Firestone Walker XV 15th Anniversary Ale

I was fortunate enough to have Doug Hanson get me a bottle of Firestone Walker XV 15th Anniversary Ale, and he shipped it to me to try. For their 15th Anniversary, Firestone Walker blended a beer to the following proportions:

18% Helldorado (11.7% ABV) Blonde Barley Wine
17% Sticky Monkey (12.5% ABV) English Barley Wine
17% Bravo (13.5% ABV) Imperial Brown Ale
13% Double Double Barrel Ale (11.5% ABV) Double Strength English Pale Ale
11% Good Foot (14.3 ABV) American Barley Wine
10% Velvet Merkin (8.6% ABV) Traditional Oatmeal Stout
9% Parabola (13% ABV) Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout

The beer pours a dark brown color with a frothy tan head that leaves no lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of raisin, fig, chocolate, caramel, malts, vanilla, oak, and bourbon. The taste is powerful and action-packed with chocolate, vanilla, caramel, cookie dough, fig, and raisin. It swiftly transitions into a bit of an alcohol burn with bourbon flavors before a dry oak finish that has hints of butterscotch and vanilla. The alcohol content is 12.5% ABV. The blend of this beer was rather excellent and rather intense. The bourbon really kicks out despite all of the other chocolate and dark fruit flavors, but I enjoyed it very much.

Iron Hill Fe 15

I picked up a bottle of Iron Hill Fe 15 from the Lancaster location, a beer in celebration of their 15th anniversary. Stylistically, this beer is an American Imperial Tripel, which is a new one to me, and I was unsure as to why the tripel needed the imperialization. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white colored head that leaves some lacing the on the glass. The aroma consists of banana, yeast, pepper, orange, honey, and biscuits. The taste is smooth like no other beer I’ve had and sweet with plenty of banana, clementine, orange, and what I believe to be butterscotch that really sweetens the whole beer. There are hints of grapes, pepper, and grass. ON the finish, an alcohol warmth, not a burn, comes out and hits the throat. The alcohol content is 15.0% ABV. I literally have not encountered a beer with as many flavors in one bottle as there were in this beer. My face lit up upon sipping this beer for the first time, and I was blown away at its composition. While it definitely falls on the sweet side, it is rather delicious.

Stone 15th Anniversary Ale- Escondidian Imperial Black IPA

My fiancee tried to order one beer on the menu at Blue Monk in Buffalo, but the waitress said that it had been kicked. But what was in its place? It was the Stone 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA, and I excitedly ordered a glass. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan head that leaves lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of lemon, grapefruit, pine, chocolate, coffee, and caramel. The taste is smooth and chocolaty with mocha, coffee, molasses, and lots pine, grapefruit, and lemon hops. It really should be stated that this beer has a big hop profile and is not for the faint of hop-hearted. Cocoa nibs come out in the finish, bringing the tongue back to the chocolaty goodness. The alcohol content is 10.8% ABV. I thought Stone provide a wonderful black ale without being too chocolaty, as they made this beer about the hops in their typical arrogant way, and I love it.

New Belgium Twisted Spoke 15th Aniversary

At my friend’s house during a tasting party, I tried a glass of New Belgium Twisted Spoke 15th Anniversary. The beer pours a reddish color with yeast flakes and a bubbly wheat head. The aroma is sour with accents of brettanomyces and yeast. The taste is bubbly on the tongue with a sour cherry and apple flavor. Surprisingly, the beer has a smooth and sweet finish, but a bitey vinegar after taste. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. The Twisted Spoke had a good balance our sour fruits and bubbly mouth feel that tickled the tongue and a wonderfully smooth finish.