Yesterday, my girlfriend noticed a beer bottle in a seldom seen area of the refrigerator, mixed in with the secondary condiments.  She asked me why I was hiding a bottle of Bourbon County Stout (BCS).  I yelled from my spot on the couch that I had just picked it up yesterday.  “You picked up a 2008 yesterday?” she asked.  That piqued my interest.

Earlier this year, we moved to a new house without a basement.  This caused us to move several boxes of cellared beer to a friend’s basement.  Most of the whole cellared lot were moved, but some were consumed in celebration of our new house.  When we couldn’t locate the BCS, I removed it from my meticulous spreadsheet assuming that we had already enjoyed it.  Apparently not.

Finding both the 2008 and 2009 BCS in the fridge we were faced with the inevitable mini-vertical.  Well, we could have put them away for more aging, but sometimes it’s impossible to resist.  Besides, finding that beer seemed like a message from somewhere higher: “Drink me!”  So, both bottles came out of the fridge to sit for about 30 minutes to take the cold bite off.

Then, we dove into the mini-vertical.  Both poured pitch black and as thick as oil.  Each had a dark tan head, with the 2009 version sticking around for much longer.  Even with a year on it, the 2008 was only subtly different than the newest release.  The earlier vintage was a bit smoother, and not quite as hot.  But this is written with my tongue firmly in my cheek, because I can’t imagine what could possibly cool this 13% Bourbon Barrel monster.  It’s already high ABV is only taunted by it’s saturated bourbon flavor.  This beer is not afraid to show its many, sharp teeth.  The 2009 was very heavy on the bourbon right up front: you can smell it, taste it, and possibly even hear it.  The older vintage has aged enough to blend in the bourbon taste with more of the malt character and that taste doesn’t hit as soon or as strong as the newer bottle, but it’s definitely still there.

Final thoughts: My girlfriend has loved this beer since she first tried is a couple of years ago, and it remains as one of the top beers on her ever-evolving list.  I have a feeling that if it came down to me or a bottle of this beer, I wouldn’t make the cut.  For me, this beer certainly is a favorite, but the bourbon is far too strong to make it perfect.  The bottle states that it will age well for up to five years, but I don’t know if I have the patience (or the willpower) for this practice—though I would love to taste a five year cellared version!  Please contact me for cellared donations!

Related posts:

1. Full Sail Releases Black Gold Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
2. 2005 and 2009 Deschutes Mirror Mirror Barleywine!
3. Fermented Photo: Oregon Trail Bourbon Barrel Porter

Firestone Walker 13

We like to keep most of our coverage on the local Portland beer scene, hence the URL portlandbeer.org. Makes sense to us.  A lot of beer news happens outside of our little beer utopia though.  Some of it is relevant, some of it is interesting.   Though our main concentration will remain in our community, we will be bringing you some worthy news from the outside in an aptly named column called “On the Outside”.

In this first installment, we’re going to cover an outside beer from Firestone Walker, simply called “13″.  You can find Firestone Walker beers in your favorite specialty stores.  Beers such as DBA (Double Barrel Ale), Pale 21 (California Pale Ale), and Union Jack (IPA), are all great representatives of the beers that Firestone Walker crafts.   One thing you’ll notice is that these beers are not riding on any “extreme” beer trends: no hop blasts, no malt bombs.  What they do create are amazing, well-balanced beers.  From complex malt bills to intricate hop additions, these beers are all about subtlety.

And if a beer can be extremely subtle, “13″ leads the way.  Yet, this beer was not brewed.  It was not even fermented.  Well, at least not in the traditional sense.  This beer is a 100% blend.  It is made up entirely of a not-so-secret blend of seven other Firestone Walker beers.  Seven other amazing beers, in fact.  Beers that you would be very lucky to try individually—almost none of which make it to Portland (though, coincidentally, you can check out their Velvet Merkin at the Holiday Ale Festival this week).

Firestone Walker brewer Matt Brynildson.

In a fantastic display of “we’re not so different from you”, the brewery reached out to its winemaking neighbors, who know a thing or two about blending.  Notes from Brew Master, Matt Brynildson: “We were once again honored to enlist seven of the best winemakers from the Paso Robles region to assist in blending.  The blend was created in two sessions over the course of two weeks.  Scott Hawley (www.torrinwine.com) joined us again this year.  He is an exceptional wine maker who makes some incredible small lot wines and does a good dealof vineyard and winemaking consultation.  Matt Trevison (www.linnecalodo.com) played a huge part in this year’s blend.  Sherman Thacher from Thacher Winery was with us this year.  Sherman was a brewer for more than 15 years before he turned to wine making.  His skills were again a wonderful addition to our blending efforts.  My very good friend Steve Martell (www.kaleidoswine.com) joined us for the fourth year in a row.  Neil Collins (www.lonemadrone.com & www.tablascreek.com) was another major force in this blend.  Also from Tablas Creek, assistant winemaker Chelsea Magnusson sat in on our first session and added some great flavor vocabulary to the mix.  Making his first appearance as a beer blender, Eric Jensen (www.bookerwines.com) joined the team.  Eric has developed the amazing Booker vineyard and winery on Paso’s west side.  Along with the wine makers, Tom Griffin who provides many of our barrels, Rick Sellers from Draft Magazine (www.draftmag.com), Pete Slosberg of Pete’s Wicked Ale fame and Arie Litman sat in on the final tasting.  Special thanks go out to Michelle Brown, for organizing the sessions and keeping the notes. This process can get more than a little confusing at times.”  Who knows, maybe my name can be added to the list next year. Are you listening Matt? Check out what goes into this unique beer:

39% of final blend:
Parabola (aged in bourbon barrels)
Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout
15% ABV, 80 IBU
Hopped with Simcoe, Bravo, Styrian Golding and East Kent Golding

24% of final blend:
Bravo (bourbon barrels 50% / brandy barrels 50%)
Imperial Brown Ale
11% ABV, 35 IBU
Hopped with US Fuggles

15% of final blend:
Velvet Merkin (aged in bourbon barrels)
Traditional Oatmeal Stout
6% ABV, 32.5 IBU
Hopped with US Fuggles

6% of final blend:
Opal (aged in rye barrels)
Wheat Wine
11% ABV, 45 IBU
Hopped with Saaz

6% of final blend:
Rufus (aged in rye barrels)
Continental Imperial Amber Ale
11% ABV, 40 IBU
Hopped with Styrian Goldings and Saaz

6% of final blend:
Double Double Barrel Ale (aged in retired FW union barrels)
Double English Pale Ale
10.9% ABV, 45 IBU
Hopped with Magnum, Styrian Golding, and East Kent Golding

4% of final blend:
Saucerful of Secrets (aged in bourbon barrels)
Belgian Strong Ale
9% ABV, 25 IBU
Hopped with “everything but the kitchen sink”

Firestone Walker XII and 13, to be cracked in one month.

Is there any surprise that it might be hard to discern what goes into this beer by tasting alone?  This beer is way more than the sum of its amazing parts.  It is a wonderful blend that demands sipping, pondering, and daydreaming.  At a price of about $23.99 for a single 650ml bottle, this probably doesn’t fall within your normal beer purchase range.   Due to its careful and deliberate blending, amazing heritage, and very limited quantity, it’s a solid value for any beer connoisseur out there.   Serve at 55°F, relax, and enjoy this one of a kind beer.

In keeping with full disclosure, Firestone Walker did send me a sample of 13.  In another disclosure, I’ve since purchased two more bottles.  One to be paired with my last XII from last year and one to crack open next year at our annual New Year’s Day tasting.

Related posts:

1. All these beers blend together–especially when they’re, uh, blended together