Saison-Brett
Boulevard Brewing Co.

Straight pour from a 25.4oz/750ml cork-and-cage bottle to an oversized wineglass (Jester King stemware); it looks like this was bottled on January 30, 2015, and the marking indicates it’ll be plenty good through January, 2017 (“BATCH NUMBER/BEST BY DATE: L013015-2 01-2017”). This was purchased two days ago and promptly went into the fridge, so it’s had a chance to rest at a cool temperature.

Appearance (4.75): Four solid fingers of tight, custard-colored foam rise off of the pour immediately, capping a cloudy golden-orange body. As the head recedes—slowly—it leaves fat splotches of foam and thick legs all around the glass, along with a good centimeter of lumpy, fluffy foam at the surface.

Smell (4.25): A mixture of light, sweet fruit and floral tones (d’anjou pear, white grapes, honeysuckle, and a little lavender), along with light, honeyed biscuits and fresh-cracked wheat flesh out the confluence of malt and yeasty esters. The brett is still pretty young, clearly, but it’s there, adding a little minerally, vinous character that plays well with the base beer’s structure.

Taste (4.25): . . . and while it’s still young, for sure, there’s definitely more brett on the palate than in the nose. The dry-hopping is also clear, here, with the pithy, citrusy, little bitter tang of orange zest, which melds nicely with the vinous, mineral tones supplied by the brett. There’s a mild, tangy, phenolic funk that floats behind the vinous and zesty flavors. Some malt structure props up the hops and yeast, offering floury biscuits, and more raw wheat kernels. A little warming alcohol creeps up toward the end, along with a moderately bitter, citrus zest flavor—which isn’t all that surprising, considering this is a saison clocking in at 8.5% ABV. The brett definitely lightens up the base beer, tamping down the strongly fruity esters of Tank 7 and turning them into drier floral and lightly funky tones. The brett’s young, but this is still a damn good saison.

Mouthfeel (4.5): The body comes in at a medium, velvety weight that immediately lightens up with an expansive, fluffy foaming action, which persists until it washes out. The hops and phenols, boosted by the alcohol, dry out the body significantly before the wash. In spite of its size and all of its different pieces, this is incredibly easy and satisfying to drink.

Overall (4.25): Right now, this is a lovely saison and a nice riff on the original beer—but the brett is clearly still pretty young and it has amazing potential. From here on out, though, the brett will transform the beer into something far different from the original Tank 7. When it’s young, you get a nice glimpse of both sides, and it presents a very nice balance of New and Old World renditions of the style without jumping the shark. Nicely done, Boulevard. (Yes, I’ll be buying more.)

Pours a golden/amber color with a large head. Aroma is malt, yeast, and slight alcohol. Taste is similar to the aroma with more alcohol in the taste. Not sure of ABV after years of aging, but very tasty. BB1-8-2019

World class indeed! This is a beautiful beer. The head retention exceeds most belgians and essentially all other domestically produced brett beers except perhaps some Oregon and Colorado brett beers.

Giant chunks of ivory foam left in curtains on the glass. Complex, delicate, poised, delicious aromas and flavors.

Bravo Boulevard. Your stouts are disgusting. This is pure art and craft.

Transfer from RB

 

 

 

Released August 2024; drank 9/20/24 @ the Yarchives.

Cloudy orange appearance.

A slow pour yielded a big white head; frothy tree-rung lacing remained.

Lemon, wood & faint lavender notes in the nose.

Medium thin mouthfeel.

Lemon & wood flavors up front; mild lavender notes on the finish.

Balanced, well made & enjoyable. I'd have another!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!