Bourbon Barrel Quad Barrel-Aged Ale (BBQ)
Boulevard Brewing Co.

12oz bottle purchased from the fridge as a 4-pack for $16.99. Bottled 9/30/20 and says Please Enjoy By 9/30/22. I'm not sure if the brewery sits on these for a while after bottling before they release it (doubtful), or maybe there's just some old stock at the local distributors (more likely). Either way, I don't mind picking this beer up from the store with a year of age on it as it probably improves it.

Look: Pours a beautiful dark ruby / light brown color with near clarity. There are lots of tiny bubbles rising to the surface and there is a very thin beige colored head that is sitting on top. Nice lacing.

Smell: Up front, you get pretty huge bourbon aroma. It's not all bourbon though - you can also detect very nice oak barrel character, vanilla, cherry cordial, amaretto, toffee, and chocolate. Smells a bit spicy as well, lots of esters and Belgian yeast character. Secondary notes of dried figs, raisins, and clove. Overall, there is a very nice maltiness to this beer (are there any hops in here? who needs 'em!) The nose indicates that there is a lot of complexity to this beer.

Taste: Initially, it's a little hot as I am feeling the warming in my chest. I'm also probably just acclimating to this 12.2% ABV beer. Overall, it's very smooth and this drinks extremely well for being so high in alcohol. The flavors mirror the nose quite well and the bourbon barrel flavors enhance the Belgian quad flavors very nicely. Up front, there's lots of oak, leather, and bourbon barrel character. This beer has sweet notes but it is actually not a sweet beer which is interesting and welcomed by me. The finish has that lovely cherry pit almond / amaretto flavor along with lots of spice and chocolate and it lingers long in the mouth. There's a bit of tartness in the nose, but there is really no detectable acidity in the taste. I really like this beer and I'm not such a big fan of the strong bourbon flavors, but this just really works and it has been blended very well with the aged beer, fresh beer, and cherries. To reiterate, the drinkability on this beer is super high and it's pretty dry which makes it dangerously easy to drink a lot of this.

Feel: Has a very nice chewy mouthfeel. Carbonation may actually be a bit on the high side for this type of beer; I know that they blend the barrel-aged beer with fresh beer. That problem works itself out as you sip it though.

Overall: One of the first craft beers that I really enjoyed and craved to go out to have on draft was the now defunct Dogwood Brewing Company's Dogwood Winter Ale (2003 Whiskey-Barrel Aged), which was a Dubbel and this beer reminds me a lot of that beer. That is an awesome thing. This is a lovely beer and what's even better is that I use it to make a killer brownie recipe! I'm curious to see how this would develop after another year of age.

Delicious beer. One of my very few 5 star beers.

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle marked enjoy by 9-2-28 into a snifter at 53.8 degrees F.

Appearance- Amber-brown, translucent, tan sudsy head, slightly above average head retention, above average lacing.

Aroma- Cherry, oak, toffee, bourbon, vanilla, medium strength of scent.

Flavor- Cherry, oak, toffee, vanilla, nutmeg, biscuit, slight bourbon, moderately sweet, medium strength of flavor.

Mouthfeel- Between thin and medium body, average carbonation, moderately creamy, moderately sweet, mildly bitter, moderately mouth warming, mildly mouth coating, moderately dry finish.

Overall- Amber-brown and translucent with slightly above average head retention and above average lacing. The bouquet was a mix of cherry, oak, toffee, bourbon and vanilla with a medium strength. The nose was a slightly more complex mix of the same flavors with the addition of biscuit and nutmeg, but the added complexity resulted in a less enjoyable flavor profile. The mouthfeel consisted of between thin and medium body with moderate sweetness and creaminess. The finish was slightly drier than desired. Overall, this was a solid beer that delivered a complex and interesting drinking experience. The barrel characteristics were lower than expected. This beer is a blend of multiple batches aged for different time periods, but it would have benefited from more overall time in the barrel.

Warmed to the mid-50s, this pours a somewhat murky brown with a small, coarse head that dissipates quickly, leaving little to no retention on the rim. The nose is pleasant, offering dark fruit, light spice, and a restrained barrel presence. The initial visual impression is slightly off-putting, as I expect a Belgian quad to maintain at least some lacing or ring. That said, the flavor quickly redeems it. The palate delivers a classic quad backbone—apricot, plum, fig, and a touch of orange peel—layered with a well-balanced barrel character that never overwhelms. Mouthfeel is solid, with moderate carbonation supporting the weight of the beer. The high ABV makes itself known, lending a slightly breathless warmth. It’s likely that both the elevated alcohol and barrel aging contribute to the lack of head retention. Despite that shortcoming, this is a flavorful and satisfying beer, finishing with a subtle bittersweet citrus note. A well-crafted high-gravity offering.

My bad for not drinking this fresh; or maybe I’m destined never to have a good beer from Boulevard.
Bottled in late ‘22 and I opened it in mid February 2026.
The pour started promising; I had hopes that this would be better than most of my Boulevard beers. Sadly, the dregs were prominent and when backlit, horribly obvious. The light brown head was short but lived on in suspiciously island like clumps.
The taste was much more apple juice than the complex combination of dark fruits that I expected. Not even the banana or cloves.
The feel is light, if I thought it was a good beer I’d have gulped it down.
OA, other people obviously think this is quite good, apparently they drank it fresh.
Oh well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The pour is mahogany colored. On the taste, I'm getting brown bread, bourbon barrel, caramel, fig, vanilla, cherry flavored pipe tobacco. Moreover, the 12% abv drinks more like a 9% abv beer. Cheers! A-