Party With Firestone Walker!!

This Friday November 18th @ 5pm we will be Celebrating Firestone Walker's 15th 
Anniversary with a tapping of a keg of XV, the 6th installment in their 
Anniversary Beer Series:
                                     (From their press release)
Since founding our brewery in 1996, we have specialized in the rare art of 
brewing beer in oak barrels. In the fall of 2006, we released a limited edition 
oak-aged strong ale called 10 to commemorate our 10th anniversary.  The 
experience was greater than any one of us could have ever imagined.  We now 
present XV, our sixth release in what has become an annual autumn rite at our 
brewery. 

The Vision Behind Our Barrel Aging and Blending Program Remains!
 
The Goal:  To create complexity centering on oak, in a multitude of forms, by 
brewing high gravity beers in complementary styles, aging them in different 
barrel formats and then blending them together to achieve harmonious new 
flavors.

The Puzzle:  To blend these various components (or lots) to create a synergistic 
whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.  This is achieved with the help 
of a few of our neighboring Paso Robles winemakers who are practicing experts in 
the art of blending.

The Inspiration:  Firestone Walker’s oak brewing tradition and our connection 
with winemaking.  Of course until the advent of stainless steel, brewing was 
intimately linked to wood barrels and vessels.  Brewing has a deeply rooted 
history in the alchemy of blending. 

The Barrels
The individual lots were aged in oak barrels, many of which were hand selected 
from premium Kentucky spirits producers by Tom Griffin, who is extremely 
passionate and knowledgeable about bourbon barrels and beer. Each barrel lends 
its own unique influence to the final blend.

The Aging Cellar – The Components
We blended together 197 oak barrels and 8 different beers creating something 
truly complex and exceptional.  
Following are descriptions of key components with their original code names:
                                                                                                                    Final Blend %

Helldorado (11.7% ABV) Aged in Bourbon Barrels and Brandy Barrels       
-Blonde Barley Wine  OG=24.7P   FG=4.5P   IBU=24   Color=8 /
 Brewed with buckwheat honey & 100% El Dorado hops

Sticky Monkey (12.5% ABV) Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels
-English Barley Wine    OG=27P   FG=5.4P   IBU=45   Color=28 /
 Brewed with Mexican Turbinado (Brown) sugar

Bravo (13.5% ABV) Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels
-Imperial Brown Ale   OG=26.5P   FG=7.7P   IBU=35  Color=32 / 
Hopped with 100% US grown Fuggles

Double Double Barrel Ale (11.5% ABV) Aged 100% in retired Firestone Union 
Barrels-Double Strength English Pale Ale 
OG=25.0P   FG=5.1P   IBU=30   Color=16 /
 A Double version of our flagship created by Ali Razi 

Good Foot (14.3% ABV) Aged in Bourbon Barrels   
-American Barley Wine   OG=27.5P   FG=5.4P   IBU=80   Color=26  Brewed with 
copious amounts of American grown hops

Velvet Merkin (8.6% ABV) Aged in Bourbon barrels                
-Traditional Oatmeal Stout OG=15P   FG=5.5    IBU=32.5   Color=Black 15% Oats / 
Hopped with 100% US grown Fuggles

Parabola (13% ABV) - Aged in Bourbon Barrels                            
-Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout OG=31P  FG=8.5P  IBU=80  Color=Black  Hopped 
with Simcoe, Bravo, Styrian Golding and East Kent Golding

Double Jack (9.5% ABV) 100% Fresh-n-Hoppy 100% Stainless Steel  
-Double India Pale Ale OG=20P   FG=3.0P   IBU=100   Color=8  
Extremely hoppy triple dry hopped DIPA

Tuesday November 29th @ 5pm Firestone Walker Special Releases w/ David Walker. 
We will be tapping 3-4 kegs of their special beers with David Walker on hand to 
hang out & answer questions. List of beers will be sent out when the truck 
arrives next week...