Plaid Habit
Boulevard Brewing Co.

Plaid HabitPlaid Habit
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From:
Boulevard Brewing Co.
 
Missouri, United States
Style:
American Strong Ale
Ranked #54
ABV:
13.9%
Score:
93
Ranked #3,704
Avg:
4.18 | pDev: 8.13%
Reviews:
87
Ratings:
217
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 16, 2024
Added:
Mar 25, 2018
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  22
Born a double-mashed imperial brown ale, then matured for 18 months in freshly emptied 10-year Canadian rye whisky barrels, this sturdy ale features checkered notes of rich vanilla, charred oak, warming whisky and spicy rye. With a lingering, boozy sweetness and round, resonant flavor, Plaid Habit clearly earns its name.

*ABV varies by year.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jzeilinger:
Photo of jzeilinger
Reviewed by jzeilinger from Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
A - Deep burgundy colored pour with some floaties and an off white colored lacing ring.

S - Dark fruit, bourbon / whiskey, toasted toffee, oak char, and vanilla.

T - Toasted toffee, vanilla, oak, boozy brown sugar, bourbon/whiskey.

M - Thick and silky.

O - One of the best barrel aged brown beers I've ever had. Period.
Mar 02, 2019
More User Ratings:
Photo of whynot44
Reviewed by whynot44 from Missouri

4.28/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Darkbrown with ruby highlights and a modest but lingering tan head.
The aroma is whiskey, caramel malt, vanilla, pumpernickel and brown sugar.
The taste is smooth Canadian Whiskey up front, then somewhat sweet malt, hazelnut, pumpernickel, brown sugar, oak and vanilla. The finish dries out a bit with some white pepper and char notes.
The body is full, good carbonation level, oily smooth, very drinkable. My bottle claimed 11.9 % ABV, does this depend on which whiskey barrel was used?
Altogether, this is a bit on the sweet side but still an outstanding brew, very tasty and enjoyable, probably best as an after dinner sipper, but great anytime on a cool day.
Mar 16, 2024
 
Rated: 4.12 by mojohawk21 from Missouri

Dec 29, 2023
 
Rated: 3.73 by QuintusHorace from California

Mar 01, 2023
 
Rated: 4.34 by Bartleby91 from Wisconsin

Dec 10, 2022
Photo of BeerAndGasMasks
Reviewed by BeerAndGasMasks from Virginia

4.01/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
From the bottle, it pours a clear reddish brown color with a modest, soon dissipating, head. The nose gets whiskey and caramel notes. The mouth gets the same, although the alcohol is definitely evident.
Nov 06, 2022
 
Rated: 4.43 by dafla67 from Pennsylvania

Jul 29, 2022
 
Rated: 4.09 by loganburgh from Michigan

Mar 26, 2022
Photo of Phyl21ca
Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)

4.43/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bottle: Poured a hazy dark brown color ale with a small brown foamy head with light retention and minor lacing. Aroma of caramelized malt notes with some vanilla notes, rye whiskey notes with some woody notes. Taste is also a nice mix of light chocolate and caramelized malt notes with some rye whiskey notes and some vanilla with a wody finish. Body is quite full with good carbonation with some warming alcohol notes. Nice barrel-aged brown ale with loads of character.
Mar 17, 2022
 
Rated: 3.35 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Jan 27, 2022
Photo of trevormajor
Reviewed by trevormajor from Ohio

4.68/5  rDev +12%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
12 oz bottle, born on 10/2/2020, poured into a snifter at 55 degrees F:
L - dark caramel with a hazelnut head that lingered
S - whiskey, caramel, a bit of vanilla
T - very nuanced, whiskey, oak, vanilla, caramel
F - thick mouthfeel with light carbonation
O - excellent beer, nice complex flavor profile
Jun 19, 2021
Photo of tradershmulie
Rated by tradershmulie from Connecticut

4.07/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pretty good. Nice mix of flavors. Slightly boozy, pleasantly sweet.
Jun 10, 2021
Photo of backblast
Reviewed by backblast from Alaska

4.35/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a dark mahogany with a thin head and light lacing.

