There is good beer, then there's great beer. There's even excellent beer, and quite possibly amazing beer. Then there's Firestone's Double DBA.
Double DBA is one of those ales that just gets it completely right. It's up there with Deschutes's Abyss and Stone's Belgo Anise IRS, in that at least I, personally, can find nothing wrong with it. Of course, at $15 a bottle it should be good, and thankfully there is no reason to regret this purchase.
Does it have much in common with the plain DBA? Not really. That is a pale; this is a barleywine. A heavy one at that, with a 12% ABV kick getting ready to send you wailing to the floor.
But, the black-out would be a smooth one at least. A common theme among Firestone's special releases is smoothness. I mean, we're talking velvet here. Literally, I think. I've never actually put a velvet cloth in my mouth, but I assume the feeling would be similar to drinking the Double DBA.
Of course, this also tastes good, which (again I assume) should put it a few notches above the fabric. The Double DBA is a beer with a balanced sweetness; vanilla and bourbon, flanked with just a bit of spiciness toward the back. Just a perfect little hint of hops and malts hold up the backbone. Keep tasting, and other flavors reveal themselves. Just a bit of coconut for example. And caramel. It keeps going.
The way the liquid-velvet coats the mouth is a step above anything even Firestone has done before. I mean, this is all just awesome, flavor to mouthfeel to stomach to you hitting the floor.
Am I overly enthusiastic? Yes. And I'm OK with that. You can find the Double DBA all around town, which is more than you can say about most limited edition beers. Therefore you need to pick up at least one bottle, and then be as enthusiastic as I am about it. It's worth it. Trust me.