Mini-Review: Firestone Walker Walker’s Reserve Porter

I was going to do a video for this one, but I didn’t want to have to bother with that whole process. Let’s just do a quickie text review while my pasta noodles finish cooking.

Firestone Walker always has the prettiest bottles

Pours dark brown/black with a bit of ruddy amber here and there. Two-finger head dissipates quickly. Smells sweet, mostly raisins and licorice, standard for a porter.

Firestone Walker Walker’s Reserve Porter in my brand new Stone IRS glass

Taste pretty much follows the nose, with perhaps a hint more roast than anticipated. Very thin on the body. Overall this is perfectly fine, but there’s not much going on. I expect a lot more than this from a Firestone Walker 22oz bottle release. Bottle date is 5/3/13 so it’s only five months old — age shouldn’t be an issue here. Not that I’m getting oxidation notes or anything.

According to the Firestone Walker website this one is best consumed within 120 days of bottling, so I’ve hung onto it a bit longer than recommended. They also say it’s fermented in their wood barrel system, although I’m not really getting any wood on this one.

Overall, it’s a pretty classic robust porter, but nothing quite worth seeking out as amazing. I’d take Founders Porter or Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald any day.

Brown’s Whiskey Barrel Aged Porter (Video)

This is the third in my series of beers sent to me by fellow Youtube beer reviewer Chad. It’s an oak-aged porter that’s actually only 5.75% — very low-alcohol for a barrel-aged beer. The porter doesn’t quite stand up to the whiskey character.

Beyond the Pour grade: B