Taste the rich malts up front with toffee, vanilla and bright stone fruit. Mildly sweet and mildly bitter with a medium/light body and mild carbonation. A very nice offering.
Apr 17, 2021
Photo of scotorum
Reviewed by scotorum from Massachusetts

4.58/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
BOULEVARD PLAID HABIT CWB BROWN ALE 3/31/21

Bottle label says 12.4% rather than the 13.9 listed here. Poured from the 12 oz. bottle into a Victory nonick

a: Clear dark copper with an inch thick tan head which receded quickly to wisps of surface foam.

s: Whiskey

t: Follows the nose with strength over caramel malt and moderate throat burn. Sweet finish.

m: Creamy medium, very good body and some carbonation tingle.

o: More substantial base brew than the average brown, strong whiskey notes dominate the caramel malt. Excellent!
Apr 01, 2021
Photo of Treyliff
Reviewed by Treyliff from West Virginia

3.77/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
12oz bottle poured into a snifter

A- pours brown in color with a bit of light creeping through, one-finger foamy off-white head reduces to a film and leaves a bit of lacing behind

S- peppery rye, oaky whiskey and Christmas spices to open up the aroma, followed by nutty brown malts, bread crust, brown sugar, hint of vanilla and stewed apple

T- cinnamon and peppery rye up front with plenty of whisky notes immediately noticed. Mid-palate gives some nutty and bready brown malts. The finish gives stewed apples, oak, peppery rye and whisky

M- medium-light bod with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel and a warming finish

O- pretty one dimensional, I enjoyed it as a whisky fan but not much else going on
Feb 28, 2021
 
Rated: 4.25 by Maillard from Ohio

Feb 14, 2021
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.66/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Sometimes you see a chincy review from your home state and you know its time to write your better review! Listed at 13.9% here, I think mine was like in the 12% range. Would look at the remaining 3 bottles in the cellar, but I'm at somewhere else (puttin in wuuuurk) when I write my reviews.

Pours a brown caramel like color. Substantial 5/6" light beige head and good retention. We're in impressive territory thus far. The aroma was mostly brown malt and sweet whiskey.

Taste followed much in the same vein, more of a sweeter brown ale finish and mouth feel to it, light sweet whiskey notes, brown malt without going into heavy territory malt and viscosity wise. Alcohol heat nor bitterness wasn't too high albeit present. Light hits of vanilla in the mouth feel. Wasn't really getting the char from it, methinks the commercial tug job delves into hyperbole a tad. Nor was there anything 'spicy' about the rye barrel (sweet, yes). You could definitely do a lot worse than a $14 four pack of this barrel aged offering. Its a good not great sipper.
Feb 09, 2021
Photo of TheBeerWolf
Reviewed by TheBeerWolf from Nevada

2.46/5  rDev -41.1%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 2.5
Not sure why this one was rated so highly. I enjoy bigger beers and this one was just ok I guess. I had high hopes for this one it sounded like all the things I like. I enjoy whiskey aged beers although usually they are stouts.

Look: the color is nice it’s a real deep brown not a lighter brown. However there is no real head and what does come out upon the pour leaves quickly.

Smell: The smell is pretty decent. Mostly the whiskey and alcohol. A lot of alcohol.

Taste: The taste is ok too like the smell mostly the whiskey and alcohol hits me. A bit of a cloying sweetness and I feel for a beer this big it comes off a bit thin and that does not help the other flavors meld well. At least in my opinion.

Feel: As mentioned to me a bit thin. Hard to describe. Whatever combination here comes off like whiskey mixed with seltzer water.

Overall an ok beer but wouldn’t buy again. Have had other boulevard beers I enjoyed more.
Feb 09, 2021
 
Rated: 4.63 by Doubledown240 from Ohio

Jan 31, 2021
 
Rated: 4.42 by arini10 from Oregon

Jan 29, 2021
Plaid Habit from Boulevard Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 93 out of 100 with 217 ratings