Buoy Beer releases Decapitator Barrel-Aged Doppelbock

The third annual vintage of Astoria, OR’s Buoy Beer Company Decapitator Barrel-aged Doppelbock is out of oak and into 500ml bottles. The release is part of the River Barrel Small Batch series and has been aged in a variety of bourbon barrels for 8 months, producing toasted vanilla and dried fruit aromatics with a smooth lager finish.

“I remember the cold days in early spring when we got these bourbon barrels from Westward Whiskey,” says Toby Armstrong, Lead Brewer. “I was going through them with another brewer, popping the bungs off and prepping them to be filled, and we both could tell that this was going to be something special. The sweet, piercingly boozy smell of oak and whisky was like the perfect match for the young doppelbock we had been preparing and tasting over the past couple of months.”

Alex Shores & Kyle Fosbinder transferring the Decapitator from barrels.

Label artwork for the 2021 Decapitator was done by Corrine Lent, a paper, clay and fiber artist in Portland OR. The graphic is a twist on her whimsical style depicting a goat caught in a “sawed in half” illusion gone wrong.

Decapitator Barrel-aged Doppelbock is available in 500ml refillable bottles throughout Oregon and Washington. Many say bringing a Decapitator home from the bottle shop and sipping it by the fireplace is like olfactory deja vu. The long oak aging brings out rich, toasty flavors of vanilla, dark cherry, and rum cake, and its dry finish pulls you in for another sip.