Love Child No. 8
Boulevard Brewing Co.

Billolick from New York

4.34/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

I've got a local store that frequently has "out of date" bottles that they sell for a bargain price....$4.99 for the large caged and corked bottle of sour and strong brew, from one of my favorite breweries seemed like a good gamble...and....it was!

With a "Best by" date of 15FEB 2019, this is about 14 months past when the brewery wanted it to be consumed....it was a great value/bargain, and thanks to the fine folks who aged this one so nicely for me!

Pours medium clouded, a nice soft auburn shade of amber, medium khaki cap and leaving nice looking low ringed and higher spotty lacing.

Earthy, fruity, funky nose...on the muted side.

Truly delicious sour/wild ale, smooth, soft and well rounded...more earthy/funky/musty qualities abounding. Tart with the sour level at about 6 or 7 out of 10 on my personal scale (for what that is worth). Ripe fruits, with bright cherries, nuts, again earthy and musty qualities, with the yeast kicking up its heals in the finish. Great stuff...hope they have more next time I visit!

Apr 30, 2020

EMV from Pennsylvania

4.06/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a cork'n'cage bomber into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Slightly cloudy peach golden pour. A solid finger of fizzy white head leaves decent alcing. Some sediment at the end of the pour.

S: Tart, funky, and fruity.

T.F: Tart bordering on sour. Funk and green fruit... musty oak, unripened summer fruit, and baking cherry. Soft acidity... gets the salivary glands going. A bit of vinegar and white wine. Some yeast and spice. Medium bodied... effervescent carbonation.

O: A solid sour with fruit, funk, and some other flavors in between. Enjoyable brew.

Mar 28, 2020

jngrizzaffi from Texas

4.16/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a very cloudy golden color with a thin foamy head. Head retention is very mild. Lacing is decent. Tart/sour aroma with oak, mild strawberry and apple. Very acidic and tart taste with strawberry, sour apple and oak at the end. Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

Jan 02, 2020

SHODriver from North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Poured into a Duvel tulip to a clear and dark golden orange topped by a dense and slightly rocky finger of off white head which fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of some vinous acidity and mineral notes along with some oak and fruity sourness
T: Taste is building sourness up front with some wine like notes, sour cherry, light funk, a mineral note, hints of maltyness and a little barnyard with some funky wood. On the swallow there's some more cherry sourness, wine like notes, funk, oak and slight lingering wine.
M: This beer has a body which is on the lighter side of medium. Carbonation is effervescent and slightly prickly while the beer has a drying finish due to the acidity.
O: Overall this is a very solid example of the style. Sourness is a little up there after some time in the bottle but the other flavors help to provide some balance and complexity which prevents this beer from becoming too one note. Despite being past the best by date this one is drinking well and shows no signs of any issues.

Nov 15, 2019

mvanaskie13 from Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured into small chalice: color is copper, head is white, fine bubbles, presents thin and dissipates to ring.

Smell has quite a bit of depth, with various aromatics presenting with warmth: notes of yeast spice, fruits ranging from vinous grapes to candied peaches, puckering candy presents as well. Very subtle hints of oak are noted.

Taste is similarly or more as deep with notable sour flavors presenting and abating, then sour fruit ranging from grapes to apples to citrus, hints of yeasty spice and light vanilla and oak.

Mouthfeel is tart, sharp, seems to have past its peak in terms of presentation but the flavor and aroma make up for it.

Overall an excellent sour with depth, good barrel notes and deep flavors and aromas.

Apr 07, 2019

MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

4.41/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from 750ml bottle into glass. Best by date on label is '22FEB2019'
Only slightly cloudy, gold colored body. Pour does not induce a real head but retains a scattered island and a ring fed by rising bubbles. No real lacing.
Aroma is yeast, with a fruit influence and sour.
Taste is unsweetened strawberries tugged with balanced yeast sourness. Short taste profile, with a bit of fizziness on the front of the after taste.
Medium, dry, and fizzy mouth feel. Okay carbonation.
Very enjoyable sipping beer, for a wild ale. Taste progresses through a few flavors of fruit, vinous, and yeast layers, that add up to something positive for a beer sampling.

Nov 04, 2018

Psilo from California

3.87/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottled 2/24/17, best by 2/24/19, enjoyed on 8/12/18.

Pours reddish copper with gold highlights. Single finger of white foam. Spotty lacing. 

Smells sour, woody.

Tastes sour, woody, tart, wine-like. Very dry, not very funky or fruity.

Not much going on beyond the woody sourness, but it's still a smooth and enjoyable drink. Alcohol is well-hidden. Sourness is puckering. Overall not very complex.

Aug 13, 2018

RacerX5k from Pennsylvania

4.14/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

1/2 price sour sale yea I'm in. I would not have paid the original $20 just not worth that. Sour fruits, even a little banana. Exactly what I was in the mood for Saturday afternoon before dnner. Did get a little tough to finish but couple ounces of Seagrams American blend (at $4 for 200 ml is a really nice sipping whiskey) fixed that. Overall outstanding.

