The Tannins
Firestone Walker Brewing’s Parabolita Barrel-Aged Salted Caramel Stout
Now celebrating its 27th anniversary, Firestone Walker has become an institution on California’s Central Coast, establishing itself as one of the nation’s best small breweries. Though best known for its 805 blonde ale and its DBA (Double Barrel Ale), a British-style pale ale, it produces dozens of other styles of magical microbrews, including a line of vintage, barrel-aged sweet stouts and porters, all of which are fantastic. For this pairing, I chose the Parabolita — a blend of its iconic Parabola imperial stout (aged for a year in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels) and its silky Velvet Merlin milk stout, which is then infused with Madagascar vanilla beans, cocoa nibs and sea salt. The result is a deep, dark, decadent dessert beer with a tan foam head and notes of malt, chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, molasses/brown sugar and, of course, caramel.
9.2% ABV | firestonewalker.com | @firestonewalker
The Terpenes
Atlas Edibles’ Caramel Cashew Granola Bites
Bay Area-based Atlas Edibles was founded in 2017 by Ezra Malmuth — a former food truck chef with a degree in culinary nutrition. Atlas offers two lines of healthy edibles: powdered drink mixes and award-winning granola bites. The granola bites come in four flavors: Lemon Blueberry (hybrid), Dark Chocolate (hybrid), Mexican Chocolate (indica), and the one I chose for this pairing, Caramel Cashew (sativa). All varieties are made with all-natural, organic ingredients and high-quality, full-spectrum rosin. They are dairy- and gluten-free, making them an excellent health-conscious alternative to the preponderance of high-sugar, high-calorie-infused candies on the market.
5 clusters per package | 20mg THC per cluster
atlasedibles.com | @atlasedibles
The Pairing
Cracking open the can of Parabolita, I gently pour its creamy black goodness into Firestone’s Teku glass to appropriately accentuate the beer’s bouquet and flavor. Immediately, my nose is hit with an array of aromas, including caramel, molasses, milk chocolate, marshmallow and the faint hint of bourbon.
The sticky little cubes of granola, on the other hand, smell of caramel and coconut, with an almost curry-like tinge (due to the turmeric). In addition to oats and caramel, these yummy clusters also include honey, brown sugar, sorghum, coconut cream, dried apricots, turmeric and cayenne pepper. The texture is somewhere in between chewy and crunchy and quickly crumbles apart in my mouth as I take a bite. The cashew and caramel hit first, followed by the fruity flavors of apricot and coconut, then a hint of heat from the cayenne.
Next, I take a slurp of the stout and allow the two tastes to mingle in my mouth. Naturally, the prominent caramel presence in both syncs up nicely, but that’s just the beginning of the complexity that unfolds: the earthiness of oak, nuts and malt; the sweet serenades of chocolate and brown sugar; the exotic accents of coconut, Madagascar vanilla and turmeric. It’s a cascade of culinary delight upon my taste buds. Finally, the aftertaste of cayenne, mingled with the lingering undertones of bourbon, makes for a spicy, balanced finish that leaves a hint of heat in the back of my throat.
Parabolita is so sweet on its own that pairing it with a candy or dessert would be overkill, which is why it’s perfectly complemented by the granola, whose sweetness is subtle, not overpowering. Plus, the sativa-dominant terp profile of the bites beautifully balances out the sedative effect of the alcohol.
By the time I’d finished my samples and taken my notes, I was as stoned as a witch in colonial Salem, coming up with cool ideas, giggling my ass off and feeling no pain. At one point, my face even felt like it was vibrating. All in all, this was a solid pairing of two deliciously intoxicating treats.
Special thanks to Firestone Walker’s Vintage Barrel Master Jordan Ziegler, whose cooperation, expertise and passion for beer and Cannabis made this possible.
