Livery Bourbon Cask Aged Wheat Trippelbock

Formerly brewed at The Livery
Style: Weizen Bock
Benton Harbor, Michigan USA

sampled at barrel-aged brewfest. almost black. awesome. bourbon, not much else in aroma. super malty flavor. plenty of oak character. tiny bit less viscous than i’d like. really, sweet dark fruit syrup malt dominates. over at beeradvocate they say this was 16%abv. unbelievable.

On tap: Huge bourbon and vailla aroma with some chocolate and caramel stuggling to peak thru. Smells nice, but bourbon is a tad dominant in the aroma. Dark brown with some orange hilights and a minimal off-white ring for a head. While the bourbon is definitely strong in the nose, it is very well balanced in the flavor. Very malty with lots of chocolate, caramel, molasses, and vanilla. Finishes with a nice blend of maple syrup and bourbon. Alcohol is masked very well and I’m shocked to see it listed at 16%. Sticky and syruppy mouthfeel with minimal carbonation is hard to beat.

From a handbottle. Very dark, ruddy brown pour with a small trace of a bubbled tan head. There is an amazing amount of mouth watering aroma dimensions going on here. Succulent waves of brown sugar, rummed dipped cigar wrapper, strawberries, caramel, molasses, and sticky chocolate nougat blend together superbly in this thick, bourbony bouqet. Rich, soft, full-bodied, lightly carbonated mouthfeel with a bit of chewy caramelly bourbon. Tons of sweet, dark fruits flood the palate with amazing complexity. Cherry, strawberry, caramel, chocolate, toffee, vanilla bean, oaky bourbon - of course this is good! For as intense and packed in as all the flavor seems to be, it is frighteningly drinkable. Very nice, and quite well done. What more can I possibly say?

KSBF ’06 after party.... Hand filled bottle. Appears a dark, hazy dark brown with caramel & auburn tones around the edges of the glass. Smell is oaky, caramel, brown sugar, bourbon, bready, cocoa, rummy, confectioners candy...superbly complex and addictive. Taste is of the mentioned aromas with a mild boozy burn of sugary bourbon that makes for an interesting but enticing mixture. Mouthfeel is sweet, sugary, medium bodied, syrupy, with a mild astringency and bourbon burn. Carbonation is faint if any at all. This is a well done brew. I would’ve like to have tried the regular Wheat Trippelbock as a comparison.

Poured a hazy brown color with a thin, bubbly tan head that left postty lacing on the glass. Aroma of bourbon, vanilla wood, chocolate, with light banana, roasted malts, and nuts. Taste was roasty, smokey, with wheat, dried fruits, vanilla beans, chocolate malts, and a strong bourbon / alcohol backbone. I enjoyed the non-BA version a bit better, but this is still a great beer!

Growler. Small tan head that mostly diminished, sparse lacing, opaque, no visible carbonation, and a dark brown hue. Caramel, dark fruits, some licorice notes, bourbon, and some smokiness. Flavor was delicious-sweet, bourbon, caramel, malty, light chocolate, dark fruits, and a tiny bit of clove sneaking in. Mouthfeel was tingly and dry. Medium-full body. Wonderful, wonderful brew. Nicely done and appreciate the chance to be able to rate this one.

GTMW 06. The star of the show. I had to have 6 samples of this one. Dark brown with a whispy tan head. The aroma is bourbon, banana, toffee, figs and cinnamon. The flavor is semi-sweet, figs, toffee, spice, caramel and a touch of molases. Full body with a sticky, creamy, smooth texture. Not a chance in hell this thing was the 17% they were claiming.

This brew in a growler from a rating party via Mike BBB63 poured a head of finely sized dark yellow brown colored bubbles that was and left behind a opaque typically carbonated black brown colored body and a good lacing. The aroma was hoppy malty vinous and sweet with wheat and dark malt notes. The very nice flavor contained notes of strong malt and hops. Delicious and one I would certainly like to buy more of.