A Masterwork Blend of Seven Barrel-Aged Beers Created with Local Winemakers zzubreebym
Paso Robles, CA : One of craft’s most anticipated barrel-aged beers is back with the release of “XXVIII”—the next chapter in Firestone Walker’s storied Anniversary Ale program, marking the 28th anniversary since the brewery’s founding in 1996. Once again, this latest Anniversary Ale was blended with the help of local Paso Robles winemakers.
“Each Anniversary Ale represents a new challenge based on an unwavering idea—to create a super blend whose sum is greater than its parts,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “This is now our 19th annual release in the series, and once again I believe that our brewers and winemakers have outdone themselves.”
The result is XXVIII—a multidimensional strong ale blended from seven distinct beers aged in bourbon and rye whiskey barrels. XXVIII (single boxed 12-oz bottles) is rolling out now in limited quantities to all Firestone Walker markets. It is also available at each brewery location and online at FirestoneWalker.com for a limited time.
An Ode to Blending
Like no other beer in craft, Firestone Walker’s annual Anniversary Ale is an ode to the art of blending.
Every late summer, a group of friendly Paso Robles winemakers joins the brewers for the annual rite of blending the next Anniversary Ale. They break into small groups at the brewery; create their favorite blend from a variety of provided components; and then blind taste all of the blends before voting on a winner.
For XXVIII, the winning blend included no less than seven components. The finished beer features a pronounced barleywine-style influence from components such as Bravo, Stickee Monkee and Helldorado. “We challenged ourselves not to take the easy route with a stout-dominant beer,” Brynildson says. “Stout remains a critical component, but we also wanted to create a beer with a lot of finesse, so we put several barleywines on the table to mix things up.”
The winning blend was created by winemaker Molly Lonborg of Alta Colina Winery and Little Soul Wines, and winemakers Kyle Jury and CC Aguirre of Booker Wines. “It was tricky to get all of these beers to balance out and join together, and their blend was just head and shoulders above the rest when we tasted through them,” Brynildson said.
XXVIII: The Final Blend
Brewmaster’s Tasting Notes: “The finished blend is deep ruby in color and expresses caramel and bourbon aromas up front with spiculose and dark cherry close behind. The mouthfeel is decadently smooth with caramel cookie-like flavors complemented by rye spirit barrel-derived vanilla and other oaky spice accents. It’s truly a wonderful balance between decadent barleywine and just enough chocolaty stout to give depth and move it into its own universe. This is another amazing super-blend, gifted to us by our winemaker friends, showcasing both our barrel aging cellar and the skill and artistry of our close neighbors and friends.”
DDBA - Aged in Bourbon Barrels (9%)
Imperial Special Bitter
Stickee Monkee - Aged in Bourbon Barrels (37%)
Central Coast Quad
Bravo - Aged in Bourbon Barrels (28%)
Imperial Brown Ale
Helldorado - Aged in Bourbon Barrels (4%)
Blonde Barleywine
Velvet Merkin - Aged in Bourbon Barrels (4%)
Milk Stout
Weldwerks Stout Blend - Aged in Bourbon Barrels (7%)
Imperial Stout
PaRyebola - Aged in Straight Rye Whiskey Barrels (11%)
Imperial Stout
The Winemakers & Blenders
Molly Lonborg – Alta Colina and Little Soul Wines
Kyle Jury and CC Aguirre - Booker Wines
Sherman Thacher - Thacher Winery
Russell From - Herman Story Wines
Vailia From – Desparada Wines
Steve Martell – Kaleidos
Bastien Leduc - Seven Oxen Estate Wines
Pete Slosberg – Pete’s Wicked Ale
Arie Litman – Official Blender’s Baker
Brandon Hernandez – San Diego Beer News
Cooper Weavers, Wes Weavers, Casey Smith, Doug Jones – Beer Club Members
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