Aug 05, 2018

Pontzie from Florida

4.52/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Cage and cork bought at broudys.

L: cork popped vigorously. Pours out with a golden brownish color and slight peach color undertones. Darker color that almost makes me think of a dark dubbel. Head was active and dissipated quickly.

S: Powerful sour fruit as it pours, this scent is powerful enough to fill a room as it pours. Lovely yeast and sour grassy notes on closer inspection.

T: Fairly agressively sour but it doesn't to my taste cross into undrinkably acidic. Awesome. It treads nicely between deeply sour and drinkablely fruity. Not sure what fruits are used. It seems less cherry like and more like unripe strawberry or something else more green to me.

F: The sour puckers up the taste buds initially but the after taste softens and becomes a bit more grassy and fruity than some of the super sours.
Alcohol is well balanced and easy to consume here.

O: If you enjoy sour this is a great balance. If you are a fan of sweeter things this one will probably cross the line to vinegary. For me, this is a great sour that hits right into the right notes. I enjoy this beer a lot...

Jul 22, 2018

minkyslug from California

3.36/5  rDev -20%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3

The look, feel, and smell of this beer is great, but I agree with the previous poster--the taste is just too vinegary for my buds. I love funky and sour beers, but this one's literal sourness tips the scale a few scant points past easy drinkability.

Feb 22, 2018

bubseymour from Maryland

4.28/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

This one felt a little too one dimensional and not as complex in aroma and taste as some other Love child’s I’ve had. A little too “vinegary”.

Nov 15, 2017

Alieniloquium from Florida

3.18/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On tap at Das Biergarten. Grapefruit colored, almost pink. No head. Smells acidic and oaky. Cherry and oak. Some lighter fruitiness, like stone fruit maybe. Tastes intensely sour right up front. Much more stone fruit. Oak throughout. Raspberry more than cherry here. Oaky finish. Puckering sourness. Almost hard to drink. Medium body. Sourness is the primary flavor, which isn't enough for me to be that impressed.

Sep 14, 2017

handmuffin from Wisconsin

4.21/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Served from bottle into glass at home. Bottle best by date February 15, 2019. Pours light orange in color, with short lived white head. Aroma of barnyard funk, oak and and hint of acid. As it warms up yeasty fruit and spice aromas appear. No discernible hop aroma. Flavor is even more funky; wet horse blanket and a stronger sour character than the aroma implies. Some subtle candied orange and spice flavor, reminiscent of Belgian yeast is detectable. No discernible hop flavor. Mouthfeel is medium full; sticky, almost sugary. No detectable alcohol. Overall this beer is as complex as a mixture of multiple vintages of Flanders-style sour red and a sour Belgian golden ale could be. The farm funk and tart sour character of a Flanders dominate, but is balanced by the fruity spicy flavor and full body of a Belgian.

Aug 26, 2017

bump8628 from Oklahoma

3/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Peachy orange minimal white fizz with a hard pour. Aroma is plain lactic sourness with some mild whiskey barrel following. Taste is equally as lacking as the aroma - simple lactic tartness and some musty oakiness. Finish is empty and bland. The very minimal carbonation just highlights how dead this beer is from start to finish.

A total disappointment and far and away my very least favorite of the Love Child series. To be honest I'm a bit surprised this was ever let out of the brewery's doors. Not that it has a single obvious flaw, other than that it is insipid and uninspired. No depth, no complexity, no character - bland and boring. And certainly a very poor value given the price. A four pack at the same price would have been a poor value even.

Very sad given I have been enjoying many bottles of their Changeling, and in general Boulevard is one my favorite breweries. Though this is not the first disappointing sour beer I have had from them (Tell-tale Tart, Show me Sour).

Aug 20, 2017

superspak from Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 2/22/2017. Pours slightly hazy golden amber/light orange color with a 2 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin spotty lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big tart/sour lemon, lime, red/green apples, black cherry, raspberry, strawberry, plum, pear, golden raisin, red grape, toasted oak, vanilla, hay, straw, pepper, grass, cracker, white bread, and candi sugar; with lighter notes of leathery/musty funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak barrels, and pale malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big tart/sour lemon, lime, red/green apples, black cherry, raspberry, strawberry, plum, pear, golden raisin, red grape, toasted oak, vanilla, hay, straw, pepper, grass, cracker, white bread, and candi sugar; with lighter notes of leathery/musty funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tart/sourness and light yeast/oak spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of sour lemon, lime, red/green apples, black cherry, raspberry, strawberry, plum, pear, golden raisin, red grape, toasted oak, vanilla, hay, straw, pepper, grass, cracker, white bread, candi sugar, leathery/musty funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak barrels, and pale malt flavors; with an awesome malt/sourness balance, and minimal puckering flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing drying from tart/sourness and carbonation. Medium-high carbonation and medium body; with a very smooth, moderately crisp, acidic/grainy, and fairly tannic balanced mouthfeel that is awesome. Minimal warming alcohol for 9%. Overall this is a fantastic sour ale! All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak barrels, and pale malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and quite refreshing to drink with the modestly lactic/tannic/drying finish. Dangerously drinkable for the ABV. Wonderful Brett/Lacto complexity and oak presence, in perfect balance. Great malt backing to balance the acids/tannins, with no residual sweetness. A lot paler in color this year than previous blends. Less darker malt and more oak/vanilla character. A highly enjoyable offering.

