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| Courtesy of Firestone Walker Brewing Co |
Paso Robles, CA:
Twenty years ago, brothers-in-law Adam Firestone and David Walker
established Firestone Walker Brewing Company in a converted shed on the
back-forty of the Firestone family vineyard on California’s Central
Coast.
Ten years later,
after moving up the road to Paso Robles, the brewery celebrated its
first decade with X (or 10), a trailblazing barrel-aged anniversary ale
blended with input from local winemakers, and offered for the
then-audacious sum of $9.99 per 22-ounce bottle.
Now comes XX, which is both a celebration and a culmination, marking Firestone Walker’s 20th anniversary on California’s Central Coast.
XX
is a limited release that will be available via individually boxed
22-ounce bottles ($23.99) at select accounts across all Firestone Walker
markets starting in November.
Unlikely Origins
Firestone
Walker’s Anniversary Ale program dates back to 2005, when Brewmaster
Matt Brynildson took a random call from bourbon barrel broker Tom
Griffin, whom Brynildson now calls “the Johnny Appleseed of barrel-aged
beers.”
Said Brynildson, “Adam and David had approached me about making a special beer for the brewery’s 10th
anniversary, and we were already doing test batches for it when Tom
called me out of the blue. He knew I’d been at Goose Island during the
early days of Bourbon County Stout, so he tracked me down and made me an
offer. I wasn’t really thinking about barrel aging at the time, but
when he called the light bulb went off, and I thought, ‘Holy s***, I
need those barrels.”
After
the different test batches were aged for nearly a year in 40 retired
bourbon barrels provided by Griffin, Brynildson dialed up a handful of
his local winemaker friends to help blend the final beer from what
turned out to be a diverse range of component ales.
Ten,
or X, was released in the fall of 2006. At the time, the $9.99 price
tag raised eyebrows. “Back then $10 was a crazy price for a beer, and
retired bourbon barrels were easy and inexpensive for brewers to
obtain,” Brynildson said. “Times have changed.”
The Lowdown on XX
Ever
since the release of X, the blending of the Anniversary Ale has become
an annual late-summer rite at the brewery, revolving around a reliable
team of friendly local winemakers who come for the challenge and the
camaraderie.
This
year, 17 winemakers convened in late August to help create the blend
for XX. As always, they were tasked with creating their own preferred
blends, with all of these initial blends later being blind tasted on the
group. After votes were cast, the blend by Scott Hawley of Torrin
Vineyard was deemed the winner and became the basis for XX.
“It’s
always a friendly but competitive gathering,” Brynildson said.
“Collectively, the winemakers’ input is invaluable, because they are
practicing experts in the art of blending.”
With
XX, this proven process yielded a beer for the ages. “There is just so
much going on in this beer,” Brynildson said. “It’s big and complex,
with all of these different facets from our barrel-aged program that are
so seamlessly integrated. We wanted to produce something really special
for our 20th anniversary, and I think we did it.”
The Final Blend
“We blended together 250 oak barrels and five different beers creating something truly complex and exceptional.” – Brewmaster Matt Brynildson
Parabola / Aged in New Oak and Bourbon Barrels / 40% of Final Blend
-Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout
Stickee Monkee / Aged in Bourbon and Brandy Barrels / 20% of Final Blend
-Central Coast Quad Brewed with Belgian Candi and Mexican Turbinado (brown) Sugar
Velvet Merkin / Aged in Bourbon Barrels / 17.5% of Final Blend
-Traditional Oatmeal Stout
Bravo / Aged in Bourbon Barrels / 12.5% of Final Blend
-Imperial Brown Ale
Helldorado / Aged in Bourbon Barrels / 10% of Final Blend
-Blonde Barleywine
Participating Winemakers
“These are my friends and brothers in fermentation science.” – Brewmaster Matt Brynildson
· Scott Hawley – Torrin (Winning Blend)
· Sherman Thacher and Daniel Callan – Thacher Winery
· Matt Trevisan – Linne Calodo
· Connor McMahon and Kyle Jury – Booker
· Terry and Natalie Hoage –TH Estate Wines
· Russell From and Philip Muzzy – Herman Story
· Molly Lonborg and Kevin Sass– Halter Ranch
· Brock Waterman – Brochelle Vineyards
· Justin Smith – Saxum Vineyards
· Mark Adams – Ledge Vineyards
· Neil Collins and Chelsea Franchi – Tablas Creek Vineyard
Also thanks to friends Arie Litman and Ken Weaver for lending their expertise to the blending session.
Brewmaster’s Notes
“As
a finished blend, XX is a beautifully textured and complex brew, with
layers that unfold as the beer opens up. At first there is a burst of
brandy soaked cherries, then chocolate cake combined with distinct boozy
new American oak notes. The flavor develops full of molasses rich brown
sugar and fruitcake with a touch of caramel and cinnamon spice. Overall
the beer is silky smooth, incredibly balanced and finishes with a touch
of kirsch filled truffle – a perfect blend of everything we love about
our vintage barrel program! This beer is unfiltered and unfined, so
there will be a small amount of sediment in the bottom of the bottle. XX
is best enjoyed poured carefully into a half filled brandy snifter or
wine glass. Allow it to warm to 55F to fully enjoy the pleasing and
complex aromas. As the beer sits and breathes in the glass the true
complexity of this blend is revealed, so take your time. If you wait to
open your bottle later, store it in a cool, dark place. I suspect, like
our other Anniversary offerings, that this beer will age well and change
favorably for years to come.”
