Nutcracker Ale
Boulevard Brewing Co.

Nutcracker AleNutcracker Ale
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From:
Boulevard Brewing Co.
 
Missouri, United States
Style:
Winter Warmer
Ranked #86
ABV:
7.8%
Score:
84
Ranked #22,468
Avg:
3.73 | pDev: 11.53%
Reviews:
388
Ratings:
992
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 30, 2023
Added:
Oct 11, 2002
Wants:
  39
Gots:
  156
Nutcracker Ale is Boulevard’s holiday gift for real beer lovers. This hearty, warming brew is a classic winter ale, deep amber in color, with hints of molasses balanced by the “spiciness” of freshly harvested Chinook hops.

38 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by cschepers:
Photo of cschepers
Reviewed by cschepers from Missouri

3.83/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Poured from the typical short 12oz. Blvd. bottle into the ubiquitous Guinness glass.

A - Amber color, not a whole lot of head, a little bit of lacing here and there.

S - Piney hops, a little bit of sweetness here and there.

T - Cedar/pine/citrus hops upfront, nice generic Christmas-y spice. Little bit of metallic hop aftertaste, that's a bit odd.. Malt isn't all that prevalent at first, but it shows up later. Just enough to be balanced against the hops, but not much more.. then it sticks around for awhile. That's okay though.

M - Good carbonation in the beer, mmm. both the malt & hops stick around for awhile.. seems to really favor the piney hops. Its a bit odd.. although there isn't a ton of head upfront, the carbonation is pretty well-integrated into the beer. The malt isn't all that strong while drinking, but it catches up in the end.

D - I like this more than in years past. Maybe I just didn't appreciate it before, others have said its a bit different than before. Don't care, I like it this year. Can't have more than a couple though, the lingering sweetness gets to be a bit much. Hard to stop at one, hard to keep going after two. I'll be buying another sixer of this one, this year.
Dec 11, 2008
More User Ratings:
Photo of damndirtyape
Reviewed by damndirtyape from Ohio

3.83/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
12oz bottle served in a D'Achouffe tulip glass. Enjoy by 10 April 2024.

Appearance: Mostly clear dark copper-amber color with a nicely thick 1/4" tan head. Persistent strands and islands of lacing.

Smell: Pine and citrus hops. Not getting much else.

Taste: Hops again, with a hint of molasses and toasted malt. Pine/citrus hops at start and finish.

Mouthfeel: Nicely thick and quite smooth. Light carbonation, a little bit sticky on the teeth.

Overall / Drinkability: I'm struggling to call this one a winter warmer. It's more like a IPA in character. Enjoyable, but not quite hitting the style. One is enough.
Dec 30, 2023
Photo of MissouriMule
Reviewed by MissouriMule from Missouri

4.56/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pours a hazy amber. The beer is probably a lighter shade than perceived because the pervasive sediment limits light passthrough. Head is modest and quickly gives way to a persistent ring. There is a fair amount of lacing.

The nose is sweet, almost cloying. Oddly, though, I am not sure how much of the aroma is malt and how much the Chinook hops.

Taste is the best part of the experience with this beer. There is a toffee sweetness to the malt. The hops translate some of that sweetness into a raisin flavor. The bitterness of the hops and the raisin quality they impart make this taste like a light barleywine. The mouthfeel is also on the lighter side.

All in all, this is a very nice winter warmer. Plus, the when you want a barleywine you can enjoy serially and still have room for Christmas cookies, this is your beer.
Dec 20, 2023
 
Rated: 3.75 by MattDecker from Texas

Dec 13, 2023
Photo of Danimal522
Reviewed by Danimal522 from Indiana

3.54/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A deep cloudy amber color with a brown head that lingers and leaves some nice lacing. Has a strong malty aroma with roasted pecans and a subtle sweetness like dried orange peel. Taste is similar but with the additional sweetness of currant and dark cherry undertones. There a slight bitterness on the finish that brings out the floral flavors in the hops. I don’t get the spiciness others have until I go in a second time but it’s limited at best. The mouthfeel is lighter than I anticipated and the beer is very easy to drink because of it. Warming thanks to the high alcohol content this is a decent beer that is worth trying if you can find it but could easily get lost in the Christmas ale seasonal space.
Nov 29, 2023
 
Rated: 3.54 by RalphStanley34 from French Polynesia

Nov 27, 2023
Photo of bbtkd
Reviewed by bbtkd from South Dakota

3.71/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Boulevard Nut Cracker Winter Warmer, 7.8% ABV. Pours dark brown with a 4+ finger tan head that left some lacing. Aroma is malty, nutty, with light fruit. Taste follows, plus spice, faint sweetness moderate bitterness, like a hoppy nut-brown ale. Decent mouthfeel, overall very good.
Nov 09, 2023
 
Rated: 3.74 by dd53grif from Michigan

Nov 08, 2023
Photo of Kiiz
Reviewed by Kiiz

3.64/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
A little peppermint would’ve taken this brewski to the next level. Instead, we’re left with a solid Christmas brew that has too much competition and is too hard to find (in the Midwest) to justify ever getting. It nicely combines a spicy (nutmeg) amber with a fruitier (cranberry) brew so if that’s your thing it’s for you but personally I’d rather drink a gulden draak after a Breckenridge and get the best of both worlds separately. Worth a try though.
Nov 08, 2023
 
Rated: 3.74 by TwilightBeerCareer from Illinois

Jul 14, 2023
 
Rated: 3.5 by Noelito76 from New York

Mar 20, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by Lobina from Arizona

Feb 16, 2023
 
Rated: 3.47 by Cal4403 from Oklahoma

Jan 22, 2023
 
Rated: 3.78 by Chuckdiesel24 from Illinois

Jan 05, 2023
 
Rated: 3.5 by Dovers from Wisconsin

Dec 26, 2022
 
Rated: 4.01 by Tcsox from Massachusetts

Dec 25, 2022
 
Rated: 4.17 by Bogdawg from Massachusetts

Dec 25, 2022
Photo of hman43
Reviewed by hman43 from North Carolina

3.83/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Look: It pours copper with a brilliant clarity to it. The head is tan, fluffy, and has excellent head retention.

Smell: It has a toffee aroma with some molasses, citrus, and cherry. There is also a bit of spiciness to it.

Taste: It has toffee flavor with a strong spicy backbone and citrus notes. There is a bit of sweetness to it with very low cherry.

Feel: There is some nice alcohol warming. It has a medium body with a bittersweet aftertaste.

Overall, nice combination of flavors with a warming finish.
Dec 25, 2022
 
Rated: 3.75 by MonkeyPilates from Minnesota

Dec 20, 2022
Nutcracker Ale from Boulevard Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 992 ratings