Barrel-aged and blended? Sounds like maybe we’re talking about Scotch? Wine? Nope. In the case of Firestone Walker’s Anniversary Ale, we’re talking about a blend of barrel-aged beers. But to be fair, winemakers did have a hand in the finished product. The Paso Robles brewery invited a few of their winemaking neighbors to taste, test, and blend five different ales that had rested in bourbon, brandy, tequila, and whiskey barrels in FW’s vintage barrel room.
Over a day of drinking, mixing, and general comradery, the vintners determined at which ratio the five beers tasted best and submitted their blend. This year, the tastebuds at Herman Story Wines and Booker Vineyard won the day, and it’s their chocolatey, coconutty, spicy blend you’ll taste when you get ahold of Firestone Walker’s XXV Anniversary Ale. It’s popping up now in the finer bars of bigger cities across the Union.
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