Massacre
Wolverine State Brewing Company

The pour is much darker than I expected, not black but darn close. A beige head says hello and then quickly takes it's leave.
The aroma- bourbon on forefront, no bones about that. Boozy figs, prunes, raisins, and caramel. A potent aroma that is making me wonder what I've got myself into.

The taste is not what I expected either. There's an initial sweetness that seems to accompany many BA beers, but that is quickly replaced by a bitterness, whether that is from hops or roasted malts I cannot say. Not unpleasant, and keeps this from being cloying.
Bourbon, figs, caramel, char, coffee, dates all shout to be heard (tasted, sorry) and it's a fun flavor fight for a while. I will state that I am glad it was "just" a 12 oz serving. It almost wore me out trying to separate out what I was tasting.
The feel is good, no issues at all. Viscous enough to remind you this is punching above it's normal weight class.
Glad this is available locally, I think I'll try and cllar one or two and see how they hold up.

From a 12oz bottle. No date on the bottle.

Nice hiss upon opening the bottle. This beer pours a very dark brown color. There's no light that shines through. The head that forms is a 1 finger tan color. Some creamy elements to the head. The head is quite long lasting considering the ABV. There's a slight bit of clingy lacing on the glass.
Rich malty aroma. Notes of caramel and toffee show up in the mix. I also get a nice hit of bourbon in my nose.
Taste - I get waves of flavor from this beer. I get a malty rye like flavor up front, that also has a dark fruit character. The flavor then goes to caramel and toffee. A woody oak flavor element appears in the mix. There's a bourbon finish.
This is a VERY boozy beer. There's a good burn to tell you to take your time with it, and sip it. Full bodied.
Very interesting beer overall. A lot going on here.

Sampling a cellar temp 12 oz waxed bottle. 2022 vintage. I am pouring into my trusty snifter. the beer pours a very dark mahogany color and rests even darker in my glass, with no light passing through.
A fairly creamy beige head of 1 cm foams up and fades to a sturdy edge layer. Forms some scattered lattice when I swirl the glass.
Aroma is big malty and boozy, I get some caramel, some dark fruit, like a raisin, hints of bourbon and oak and some fusol booze. No hop character that I can pick up on the nose.
First sip reveals a medium body and smooth texture with very fine and gentle carbonation. Beer drinks pretty easy, although it is a little sticky on my palate after the swallow.
Flavor is caramel, some charred wood, burnt sugar, hints of bourbon and a little booze. Black peppery bite, not really any heat.
Again, no hops that I pick up.
Barrel aged lager is an interesting take, and I enjoy what this beer brings to the table. Enjoying this one and boosting my Michigan beer ticks

 

 

12oz wax sealed bottle, 2022 bottling. Served in a snifter glass.

Appearance: Very dark brown, and a bit cloudy. Looks like some sediment got carried along in the pour. Very thin tan head at the edges. Looks far more like a stout than a strong lager. Some occasional strands of lacing noted that slide back down the edges of the glass and dissipated fairly quickly.

Smell: Bourbon, vanilla, maybe a hint of some dark fruits.

Taste: Rich toasted malt, caramel and toffee notes, bourbon, oak/vanilla, herbal & leathery bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: Nicely thick, very light carbonation (not at all lager-like), a bit of bourbon bite, but not too boozy or hot. The alcohol is there, but somewhat hidden.

Overall / Drinkability: Enjoyable....but it's not a lager. It's not a stout either. It reminds me more of a bourbon aged barleywine. A slow sipping beer to enjoy on a Christmas evening - unusual but well done.

 

Pours an almost black brown. Small foamy head that recedes to a thin ring after about a minute or so.

A little bourbon on the nose followed by stewed stone fruits, raisins, a little toffee peaks in as well.

The bourbon sits in behind the woody barrel character which is sting on the tongue. Some of the the stewed fruit and a little chocolate follow. Lightly drying.

The body is moderate. There is a lightness to this despite the high ABV and barrel. Very good.

This is a very enjoyable beer

Hot as fuck.

