Lucubrator - Barrel-Aged
Occidental Brewing Co.

 

March, 2018 batch. 6.8% abv from the source in St. Johns, Portland, OR.

Wow. 4.03 is a criminal underscore. As with its base beer, Barrel Aged Lucubrator pours a deep crimson color. Clean, beautiful, and inviting. In this case, a frothy and smooth khaki head rests on top, but stays with burms pushed against the perimeter of the glass that taper into a lighter and lighter beach until it centers into sparsity. Yet it leaves wonderful rings from top to bottom, as a reminder of what ince was.

Caramelized figs are front and center, and ultimately dominate the aroma. Sweet rolls lie in the background making this seem like a cinnamon roll without the cinnamon, as even vanilla icing seems to make itself present.

And the flavor matches perfectly. But even better, the slightest inclination of virgin oak only enhance it. Sweet brown sugar bruleed on top of freshly baked dessert rolls, dark fruits and caramel filling, and a layer of buttercream icing somewhere in between.

The texture of this beer in unbelievable. It's so smooth, creamy, and soft. It even feels like a dessert. Rich and velvety, soft and sweet, but the faintest notion of alcohol and roastiness bring it back just enough to not be in relative balance.

No joke, I had two of these in a row at the source just to prove I wasn't crazy. This is one of the best Dopplebocks I've ever had, and THE best U.S. interpretation hands down. A simply incredible brew that only benefitted from the barrel. Prost!

On tap at the Bittercreek Alehouse in Boise.
Very dark brown body with a good head.
Aroma is bock beer with whisky and some oak.
Flavor: more woody than the aroma suggests with a good balance of ale to whisky/whisky barrel flavors.
Near full body.

Had this on tap at Gil's in Ashland on 6/18. Review entered now from notes.

Note: although this is listed as a "Retired" beer, and the last review was 2014, Gil's had it on tap. I have no idea if this is the 2014 beer, with a couple of years of age on it, or whether Occidental brewed a new batch. The name and ABV are identical to the 2014 listing.

The beer pours a medium brown (into a tulip), with virtually no head or lacing. The nose is bourbon, and not much else. The taste is bourbon, and it's sweet, with just a slightly tart edge. But the taste is kind of one dimensional - it's pretty much just the bourbon. I haven't had the base beer, so can't say what that's like, but this beer just doesn't give me much beyond the bourbon barrel.

I like bourbon, of course, but I'd like more than that. Barrel aging alone isn't enough.