(Paso Robles, CA) – Firestone Walker Brewing Co. received label approval for PNC Stout Aged in Tequila Barrels this week.

PNC has previously been released as a standalone draft-only beer and as a component of the blend in >XVI Anniversary Ale:

PNC (13.0% ABV) – Aged in Tequila barrels

-American Strong Buckwheat Stout (8.1% of final blend)

OG = 25P FG = 5.0P IBU = 80 Color = 100 / Brewed with Buckwheat

Don’t get to excited though. The Beer Heads reported back in May:

Recently we were on Twitter and we stumbled across a picture Brewmaster Matt Brynildson posted on May.17th of a bottle of PNC. In excitement we reached out to Firestone Walker via Twitter and the word is yes they will bottle 450 cases but it will not be distributed and will go to publican bars that helped make it.

That would explain why it didn’t come up during a recent call with Firestone Walker VP Sales, Steve Almaraz.

Full production runs for the Proprietors Reserve series come out around 3,500 cases.

Almaraz did tell BeerPulse that Velvet Merkin is still slated to be the fall Proprietors Reserve Series retail release, slated for October 1st (September 2013 per website). It will be released at the same time as the fall seasonal, Velvet Merlin, its non-barrel-aged counterpart.

This is our Velvet Merlin Oatmeal Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels and it just won the 2010 and 2011 Gold medal at the GABF for barrel aged beers. This beer goes into the barrels as a roasty dark chocolate, coffee accented mild mannered stout and comes out transformed as a milk chocolate, smooth dark cherry, vanilla and coconut infused masterpiece.

[ADVERTISEMENT BY CRAFTSHACK.COM]

All of that said, we have not yet seen a label for Velvet Merkin.

Almaraz added that it would largely have no impact on the release timing of XVII Anniversary Ale which will be released in November.

Lastly of note, Firestone Walker Double DBA just shipped and retail release is imminent.

The barrel program at Paso Robles is just shy of 2,000 barrels, according to Almaraz.

As for the Buellton wild ale facility, Barrelworks, that program has passed 500 barrels. Draft for some of the barrel-aged beers will roll out next year. Co-Founder, David Walker, recently told a crowd at Savor that the brewery would like to hold a “feral fest” in the future, in part, to showcase these beers.