sixteenth Anniversary). From the moment I saw this beer I was basically obsessed. I worried that I wouldn't be able to get it as it is a limited release from a west coast brewery and I live on the other side of the country. Imagine my delight when I stumbled across this whale. A blend of 8 different barrel aged beers. Stouts, barleywines, strong ales, a black IPA and a brown ale aged in brandy, bourbon, oak and tequila barrels and blended to perfection. Pours extremely dark brown but not quite black with a beige head that slowly disappears. Smells like chocolate, bourbon, butterscotch and slight alcohol. Tastes like bourbon candy. Bourbon, chocolate and butterscotch exploding onto the palate. So much flavor it's almost overwhelming. There aren't enough adjectives to describe how wonderful this beer tastes. Nice carbonation and thickness. Flash forward to the second glass; as this beer warms up the butterscotch in the nose and taste becomes far more prominent. I feel like I'm having dessert, especially because you can really feel how chewy this beer is now. It has been aged perfectly. At 13%, it's still relatively young at almost 4 months from bottling but it as smooth as anything I've ever had. The alcohol is non existent. Good thing I don't have more because this beer is dangerously drinkable, although as good as it is, I'd be willing to risk it.
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How it ended: Baltimore ran back the opening kickoff and NFL record 109 yards to go up 28-6. San Francisco scored 17 unanswered to bring it to 28-23. Super intense to the end, Baltimore wins 34-31. Congrats Baltimore, drink some Flying Dog and Stillwater Artisinal tonight to celebrate!
I'll be with you all week reviewing beers, discussing styles and I'll go through the 2013 RateBeer awards. They expanded a lot this year and sparked some controversy, at least with me.
Drink On,
Dan
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