Firestone Walker Brewing Co. - 2017 "Helldorado" imperial blonde ale

Firestone Walker is the king of specialty beers. You may recall I've enjoyed some of their rare releases in the past (such as the XVIII Anniversary Ale, as well as the "Sucaba" at Monk's Cafe during the 2016 Democratic National Convention week in Philadelphia, not posted unfortunately.)

I came across today's beer at Putnam Super Liquors in East Hartford, CT, on my way to my summer retreat in Westbrook. It's Firestone Walker's "Helldorado" - a 12.80% ABV imperial blonde ale, also knows as a blonde barleywine.

This is an interesting - barleywines are usually dark, sweet, malt-bombs with strong boozy flavors and heavy texture, and a so-called "blond barleywine" would suggest that much of those descriptors might not apply. The back of the box also uses the term "imperial blonde ale", which is another head-scratcher: are these two terms interchangeable?

The box lists all sorts of beer metrics, including the malt bill, IBUs (a quite-low 24), original gravity (24.3 degrees Plato), final gravity (1.87 degrees Plato), and a hefty 12.80% ABV. Let's unpack the concept of "original gravity" and final gravity" - these are brewer's terms that refer to the ingredients in beer as they relate to fermentation - specifically, what volume of the ingredients can ferment and what can't. According to Beer and Brewing Magazine, degrees Plato is a scale "used to quantify the concentration of extract (mainly sugars derived from malt but including other soluble material in the wort.)" Original gravity is the gravity of the beer before fermentation, and final gravity is after fermentation. Although it's mostly used on the back-end of the brewing process, you will occasionally find these metrics displayed on beer labels or boxes. This is used to show off what kind of process is used and how heavy a beer might be - and how boozy!

The beer pours a golden honey color, quite surprising for something billed as a barleywine. It generates no head except for a thin white ring around the perimeter of the glass.

There's a slight aroma of sweet malts and alcohol, but not much else. Look at that color!

This is quite remarkable - it's unusually soft, presenting light floral notes and a main boozy flavor of honey, almost butterscotch. There's an element of oak reminiscent of a white wine, but nothing too strong. The finish is soft and clean, presenting some continued flavors of honey and flowers.

I'm really quite impressed with the texture of this beer - it's so soft and clean and easy-drinking, especially for something the strength of wine. Think of an amped-up, really excellent mead. It's similar to a barleywine in terms of strength, but in terms of taste and flavor profile, I think the term "imperial blonde ale" is a better descriptor than "blonde barleywine". The malt flavors are low, it's not dark and sweet, and it's much lighter in terms of mouthfeel than any barleywine you'll find.

As a one-time release with only 7000 cases produced, it's rather expensive: $17.99 for a 12oz bottle (surpassing Dogfish Head's "120 Minute IPA" and Founders' "Kentucky Breakfast Stout".) If you're into mead, or honey flavors in general, give the "Helldorado" a shot. The back of the box suggests this is a good candidate for cellaring, although frankly it's really tasty to drink fresh!