Boulevard Smokestack Series - Collaboration No. 2 White IPA

Tonight we are going to be reviewing a beer that represents a collaborative effort between two giants, relatively speaking, within the craft beer industry.  Boulevard Brewing and Deschutes Brewing have come together to craft a beer unlike any other on the market today.  Taking Boulevards ability to make a deliciously floral and easy to drink wheat beer and Deschutes knack for packing as many hops as humanly possible into a pint of golden liquid, these two have created the long sought after White IPA!

Ok... maybe it hasn't been sought for very long but I would bet money that plenty of home brewers out there have tried to craft something similar!

This brew follows the industry trend towards hops, hops and more hops.  Within the last few years we have seen the emergence of schwarzbiers turned into black IPAs, Belgian beers turned into Belgian IPAs and even stouts transformed into the Frankenstein of the IPA world.  Its a great time to be a craft beer enthusiast if you love hops!  We all know Dunz does.

Boulevard's website for this beer is packed full of information about the collaborative process and tasting notes. I wasn't aware that Deschutes is actually producing a collaborative beer of their own through this partnership.  I'll need to keep my eyes peeled for that one when it hits the shelves.

Collaboration No. 2 is presented in a very classy corked bottle.  It secretes early 1900s sophistication.  Luckily for us the beer inside presents itself in much the same way.  Crystal clear pale yellow topped with a light white foam, I could have easily mistaken this for a bottle of bubbly if it had more, well... bubbles.  The aroma here is outstanding.  I want somebody to make a candle that smells like this!  Flowery and citrusy hops tango with the Belgian-style yeast aromas of clove, spice and hints of sage and lemongrass which were both added post-fermentation.  The flavors are decidedly 'witbier' with a big bitter bite adding a welcome balance to the overall experience.  Sage and other herbs added to this brew combine to form a subtle black pepper character that lingers alongside the hop induced bitterness.  A solid level of carbonation pairs up with the aforementioned bitterness to finish this treat out nice and dry.

Overall - Its hard for me to find anything bad to say about this collaborative effort between two of the best breweries this side of the pond.  If I had to chose a beer to be stuck with for an entire year this White IPA would easily be at the top of my list.  Its complex, refreshing, smooth, flavorful and dangerously easy to drink.  Why does it have to be so expensive!!!  At $10 for 22 oz it wont be something I drink everyday.  Go do yourself a favor and find a bottle of this now.  It wont be around for long, especially if I come across a small fortune and buy out every store in the metro!

Boulevard Smokestack Series - The Sixth Glass Quadrupel Ale

This evenings review is of a brew from Boulevards Smokestack series.  We reviewed one of their beers as one of our first reviews back in December.  We are now back to revisit this series from a Belgian perspective as opposed to a deep, dark, stout view point.  Boulevards website is a great resource of knowledge for all of their beers.  Not only do they have your standard beer geek stats but they have an ingredients listing for each of their brews.  This evenings beer happens to have some brown sugar in it which I would have never been able to guess.  Hooray for full disclosure!

The aroma is one that Belgian beer lovers will recognize.  Strong dark fruit aromas waft out of my Pilsner glass.  Yes, I'm using a Pilsner glass because a) I thought it would be appropriate for an aromatic brew like this and b) I need to do the dishes...  The white, foamy head on this ale lingers and remains full even after resting for 10 minutes.  I'm pretty sure its not going to go away at this point.  Additional aromas are prominent right before my first sip such as caramel and toasted bread.  My first impression... fantastic.  Easily recognizable as a Belgian brew.  I'm not one to claim an expertise in Belgian beers but I could easily be fooled by this one in a blind taste testing.  Boulevard really hit this one out of the park.  Remnants of the yeast used to bottle condition this quad float throughout my glass.  The hazy amber color reiterates its origins along with its malty, bready and dark fruit (maybe figs or plums?) flavors.  The overall presence of this beer is one to remember.

Overall 4.9/6.0 - Easily an enjoyable Belgian brew.  One that has the malty body and flavor profile to live up to its quadrupel origin.  I'm happy to report that its aroma is able to back up its flavor which many craft beers these days have trouble accomplishing.  Generally I'm a little hesitant to try a "craft" series of beers from a well established brewery just because I have a bias towards the smaller guys in the industry.  But this one is certainly worth the money.  If you are a Belgian beer lover and don't mind a slight sweetness and alcohol warmth throughout the finish of your beer then this one is certainly for you!

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. 

Boulevard Smokestack Series - Dark Truth Stout

My first brew review will be for this fine-looking Boulevard Dark Truth Stout. Boulevard Brewing Company was founded in 1989, and has gained a ton of popularity over the years, particularly in the midwest. Their Unfiltered Wheat brew is their staple brew, one of the top-selling craft beers in the midwest. I've really enjoyed their Single Wide and Double Wide IPAs, and their Amber, so I'm looking forward to trying this beast. Let's dig in.

Statistics:

Bitterness (IBUs) - 60
Original Gravity - 21
Terminal Gravity - 4.7
Alcohol (ABV) - 9.7%

Review:

Appearance - Pours a pitch black, two fingers of tan colored, chunky head. Reduces slowly and leaves medium lacing

Smell - Fruity cherry noticeable right away, roasty chocolate with a little bit of coffee on the back-end

Taste - Roasty maltiness dominates initially, followed by smoke. Nice consistent bitterness start to finish, hints of tobacco at the end. Warmth of alcohol present especially on the back-end.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied for a stout, lighter than I expected for a big stout and quite smooth. Medium/low carbonation

Drinkability - Very smooth and easy-drinking. Dangerously drinkable for an imperial stout.

Overall Rating: Good (3.75 out of 6.00). This stout is smooth and enjoyable, but it lacks some of the bolder characteristics I expect and love in big imperial stouts. That said, it's a brew I could drink and enjoy again.