Livery Bourbon Cask Aged Belgian Trippel

Formerly brewed at The Livery
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Benton Harbor, Michigan USA

Date: 04/28/2007
Mode: Growler
Source: Tasting, Dark Lord Day, 2007

muddy brown, frothy tan head, sweet chocolate and bourbon aroma, strong bourbon flavor, lots of sweet vanilla brings out the chocolate, fruity esters finally work their way through,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: **4

(Hand bottle from BBB63) Pours a mahogany body with a spare off-white head. Aroma of bourbon, oak, and caramel. Flavor of bourbon, vanilla, maple syrup, figs, brown sugar, and caramel malt. Bourbon and oak character took away from the Belgian characteristics, but still a solid beer.

Growler shared by murrayswine on 12/16/06: Pours a barely transparent dark brown with a thin ring of light tan head. Aroma of sweet raisins and dark caramel with brown sugar complexity. Body starts sweet and full with good dark caramel maltiness and smooth, lingering dark fruity complexity and chocolate chip cookie dough notes. Hides its alcohol quite well. Thanks Chris!

Dark brown body and - I see I wrote nothing about the head. A bit too much Bourbon for me (Me- a guy who used to drink Jack Daniels by the barrel!), but a sweet, darky fruitiness manages to work its way into the nose. It tastes of Bourbon, dark sweet malts, dark brown sugar, warm spices, vanilla, and alcohol. But just a bit too much of the liquor for me in this one.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/events-detail.asp?eve of Barrel Aged Beers, Chicago, IL 11/04/2006<font size=-1>

On tap at the brewery 1 year anniversary party: Deep mahogany hue with a small fading head and oily fingers. The nose detects immediate characteristics of bourbon (vanilla, oak) along with candi sugar, clove, pepper, apple, prune, and caramel.

The taste starts fruity sweet with prune and fig at the forefront accompanied by a blast of bourbon goodness. There is a subdued exotic spiciness that soon followed with a hint of smoke, walnut, and wood. The mouth feel is very sticky and lush with a healthy dose of alcoholic warming. Yet again we have another wonderful creation by Steve and the perfect beer to celebrate the anniversary of one the best new breweries found anywhere. Thank you Steve and Leslie for the great time and the gift.

On tap at the Great Taste of the Midwest. Poured an ugly burgundy with just a few loose bubbles as head. Nose picked up lots of candi sugar and corn syrup, brown sugar, light spices, and a bit of yeast. Cask aging was more apparent in the flavor, adding oak, more vanilla, and bourbon sweetness... herbal bitterness and more apparent alcohol were in there, too. Heavy and alcohol-fueled on the palate.. satisfying, warm, spicy, fruity finish. Another winner!

This growler from BBB63 at a rating party poured a small sized head of finely sized brown colored bubbles that was mostly diminishing and left behind a opaque brown colored body and a poor lacing. The aroma was hoppy malty roasted malt toasted malt bourbon and burnt malt. . The flavor contained notes of malt hops toasted malt roasted malt dark malt bourbon and burnt malt. Delicious and one I would certainly have again. Not sure that this is a Tripple, it was more like a hopped up stout!

Thanks Chris! The beer pours to a deep ruby/brown body with no head. But, the color is really nice. The aroma is interestingly bourbon. After smelling this, I’d love to try Heaven Hill bourbon. There is nice vanilla, brown sugar, weird fruits, and a light watermelon. The flavor is rich. Bourbon vanilla and brown sugar. Perhaps some peated malts. Nice dark malts in this one. Lots of sweet malts. Rich palate that’s really sugary but also nicely textured. The alcohol is well hidden.