Firestone Walker Parabola 2014

At long last, I managed to find a bottle of this.  Among widely-distributed beers, Parabola has long been considered the one most similar to Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout (disregarding Goose's variations on that beer, of which there are many).  They are both imperial stouts.  They are both aged in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels for some time, usually between eight and twelve months. Though they vary year to year, both have more or less the same alcohol content (between 12.5% and 15%).  They share an identical appearance.  I was skeptical of this beer before I even tried it, but it is truly the closest thing to Bourbon County Stout you can find, while still offering enough to stand apart.

As is the case with Bourbon County, anyone expecting an exciting spectacle upon pouring Parabola out of the bottle will be disappointed.  It is pitch black and has no head retention.  Head formation cannot rise above a hair's width no matter how hard the pour.

Parabola possesses a truly massive barrel character.  Charred wood, hot bourbon, some wood tannins and a hint of vanilla all flow out.  The wood and whiskey smell here may even be more intense than modern Bourbon County.  The burnt oak scent reminds me of how that beer used to smell circa 2008, but not quite as intense.  The beer itself manages to peak through the aroma more than Bourbon County does, with a slightly more pronounced dark chocolate aroma.

The flavor follows a similar course.  Whiskey burn, char and vanilla dominate the barrel flavors, while tannic wood notes distinguish it from many other stouts aged in bourbon barrels.  There is a molasses flavor here that can't quite measure up to the stickiness of Bourbon County, but then again many people find that beer too sweet.  Actually, even though Parabola is almost as thick, it is noticeably drier.  I think the tannins help tame the sweetness a bit.


I find Parabola an impressive beer.  It is good enough that I can't say it is objectively better or worse than the beer Firestone clearly modeled it after.  I have a hard time imagining someone loving one of these but hating the other.  If you enjoy Bourbon County, this is probably the best substitute for it.