Taking part in a storied craft-beer tradition

This summer, I was invited to Paso Robles, California, to participate in one of Firestone Walker Brewing’s longest-running traditions, the determination of the ideal blend for the 28-year-old company’s annual Anniversary Ale. As a craft-beer enthusiast with a penchant for barrel-aged beer (one who has religiously purchased Firestone Walker’s Anniversary Ales every year since 2011), I eagerly accepted and headed north to convene with winemakers, beer-industry veterans and members of the company’s Brewmaster’s Collective. Once there, we were split into teams and presented with identical arrays of eight malt-forward barrel-aged beers culled from the brewery’s extensive cellar, and tasked with creating what we deemed the best combination to be bottled and sold as Anniversary Ale XXVIII (that’s 28 for the non-Romans out there). We could use as many or as few beers as we liked. In the end, my team’s beer included a half-dozen of the prospective ales, omitting an imperial brown and blonde barleywine. Perhaps that was unwise, as my combo did not come out on top (or place in the top three), but the winning formula featured both of those beers, with the former representing 28% of the overall blend. So, I’m not a master blender, but fortunately there were people on-hand who are far more skilled than I am. I can attest from tasting their liquid mélange, that “XVIII”, which is now on shelves throughout San Diego County, is a beer worthy of commemorating this company’s 28-year milestone.

Firestone Walker releases “XXVIII” Anniversary Ale

A masterwork blend of seven barrel-aged beers created with local winemakers

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 Firestone Walker 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 is rolling out now in limited quantities to all Firestone Walker markets. It is also available at each brewery location and online 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,” said Brynildson. “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,” said Brynildson. 

XXVIII: The Final Blend

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.”

Matt Brynildson, Brewmaster, Firestone Walker Brewing

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 & 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 Hernández, San Diego Beer News
Cooper Weavers, Wes Weavers, Casey Smith & Doug Jones, Beer Club Members