Aug 12, 2017

Antg8989 from New Jersey

4.44/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Alright, I think I officially like sours. Pours amber. No head no lacing. Aroma is an alcoholic bag of Skittles. Tastes like alcoholic sour Skittles. Feel is light medium carbonation. Overall, very good sour.

Aug 12, 2017

Cylinsier from Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

75 cl

Pours hazy ruddy brown, fine eggshell head retains well.

Smells of green apple, apple cider vinegar, citrus and cracker malt.

Flavor is of sour apple, Belgian candi sugar, tart citrus, cracker malt, and coriander.

Medium body, tingly carbonation on the tongue.

Really nice sour ale, lots of nuance and character. Definitely try this.

Aug 12, 2017

JohnnyHopps from Indiana

3.94/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

At a recent bottle share, Love Child 4 through 8 were sampled. This reviews will compare all 5.

Minus No. 5, most of the brews had a reddish tint to the appearance. Carbonation was visible in each.

A fruity oaky nose was noted in No 4, No 6. Cherry Lime was specifically noted in No. 6. In No. 5, No. 7, and No. 8, the nose was more dry and oaky with fruit being less pronounced.

In terms of taste, 4 and 6 were the clear winners as fruit followed the taste. No. 5 and 8 were the weak links as they were more acidic. I did not feel like much was happening in the those selections. No. 7 had a drier fruity presence, which was a nice change up. Grape and cherry skin were noted.

Carbonation came with the style. The aging created a dry presence that clung to the side of the mouth.

In order of preference from best to worst, I will say 4, 6, 7, 8, 5. Does No. 8 need more time?

Jul 17, 2017

StonedTrippin from Colorado

4.2/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

delicious brew with a sharp looking new label. this one is apparently a little more sour blonde or golden ale in the blend, less of the flanders red base, and at the same time also featuring more wine barrel aged beer than bourbon barrel, although all of these elements are still at play here. its lighted up the color a lot from past iterations, not quite blonde, but orange colored brew, hazy, and with a rapidly fading short white head. the smell is insane, a ton of acidity here, it puckers me up right away and makes my mouth water. some great fruitiness in behind, both red and white wine elements, peaches and apricots, yellow raisins and red apples, even mango in the vivid fruit complexion of this one. white raspberry too. its got some gritty grainy notes up front, all that fruit rushing through, some mature woody funk, almost pre-rot or something, very interesting among all the living and bright tones throughout this. its stupidly sour though, i can feel it on the teeth and in the gut, a little cider vinegar, and some past citric bacterial acidity, seemingly exacerbated by warming up a little, and by the last third of my glass, it almost feels like a chore. part of it is thats its at the upper limit of reasonable on the sourness, but the other part is that its lacking the bright carbonation it needs to stay up, and so the sharpness runs away a little in the end, balanced a bit by a little sweet peach and nectarine flavor in the finish and some newer winey wood too. really tasty and complex brew, but this isnt for everyone. i get almost no bourbon here, a contrast to previous releases for sure, but i dont really miss it to be honest. these beers are famous for a reason, and this is a cool continuation of an outstanding series!

Jun 17, 2017

zeff80 from Missouri

4.41/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Tap at 44 Canteen, Columbia, MO. Poured a murky, orange with brown highlights. It smelled of sour black cherry, apple and hints of lemon. Strong sour fruit taste with a hint a wood and oak.

Jun 15, 2017

BEERchitect from Kentucky

4.21/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Hedging their bets on the citrusy sourness of lactobacillus and the savory balsamic twang of microflora, Love Child number eight becomes the latest illegitimate brand of Boulevard Brewing.

Highly aromatic with vinous fruit, yeast spice and light candy, the beers scent pours over an appearance of hazy crimson, a creamy off white froth, and a persistent lacy froth. Its taste spreads across the tongue with the light candied sweetness of hard candy and cherry pastry.

Sweetness gradually lifts off of the tongue as the sourness and earthiness quickly dominate. Green apple, lime, lemon, black cherry and red grape take on red wine proportions before the piquant sourness of cider, balsamic and red berries pierce the tongue with the character of off vinegar. Spicy with oak, peppercorn and cinnamon, the lasting taste is one of balsamic and bordeaux.

Medium bodied and spicy in finish, the beer's alcohol prickles and prods at the tastedbuds with a peppery kick of acetone while the vinous, cider and sour textures clean the palate and refreshes the senses just as well as it satisfies the culinary artist in all of us.

Jun 12, 2017