Livery Bourbon Barrel Aged Liverator Doppelbock

Brewed by The Livery
Style: Doppelbock
Benton Harbor, Michigan USA

(Hand Bottle courtesy of BBB63) Pours a black body with a spare off-white head. Aroma of toasted bread, molasses, licorice, vanilla, cocoa, and caramel. Flavor of toffee, bourbon, wood, and molasses.

Bottle... Pitch black lager with a small, creamy, white head. Smoky, chocolaty aroma also offers less significant notes of wood and bourbon. Medium-bodied and a touch astringent with jovial carbonation. The flavor pulls a lot of acidity, tannins and bourbon from the barrel, but the caramel malt is left intact and flows underneath the radar throughout both the flavor and finish. Earthy, woody and tangy in the end. GoT thinks it’s mack. Word. Thanks to that crazy SOB for sharing the bottle!

On tap at the 2007 GTMW: Pours a transparent dark mahogany with a well-lacing dark tan head. Aroma of sweet caramel and light fruits with a touch of bourbon oak. Starts with a light tartness and dark caramely sweetness along with sweet and tart dark maltiness with some black cherries and vanilla. A pretty good barrel-aged doppelbock.

Draft sample at 2009 MBG Winterfest. Poured dark reddish brown with a moderate light brown head that diminished slowly with good lacing. Good caramel toasted tart fruit and b ourbon barrel aroma. Medium body with a sticky texture and flat carbonation. Good well balanced woody bittersweet flavor with a moderate smooth bittersweet finish of long duration. Standout doppelbock.

Tap at brewery: Very deep brown with minimal head but had some oily legs. The nose detected noticeable bourbon and vanilla vapours along with prune, anise, toffee, dark bread, and classic German hops. The taste first develops a rich toffee malt character with a bread background. There are heavy bourbon notes on the finish and is surprisingly dry and mostly clean which kept the beer balance in check. The mouth feel is medium weight, biting and slightly warming. Yet another wonderful brew by Steve. I will be going back for a growler or three.

Sampled via growler during Cheesehead YeHA in Brookfield, Wisconsin and shared by BBB63. Pours a hazy dark brown brew with a fast dissolving tan head that quickly dissipates to a fine film and a thin tan ring. Aroma of dark roasted caramel malt, some fruity character, vanilla and some bourbon. Taste is medium to full bodied, very light carbonation with flavors of caramel malt, some dark pitted fruits, bourbon and a touch of vanilla. Finish has a high alcohol warmth with a bourbonized caramel aftertaste flavor. Nice!

Thanks to Mike for bringing the growler! Poured clear deeper brown with just a little yellowy-beige head. The aroma picked up sweet bourbon and vanilla over drawn caramel upfront.. a bit sour and a bit smoky.. a little too much simple sugar going on.. enjoyed the closing impression of bourbon and vanilla as well. The flavor had warm caramel and chocolate (more caramel) with nice bourbon and vanilla accents.. warm, rather dry finish.. good use of lightly-smoked caramel and well-balanced. Syrupy on the palate with lower carbonation.. some sourness from the bourbon and oak at the edges.. warm at the end with a bit of alcohol bite. Solid stuff!

750, capped. cool square shouldered belgian bottle with a cap. pours cloudy dark brown with garnet highlights and a loose tan head. outrageously bourbony nose. definitely too much & out of balance. creamy medium body, kinda flat. roasty toasty malt underneath a bourbon tsunami on the mid palate. tasty but lopsided.