Another Michigan brewery nails it. Doppelbock very heavy, boozy. I'm lucky to be in MI where I can score this often.
Outstanding.

12 oz bottle, 2017, poured into into a tulip

A- Dark brown with a small tan head.

S- Bourbon, dark fruits, sweet cherries, some figs, toffee, some leather, oak.

T- Bourbon, dark fruits, leather, toffee, figs, cherries, oak, slightly earthy, some chocolate towards the finish that lingers nicely.

M- Smooth, medium to full body.

O- Haven’t tried this fresh so I can’t if it gets better with aged but it seems to age well.

 

2021-11-19
12oz capped/waxed bottle served in a stemmed tulip. 2021 bottle. Don't see a specific date on it. Received from @whyteboar in a LIF associated with NBS BIF #14.

Pours dark brown to pitch black with a surprisingly large head that collapses to a few millimeter thick layer. Smell is chocolatey, vanilla, maybe a little maple. Some roasted coffee.

Taste is moderate syrup sweetness, moderate anise, lots of chocolate sweetness, tons of vanilla. Bitterness in the finish...maybe roasted grain, maybe a little woodiness.

Mouthfeel is medium to thick, smooth, rich, just slightly lively, satisfying. Overall, very good!

Good head production and OK retention. Body is a very dark brown, nearly but not quite black, and does not appear to be perfectly clear. Lacing is short-lived on the glass.

Huge bourbon on the nose. Booze, mash, oak, prune, raisin, toffee, caramel. A wonderful aroma that is simultaneously inviting and a touch intimidating.

Very challenging on the palate. There's an initial sweetness matching the nose, but that is quickly replaced by a surprising bitterness, a combination of the oak, roasted barley, and hops. Bourbon, slightly soured grapes, caramel, toffee, light char, coffee, dates. Everything hits so quickly and all together that it's difficult to pick it apart, and similarly not quite as easy to approach as other beers.

Very smooth on the palate, with little harshness despite the sky-high ABV.

This is an excellent beer that promises to age well. Fresh, it's more bitter than I think it deserves; I would challenge anyone with access to this beer to try it at various ages: fresh, 1- and 2- years.

Appearance - The beer was black in color with a mocha colored head crowning the glass.

Smell - The dark vaults of the logger made for caramel like notes with the bourbon.

Taste - Smooth bourbon combine with chocolate nuts. It’s still had a little bite. There were chocolate notes as well. A little bitterness lingered toward the back.

Mouthfeel - The field was amazingly smooth with small carbonation.

Overall - for the style, this was superb. It was smooth and chocolatey.

 

Courtesy of @Blutz as a trade extra: 2017 Wolverine State Massacre BBA Imperial Dark Lager. Never heard of the brewery or the brew, so totally new to me. 12 oz bottle nicely wax-sealed. Poured cellar temp assertively to an IPA-ish wide-mouth glass. Half-inch head comes out as an oddity, much like the Dark Soul I had some time ago, in that it has a creamy mocha tan color that looks like it belongs on an oatmeal stout instead of a lager. Color is dark, translucent burnt mahogany. Nose has a very prominent bourbon aroma, sweet caramel, and some winter spiciness.

First sips are surprising and marvelous! The bourbon is strong, the main profile is oozy dark caramel, with an ending hit of a cinnamon-esque flavor. It reminds me of a nice barleywine in some respects. Mouthfeel is full, decadent, with carbonation on the finish that clears the way for a long-lasting linger of all the flavors. Boozy aroma and flavor that matches the ABV, but no burn and no warming...much too easy to drink like it’s an 8%er, but this is clocking in over 14%. As it warms, more stone fruit flavors like plum/prune come to the mid and rear of the swallow.

It’s totally delicious! Three years has done it justice.

 

 

12oz bottle at share.Muddy brown pour with a small beige head. Seemingly like a stout, roast malts and chocolate filter up first, followed by some brown sugar and bourbon. Taste is more roast, boozy and a bit more stout-ish than a dopplebock, but still great.