Weekend Beer: New Barrel-Aged Stouts And Fall Seasonals

(Courtesy Firestone Walker)

American craft brewers are looking to fall with a full slate of new beers you’re gonna want to chase down this weekend.

Iconic Stout Gets Salted Caramel Twist (Paso Robles, CA) – Firestone Walker Brewing has released an interesting take of its classic Parabola Imperial Stout. It’s also the brewery’s first-ever canned barrel-aged beer.

Starting with special selection of Parabola aged for one year in premium bourbon barrels, then blended with a complement of Velvet Merlin to create a silky mouthfeel, Firestone Parabolita is a 9.2% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with Madagascar vanilla beans, cocoa nibs and sea salt to achieve a full Salted Caramel-style expression.

“Parabolita has the richness of Parabola, but with a creamier, softer texture,” says Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “The cocoa nibs and vanilla accentuate the beer’s boozy caramel malt character. The resulting beer manages to be massive, mellow and drinkable all at once.”

(Courtesy Samuel Adams)

Festastic! (St Louis, MO) – Oktoberfest is a brief moment of fall beer drinking beauty. The world’s biggest fest started in Munich, Germany in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of the crown prince of Bavaria to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. And it became an annual party.

And now with Oktoberfest season approaching the Boston Beer Company has shipped something “festastic” that the brewery as being “true to tradition.” Available on draft, in 6-packs as well in the Samuel Adams Sweater Weather Variety Pack, Samuel Adams Oktoberfest is a 5.3% ABV Märzen Lager with a deep malt complexity, roasty sweetness and light hop character.

I Scream (Greeley, CO) – WeldWerks Brewing and Little Man Ice Cream have teamed up again to create a beer that’s inspired by Little Man’s Space Junkie ice cream. Crafted with Little Man Space Junkie ice cream, house-made brownies, black raspberry puree, vanilla, marshmallow, and milk sugar, WeldWerks Little Man Space Junkie Sour is 4.15 ABV limited release that’s the perfect cap to a summer well spent.