Carvana
The Livery

 

I had this beer on 11/7/09 poured from a 750ml belgian style bottle that I purchased at the brewery in April after DLD.

Once again I shared this beer with some friend, so I had about an 8oz. pour.

This bottle was a gusher to pour. I took me about 20 minutes to divide it into three glasses cause the head was soooo pronounced. The beer pours a hazy amber color with a huge head and moderate lacing on the side of the wine glass. Smells of sweet malt, spices and wet hops. The taste is very sweet for an IPA...I'm not sure if Steve was going for a Belgian IPA here, but its not at all what I was expecting. This reminds me more of a strong ale rather than an IPA because the hops really seem to be on the back burner compared to the sweetness and a pretty good amount of cinnamon flavor. Now this might not be a completely fair review because we were drinking a bunch of highly hoppy beers on this night (Devil Dancer, Double Crooked Tree, etc.), but this does not do it for me in regards to what I would expect from an IPA or even a pale ale....the hops are just not there. I have a bottle of this left and I may age it out for a couple of years and see if the sweetness mellow because I'm sure that the hop profile will be completely gone in a few years. As a side note, I have had this beer on tap on several occasions and the hops always came through much more for me on any of those pours, I would recommend this ale on tap where ever you see it.

Thanks to Deuane for hauling a bottle of this back to PA for me. Poured from a 750ml capped bottle into my standard shaker "pint" glass. Carvana appears an ultra murky color that is akin to peach iced tea. Uh oh...looks like this one is infected. As I pour the ale, the head quickly forms a four plus finger deep layer consisting of fluffy large soap-like bubbles. When the head finally ebbs to under an inch, it actually is a pretty nice looking beer as it sits here in the glass. Nose consists of spicy sweet malts, alcohol, resinous and a bit medicinal. Tastes of spicy black pepper, fruity (lemon), very mild pineapple notes, bitter pine with an emphasis on bitter, slightly sour as it warms, boozy alcohol. Carbonation is out of control and really distracts from truly enjoying this ale. Drinkability suffers due to this as well.

From the Livery website:

"Just before his birthday, Bewmaster Steve concocts a special beer to reward himself for making it through another year in the brewery business. Full flavored, ever evolving, and usually barrel-aged! This years version is an Imperial IPA. High alcohol, very hoppy, and dry-hopped to the MAXIMUM!!! Happy Birthday to me!!!"

On tap @ the HopCat (Grand Rapids, MI) on 4/23/09. Served in a tulip glass.

Pours a deep, hazy amber with a 1/4 finger of brite-white head. Retains around the edges, with some thin wisps in the center, flaring up nicely and leaving some good looking spotty lace back. The aroma is floral and spicy and a touch resinous with some big tropical fruit character as well. I'm also getting a very healthy does of earthy oak tannins that intermingle with the biscuity malt notes in the back to give this an almost smokey presence.

The taste is very similar to the aroma, with a big hoppy bite of spice and piney hops. A good dose of tropical citrus and a big grainy backbone even things out perfectly. Once again, I'm getting that same smokey texture in the malts, as it mixes with the wood oak notes. Very unique taste here. Finishes bitter, warm, and smokey. The mouthfeel is medium to fuller bodied with a definite thickish beefy feel to it. The almost 10% ABV is right out there, giving this a bit more of warm and bitter feel than I would ideally like, which holds the drinkibility back for me a bit.

Unique DIPA for sure here, as the barrel-aging really imparted a unique smokey feel to this. There was good balance to this, even though the hops were right out there, but the ABV of this wore on me a bit.