Boulevard - Collaboration No 1 - Imperial Pilsner

I bought this 750ml bottle of Boulevard Imperial Pilsner for $11.99 - pretty hefty price, especially for a pilsner.....I really went out on a limb on this one because pilsner isn't my favorite style of brew....it's towards the bottom of my list.  This was a special collaboration brew between Steven Pauwels at Boulevard and Jean-Marie Rock, the Belgian brewer from Orval, in which they used an old technique called wort hopping where the hops are added to the boil very early, and allowed to steep for a longer time than normal.  If they brought in a brewer from Orval, it must be a serious brew...let's dig in.

I'm pouring this beer into a pint glass.  By the way, for those of you who haven't noticed, I drink most of my beers out of a pint glass.  Why?  Because I'm a cheap asshole, and haven't spent the money on a set of beer glasses.  But Dunz, you just spent $11.99 on 1 bottle of beer....why not just go spend $20 and get yourself some beer glasses?  That's a great question reader.  Frankly, I think pint glasses are the most practical way to drink beer.  And I'm a cheap asshole.

Anyway, pouring this into a pint glass - pours a very clear light golden, straw color with a pure white head frothy head.  The nose is pilsner malts along with a touch of lemongrass and some of that fruity-yeasty smell you get in some lighter belgian ales.

The drink brings some noble hops initially, moderate bitterness and some earthy flavors.  The malts are there, but they take a back seat to the earthy, spicy hops and the peppers that probably come from the yeast.  There is also some pear that comes through in there.  This beer has a lot more happening than a normal pilsner, definitely took me by surprise!  The body is a lot beefier than your typical pilsner, with strong carbonation and a paradoxical crispy creme mouthfeel.

Overall Rating (4.2 out of 6.0)    I was a little hesitant to get this beer because I tend to shy away from pilsners, because to me the style and flavors tend to be....boring.  But this beer turned out to be a pleasant surprise, mainly because it wasn't really much of a pilsner.  It was more of a belgian style pale ale with some pilsner juice mixed in.  Good brew but the price tag still seems a bit hefty.