Rock Bottom Chicago Bourbon Barrel Doppelbock

On tap at RB Chicago. Cloudy dark brown colour, no head at all. Aroma fails to show up at all, while the flavour is overly bourbon influenced - only slight toffeeish malt to go with the woody bourbon barrel character and alcohol finish. Medium bodied, smooth, but lifeless.

cloudy brown pour small tan head sweet carmel aromas w/ lots of bourobn (over done actually) full creamy well coated palated. Flavor dominated by bourbon some sweet touches of vanilla and carmel. Too 1 dimensional over done on the barreling.

My 200th Illinois Beer!

Served a heavy mahagony (seemingly opaque) with a thin halo and thick, slow legs that presage its strength. Clay/Play-Doh aromas are persistent with plenty of whisky and latex house paint (enjoyably intriguing, though). Very rich flavor finds Jack Daniels above coffee malts with caramel-candy sweetness. Expect an ABV and texture akin to Utopias, with alcohol that is warming, numbing, a little overpowering but surprisingly not "hot". I can gladly still find traces of a beer beneath.

<font size=-4>On tap at <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/illinois/chicago/rock-bottom-chicago/444.htm>Rock Bottom, Chicago, IL 60610<font size=-1>

This stuff is amazing. Served in a medium sized goblet filled to the brim! Pours a beautiful ruby red, slightly hazy and a thin film of a head that dissapears into nothing. Carbonation is very nice and mild which adds to its smoothness. Aroma is loaded with bourbon, brandy, oak and then followed by tons of sweet caramel and toasted malts. Slightly nutty flavor, some chocolate, tons of sweet caramel malt, and lots of bourbon, and oak followed by a hint of smoke. Mouthfeel is smooth and sweet but not cloying, and doesnt get medicinal like many other high grav doppelbocks. This was absolutely outstanding, but it is just a shame that the bartender wouldnt let me take a growler home to share with others.

On tap at Rock Bottom Chicago. Dark ruby brown pour with a fine tan, creamy head. Beautiful appearance in the snifter glass. My nostrils are instantly bombarded with its overwhelming fragrance as I dip into the glass. Delicious aromas of black cherry, licorice, and curant, but the bourbon is what shines through strongest of all. The flavorful palate impression is equally affected by the alcohol, but it tastes more like a fine sipping brandy than an unpleasant heat train. Vanilla, chocolate, and a hint of coffee as well. At times, my palate is confused as to whether I just had a sip of beer, a black russian, or Bailey’s Irish Cream. Very nice beer overall, brimming with tons of flavor and a tantalizing aroma bouquet. The boozy qualities of the alcohol are the only real drawbacks to this unique brew.

The Bourbon rules this drink, a murky, brown beer with ruby highlights and a tan ring in lieu of a head. The aroma is practically all whiskey with a trace of sweet malts and a hint of dark cherries. The body is flat but creamy. The taste gets the addition of vanilla, pepper, and oak. A nice warming drink for the so-called Spring days that we’re having.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp?PlaceID=444>Rock Bottom Chicago, Chicago, IL<font size=-1>

Chicago. Hazy, muddy medium brown in color with a creamy off-white head in the form of a thick film across the surface. Whisky and rye protrude in the aroma, closely followed by spiced rum and buttery, peppered toffee. Conglomerate of flavor. Jim Beam is stiff and steady. Harsh elemental onset, which is chastised at first, leads to thinning and disparaging sentiments of the leading doppelbock traits. What once was chewy chocolate is now skim chocolate milk with ice cubes. Subtle accents of lightly salted, rye dinner rolls. Spicy, rummy toffee and prickly pumpernickel juxtapose a boozy, rail liquor experiment, and situates itself prominently in the finish as well, second, of course, to the spicy bourbon that emasculates the entire episode. Worlds apart from their standard doppelbock offering, which could duke it out with the best of ’em.

Draught, served very cold in a snifter: Dark ruby-brown…malty vanilla bean and alcohol aroma with anise and whiskey. The aroma is decently rich and has some complexities that the original version didn’t: coconut, sweet can sugar, light colored caramel…flavours don’t even come close to keeping up with the aroma – it seems that the barrel has taken all of the deep maltiness from the lager and completely subdued it into a bland and mostly tasteless brew…amazing – never would have thought this would be the result of what seemed like a pretty cool thing to try.