Brandy Barrel-Aged Belgian Style Golden Ale
Boulevard Brewing Co.

2018 vintage.
12oz bottle: L071218 /// BB 11JUL2020
Opaque, orange beer with a 1" off white head. Falls to a scarce cap after a period of time.
Vinous aromas of barrel and fruit, apple skins. Honey. A touch phenolic in the background.
Caramel, fruit - apple...caramel apple. Booze soaked fruits, grapes. Hint of vanilla and spice late.
Full body, low carbonation. Some heat apparent @ 12.4%abv. Prickly. Long, subtly sweet finish with barrel character coming thru as it warms a little.
Very, very enjoyable...glad to have 1 more in the mix-8pk of Boulevard Barrel Aged in my fridge.

Cellar raiding.
Pours a slightly hazy (from a bit of sediment/dregs) bright orange amber with short lived off white/ tawny rim of head.
Fruity esters on the nose - apricot, pear, spiced apple with notes of the brandy and Belgian yeast.
Fruity and sweet on the palate with apricot, candy apple, pear, a bit of spice and vanilla - brandy booziness - caramel malt.
Medium full mouthfeel with moderately active carbonation - boozy and sweet - a very nice sipper.

 

If, by "Golden", they mean orange-amber, then we can procede without criticism. Because this is an exceptionally tasty offering. Not too sweet, not too bitter, but full-bodied and malty with soome hop balance. Nicely carbonated, and deceptively drinkable despite the added ABV levels found here.
Give me more, please!

 

Good pairing of Belgian esters and brandy barrel. Easy drinking, not hot

Picked up a single from the Kings Beer & Wine cooler 1-10-19 for $4.49. Bottled on 7-12-18; best by 7-11-20. Consumed on 4-21-19.

Beer poured a dark golden with a solid white head that has some decent hang time.

Nose is red wine forward with hints of pear and apple.

Taste is really well balanced. Huge but light malt base imparts grape, pear, and apple with enough hopping to avoid cloying.

Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied and very smooth.

Overall a really delicious brew that is quite a value. Would pick up again if i see it!

12oz bottle - the 2018 edition, duh. We have an early contender for longest beer name of the year, it would seem. Hey Evil Twin, time to step it up!

This beer pours a clear, medium copper amber colour, with one skinny-ass finger of weakly foamy, and mostly just bubbly dirty white head, which leaves a bit of ocean spray lace around the glass as things slowly progress.

It smells of baked red apples, gritty and grainy cereal malt, some earthy spiciness, simple syrup, and some plain leafy, herbal, and musty hop bitters. The taste is bready and doughy caramel malt, faintly woody apple brandy, candi sugar, a subtle earthy yeastiness, black pepper/clove spice, and more well-understated herbal, grassy, and dead floral hoppiness.

The carbonation is average in its palate-dulling frothiness, the body a solid middleweight, and mostly smooth, with nothing really getting in the way of a swell time at this particular juncture. It finishes off-dry, the pome fruity character exhibiting some impressive lingering swagger.

Overall - I gotta admit, this is one rather enjoyable little number! It almost reminds me of hard apple cider, as that near 25-proof booze quotient barely registers on the ol' flavour-buds. And coming in at less than a fiver, so totally, totally worth it.

 

 

Look: copper with a golden/amber hue pour, foam that subsides quickly
Smell: Brandy, sweet, wheat, lightly floural
Taste: Brandy, grape-y (kinda wine-ish), maybe that and cider-ish as well, low bitterness, fruity, full bodied and complex, YUM!
Feel: great full mouth feel
Overall: a boozier belgium that has a lot of flavor, great mouth-feel, and a lot going on. Very tasty.

A - Dark gold pour with beautiful clarity and very thing lacing, light carbonation.

S - Brandy barrel forward in the nose with some light Belgian candy sugar.

T - Just like the nose, brandy barrel is up front and dominant. In the back ground is sweet Belgian candy sugar, some light peppery spice, pear, and some alcohol effervescence on the back side. Finishes sweet and boozy. Leaves a slight aftertaste of brandy and green apples in the mouth.

M - Medium body with light alcohol warming in the back of the throat.

O - An interesting combination of flavors but it works.

 

 

Striking gold color, bubbly but not much head. Aroma has lots of raw brandy upfront with some fruity phenol underneath, though it is a little too muted. Taste works well - brandy compliments those Belgian esters and brings out some apple must, muscat grape, golden raisin & some fusel heat. The brandy dominates maybe a little too much but overall it is a good beer, nice to see a barrel aged beer that utilizes other alcohols besides bourbon.

Pours golden orange. Foamy, short white head that is short lived.

Smells grape, Brandy, pepper, floral, fruity and light earthy yeast.

Tastes caramel, Apple, pear, grape and fruity. Followed by floral, pepper, bready and grassiness. Finish is dry with a fruity and oaky linger. Medium body and fizzy lighter carbonation.

2018 vintage. Release 001. 12oz bottle poured into a tulip. Pours golden with some sediment/floaties, but still has nice clarity; bubbles racing upwards; white head that falls leaving great retention and nice lacing. The aromas have some hints of banana, bubblegum, pear and green apple. Malts and yeasts are there. Some balanced brandy notes in the background. The flavors are bold and on the sweeter side. More banana, bubblegum, pear and green apple. Some black pepper in the mix. Subtle spicy notes. The brandy really comes through in the flavor department. Yeasts do their thing. Solid malt backbone. It finishes warm and the alcohol is noticeable, but it's not really hot or boozy. Mouthfeel is very nice. It's full-bodied with active carbonation. It's very fluffy and light on the palate. This one makes for a perfect sipper.

This is a great brew. They deliver on what you would expect from a "brandy barrel-aged Belgian ale". The craftsmanship is very impressive. It's very enjoyable and fun to drink. Well done. Boulevard always nails their barrel-aged beers.

 

Another wonderful offering from Boulevard's barrel program. A harmonious union of a softly sweet, delicate golden ale and an apple forward brandy barrel.

Monday, November 26, 2018 10:26 PM
12 ounce bottle from variety pack poured to tulip
Sight: light amber, medium off white foam, appears clear
Smell: very good, fragrant, malty aroma
Taste: very good, balance - low/ medium bitterness
Mouthfeel: very good carbonation, tart, follow through, dry finish, bitter aftertaste, boozy
Overall: excellent beer, repeat, look for yes