Decapitator (Bourbon Barrel Aged)
Buoy Beer Company

 

2024-12-25
19.2oz can served in a half shaker pint. Can is dated 10/03/24, but I had to get a flashlight out to see it, and it could still be "best by" since I can't read the first line (though I'd basically ignore that for a BA doppelbock). Got it from my brother in law yesterday.

Pours mostly clear, slight hazy in a dark amber / brown, looks almost dark yellow around the edges. Little head. Smell is mild dates and raisins, maybe a little vanilla and wood. Fairly muted overall.

Taste is sweet but not cloying, dates and raisins don't quite capture it, something more in the nutty bready direction. And maybe something vanilla-light enhances the sweet sensation.

Mouthfeel is medium to thick, not chewy, actually borders on dry. Overall, not stellar, but pretty good. Maybe the biggest downfall is that it ought to have more of a flavor punch, which may improve as it warms up.

Clear russet or auburn color with lots of foam in the Pilsner glass. Aroma of roasted malt and cocoa. I wouldn't call it sickeningly sweet, but others might. This does not taste strong but we'll see. Flavors of caramel, mostly, but brown sugar. Maybe there's a dose of herbs in there somewhere, but I don't taste anything like a barrel or Bourbon. Half a glass is enough for now. From the ridiculous 19.2 oz can purchased at the unsuspecting Community Co-op. Date stamp incomplete but I can see 2024. It's down from 11 percent in the original database entry.

 

On tap at the Beer Tap Reserve today.

The beer pours a darkish red brown color, looking very much like a glass of rootbeer. Otherwise, this beer has pretty decent head retention and lacing as well. On the nose, this comes across as a rich, malty beer with light vanilla and bourbon buoying the sweet malt. The flavor profile replicates the nose pretty closely in this well crafted dopplebock, though the beer dries out more than I was expecting on the finish. As others have noted, this isn't as sweet a dopplebock as one might expect, given the aroma profile. Mouthfeel is medium bodied to full, with a fairly long finish. Alcohol is well integrated into the flavor profile, though you can tell it's up there a bit. Incidentally, the version I'm drinking has an abv of 9.3%, at least according to the beer menu at the tap reserve. So it sounds like the alcohol level varies from batch to batch.

This is a nice ba dopplebock, though I'm not getting a whole lot of barrel character in the nose or palate. The beer doesn't come across as all that boozy either, so I could see how this might sneak up on you if you drank a couple.

 

L - Looks similar to a stout in that the head is very foamy and seems to have nitrous involved.

S - Smelled the barrel, subtly.

T - Tasted very rich and caramely, without being overly sweet or overly bitter or hoppy.

F - Fealt heavy in a good way.

Overall this beer is great. The high alcohol content doesn't interfere with the taste, smell or feel. However enjoy it over a while because it will sneak up on you, hence the name decapitator.

 

500ml bottle from Boise Co-op. Dark brown pour, patchy beige silky head. Sweet malty aroma, brown sugar, bourbon. Taste is sweet, molasses, raisins, woody, mild bourbon notes. Bourbon more apparent in the aroma. A bit on the sweet side.

Beautiful beer. Smooth, full, rich, deep, and powerful... Yet somehow light, energetic, even subtle.

Rich delicious barrel flavor, would like a little more of the base beer presence.

500ml bottle picked up at bimart in gresham, OR; 'aged for 6 months in basil hayden's bourbon barrels'; 34 ibu; interesting label art; no bottle date

vessel: Bissell Brothers 16oz glass

p- black; 2f tan head; quick recession; looks good- inviting
n- soft-med; some wood notes; molasses
t- some earthiness, light roast, plum and cherry notes, and milk choc; kind of subdued, but pleasant; no alcohol presence; was hoping for more barrel/bourbon character; pretty tasty nonetheless
mf- light-med bodied; soft-med carb; lightly creamy
o- not nearly as bold as I anticipated, however it is enjoyable; a nicely put together doppelbock- grew on me more and more as I drank through it; while I'd certainly drink this again, it's not quite memorable enough to warrant seeking out in the future

*reviewed 4-23-21

Poured into a Celebrator pokal. Pours a dark, orange red with a two finger khaki head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of caramel malt, plums, raisins and dates. Flavor is caramel malt, bourbon, plums, raisins, figs and graham cracker. Sweet at first then dries out to a bourbony caramel with a touch of oak. Medium bodied with light creaminess. Not sure why there aren't more of this style around. The bourbon melds nicely with the native caramel and fruit of the doppelbock. Oddly the profile is reminiscent of a bourbon barrel Belgian dark ale due to the fruit character, although the bock malt is still present. This sounded like it would be good and it turned out quite nicely. An undated bottle, it might have a year on it, but it has held up quite nicely with little evidence of oxidation. A flavorful, big barreled doppelbock and a fine brew.

The taste is rich and malty, the feel is very smooth, the smell is a blend of sweet and malty, and the look is dark with a lighter head. I place this beer right up there with the best German doppelbocks.

 

 

 

 

Beer #1,000!! Buoy has brought this back. Purchased at the brewery in mid Nov '19 from our favorite server, Heather. Reviewed Feb 15, '20.

A rich, dark brown pour. This is a BA Dobbelbock, perfect for a cold, rainy February Saturday in the Pacific. Nose is a light malt and bourbon background. A hefty 10.3% ABV for the 2019 version is well hidden, no trace of alchohol heat. Smooth, not too dry, layers of toffee, slightly smoky wood backbone and light bitterness. A very well done production from the Buoy crew.