After reviewing Firestone Walker Union Jack and Double Jack, I figured I should hit one of their other year-round staples, Firestone Walker DBA. In this case DBA stands for double barrel ale, which refers to the process by which this beer is brewed. This review will be a bit of a lead up to my review of Double DBA, or DDBA as some want to call it, which was just recently released.
Beer and barrels have gone hand in hand for centuries. In recent times, brewers have been using wine and spirit barrels to age their beers after they have been fully brewed. Firestone Walker does something a bit different with some of their barrels. They are one of only two breweries in the world that have a union barrel brewing system, which is a group of barrels that are used for fermentation as opposed to just aging. In the case of DBA, Firestone Walker uses 20% of their union fermented beer in the standard version of DBA (they also have an unfiltered version which has more of the union fermented beer in the blend). This barrel fermented beer adds extra complexity to the final blend, helping to balance the hop character and brisk finish. The union barrels are only used for about 20 weeks and are then repurposed for Firestone Walker’s barrel aging program.
The pour is a clear amber color with a nice amount of bubbly white head that leaves a good ring around the glass as it dissipates. The aroma is mostly caramel malt and a bit of mild hops with a hint of oak peeking through. The mouth full is light bodied and very crisp. The flavor starts off with a light caramel maltiness and moves to a bready flavor with some subtle hops adding floral and citrus notes and finishes with lasting toffee flavor. The aftertaste has a bit of floral and citrus hop as well as a lasting oak note.
Overall this is a solid amber with great malt and a nice hop character. And at 5.0% ABV it can go well with a meal or to have a few on a sunny afternoon. I would also recommend the unfiltered version if you happen to come upon it in your travels.
| Name | DBA |
| Brewery | Firestone Walker |
| Style | Amber Ale |
| ABV | 5.0% |
| Availability | Wide Release Bottle and Draft |
| Rating | 4 out of 5 |
Cheers!
Beer Guy LA