Saison-Brett
Boulevard Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

 

750 ml bottle, vintage 2013, probably from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 8.5%. Pale golden colour, only slightly hazy. Huge and lasting white head. Lovely aroma of saison yeast and brett, with fruity and peppery notes, hints of farmhouse. Medium sweet but still quite crisp flavour with peppery notes, distinct bittering hops.

 

 

An acidic, but fruitful saison. Has a very relaxed aftertaste that is warm and fresh. The energy aroma is better than it’s taste, but still an excellent beer.

Appearance: Pours a hazy yellow-orange, thick, fluffy head, great retention. Inviting indeed, would love it if the head was not just plain white. Lacing is quite good, nothing crazy though.
Smell: Hop backbone, citrusy, namely orange and grapefruit. Notes of brett and pepper.
Taste: Balanced. The citrusy hops mingle well with the brett notes. Hop bitterness is low. Brett, peppery and citrusy hops are at the top. The finish has a nice malty tinge and tastes of alcohol. As it gets warmer, the pepper notes really come through, like Tank 7.
Mouthfeel: Effervescent burn, light bodied, soft, crisp, refreshing, smooth enough, dry. It touches the lips and tongue with a gentle caress.
Overall: First off...it's not Tank 7...and that's to be expected! It's a lovely beast of its own and it's well invited. I have another already to drink down the road, in a few years...but I may get another for my birthday next year. So good!

 

 

 

Had a 2011 bottle back in September 2015. Bottle # 12235.

Pours a darker golden color, hints of mild cloudiness and with a big ol' full on head exceeding 1". Aroma imparted notes of grain, alcohol, hay, rawhide, pepper and bitter melon.

Taste allayed my fears about this being too big and an "imperial" saison. 8.5% is too big normally, but somehow this kept its style guideline roots. Mouth feel stayed relatively dry and light instead of dropping an oppressive amount of alcohol. More lemon tartness in the taste than aroma. A little bit of other citrus beyond that, a pear note and a pineapple note. Minimal band aid phenol funk notes. Even though it was 4 years old, it didn't seem much different than fresher pours I've had of it.

At the end of the day its a very good beer, but the price point (around $20) is such that I dunno how often I can buy a bottle of it. A pour on tap, sure, knock it out every time. But a bottle, that is sometimes tough because you can get other ones for half the price.

2018 on tap. Into tulip

Original rating from notes pulled from Inter-dimensional memorial travel through millions of miles of space and time away: 4.25 across the board

Oh lawd this takes me back. Wish I could get this in a 2008.

Slight amber haze with one-finger tight, ivory, sticky foam head.

Upfront barnyard funk, sweet n’ sour lemon citrus. Slight caramel and multigrain bread coming through. Fresh scythed meadow outside of Stull, Ks. Lovely

Not the same as I remembered but pretty close. Great big funky citrus lemon peel and orange pith. Brett comes
swinging through with the proto-funk like Herbie Hancock on a headhunt. Piss-soaked horse blanket that I chewed on in a dream. Splendid.

A bit tame on draft compared to the errant eruption of yesteryear. Still fizzy and bubbly, champagney(?). Slight drying with a balanced malt sweetness.

An OG in my book. just a young buck, but man was this a trip when I first had it. Several times since and I stick with my ratings. You know what? Bump that taste and feel up a notch. Worth a shot.

Boulevard Saison Brett 2016, 8.5% ABV. Pours hazy bright orange with a foamy white 5+ finger head that left heavy lacing. Nose is grassy, malty, pepper, leather (belt, not shoe), with slight funk. Taste has lemon zest, a mashup of other fruits, pepper, dry and slightly bitter. There is a lot more going on with taste than I can describe. Outstanding mouthfeel, heavier carbonation, but not unpleasant. Overall world-class.

2016 vintage

Pours slightly hazy amber gold with a lasting foam head. The smells are slightly malty, saisony, and earthy funky filled with Brettanomyces. Notes of caramel, honeydew melon, green banana, sweet clove spice, peppercorn, funky leather, earthy Brett notes, rubber tire, dried fruit, with floral earthy hops. Tastes pretty nice, clean honeydew melon, green banana plantain notes, tart lemon, mild apple, peppercorn clove spice, some funky earthy Brett notes like sweet leather, rubber tire, dried fruit, apricot, caramel, vanilla, bready malts, with floral herbal hops. Feels medium lighter bodied, creamy smooth with moderate carbonation. Overall a nice aged Brett saison.

 

 

2017 vintage. Poured into a nonic. Cloudy amber. Massive bubbly head that sticks around to the end. Lots of sticky lacing. Awesome nose. Fruity aroma with some mild barnyard. A very nice start. Fruity up front, changing to clean barnyard with a long peppery finish. Light body. Overall an outstanding Saison.