Boulfeather
Boulevard Brewing Co.

a collaboration they put together with local operation stockyards for boulevardia this year. they apparently start with their imperial pils base, and jazz it all up with fresh ginger and cedar wood. on paper, that sounds amazing, i love fresh spicy ginger in a light style like a pils, and i really am intrigued by woods other than oak in beer, so this had my attention right away. i dont think its quite as successful as it could have been though. for one, the pils base is stronger and bigger than most, and while i love that beer on its own, it seems to almost overpower the ginger, i get it only in the finish, fresh and spicy, but maybe not as vibrant and refreshing as it would have been in a lighter base beer. the cedar wood i have to search for, which shouldnt be the case with something so aromatic and distinctive, i think they got the proportion way low on it, and its impact on the flavor anyway ends up being quite minimal. slight perfume and floral notes from it, but i wanted way more of it. in the end, its a clever little idea, but i dont think it pans out quite as well as it could, but i still enjoyed it, it might improve in future batches if the do it again. i think the noble prize is such a perfect brew, its tough to see it tampered with, its one of the best in its field, but its neat they did it, and if there is still some around, have a glass and see what you think. more cedar would make it way better!