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Beer Review: Firestone Double Barrel Ale

I first tried this beer in the summer of 1998, when on a trip to California. I enjoyed it then, perched on a bar stool in a seafood restaurant right on the calm serenity that is the Pacific Ocean. As I revisited this beer, I was perched on a chair in the smoky, dark basement of that Washington DC shrine to beer, The Brickskeller. Nevertheless, it was the first beer I tried out of the over 1000 brews that the establishment boasts on its beer menu. Medium-to-light in both color and body, there was a slight 'kick' at the end of the taste, somewhere after the slight hops flavor. An almost-not-there fruitiness was present on the aroma and at the end of each swallow. According to the folks at Firestone, they use a patented oak barrel brewing system inspired by the original 150-year-old 'Burton Union' process. Their Double Barrel Ale is brewed using this system and is the company's flagship beer. This was a good brew, as I had remembered it to be. -- Brewmeister G

The Brewer?	Firestone Walker Brewing Company	- - - - - - -	When tasted?	08 February 2002
Place of Origin?	Buellton, California	- - - - - - -	How tasted?	12 oz bottle
Style of Beer?	Ale	- - - - - - -	Where tasted?	At The Brickskeller

When I found out that the Embassy Suites where I was staying had a daily Happy Hour, I was glad. When I found out that they'd recently replaced their Sam Adams with the local Firestone Walker Double Barrel Ale, I was very glad. Nothing against Sam Adams, of course, as I very much enjoy their beers. I can get Sam Adams on tap pretty much anywhere on the East Coast, while finding the beers from Firestone on tap would be quite a find indeed. Medium in both body and color, I could detect slight hops notes at the end. Yes, I know I had called it medium-to-light in both regards in my review of it from the bottle, and yes, I detected fruit notes before and did not this time. I can't explain it either. All I know is that this was a smooth and solid beer. Yum! -- Brewmeister G

The Brewer?	Firestone Walker Brewing Company	- - - - - - -	When tasted?	14 May 2002
Place of Origin?	Buellton, California	- - - - - - -	How tasted?	10 oz draft
Style of Beer?	Ale	- - - - - - -	Where tasted?	At a hotel happy hour in Lompoc, California

Links for this beer:

Firestone's page for their beers (includes their Double Barrel Ale)
Firestone's Home Page

For more information about the SBR, please contact Brewmeister G. All fermented contributions are cheerfully accepted.