Imperial Stout
Boulevard Brewing Co.

Imperial StoutImperial Stout
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From:
Boulevard Brewing Co.
 
Missouri, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
Ranked #1,214
ABV:
11%
Score:
93
Ranked #3,424
Avg:
4.18 | pDev: 10.05%
Reviews:
389
Ratings:
1,341
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 05, 2024
Added:
Oct 23, 2008
Wants:
  272
Gots:
  406
Like India Pale Ale, the classic Imperial Stouts were originally brewed with high levels of alcohol and hops to withstand the rigors of a long sea journey, not to India but to Imperial Russia and the Baltic States. Our version is an over-the-top riff on the style, with a huge grain bill featuring several kinds of malted barley, wheat, rye, oats, and spelt. Robust grain and coffee flavors are counterbalanced by date and plum notes from the Belgian yeast. To add extra complexity and depth, this Imperial Stout is made up of a blend of freshly brewed beer and several barrel-aged beers, carefully balanced. Za Vas!

63 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4.12 by Prospero from Colorado

Jan 05, 2024
 
Rated: 4.09 by Uconnelmo from Connecticut

Dec 31, 2023
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

4.46/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Draft at BitterCreek. I thought I had hit the highlights, but then this..... F’ing WOW! Inky black , small silky head. Blah, blah, blah. Aroma is a malted chocolate bar, roasty, sweet. Taste gets better, chocolate, sweet roast grains. And smooth....Velvet, dayglo bullfighter on velvet. Hits every mark. I’m melting into my bar stool. Incredible.
Oct 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.06 by not2quick from Missouri

Oct 25, 2023
 
Rated: 4.17 by dms1767 from Nebraska

Oct 19, 2022
 
Rated: 4.25 by StretchZep from Ohio

Dec 31, 2021
 
Rated: 4.23 by mltobin from Connecticut

May 28, 2021
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.83/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
This is a review of the 2013 vintage, consumed on Halloween 2017.

Pours black but with a full sized 1" beige colored head. Dense. Aroma was light, sweet whiskey alongside a lesser amount of roasted malt, we're talking like a 60/40 split in the nose (similar to that on the label).

Taste was good and relatively easy going for something with a hefty amount of roasted malt, bitterness and whiskey barrel influence alongside an 11% mouth feel of alcohol that isn't anywhere near that perceptible. The yeast is far more influential taste wise, dark fruit bitterness on it, makes you think this is a quad and imperial stout blend. And I guess that would be the least desireable aspect of the beer, the bitterness from multiple sources (roasted malt, hops, yeast) that isn't fully met by the partial aging in whiskey barrels. That yeast also seems to contribute to the 'thin' notion that isn't really borne out by the hefty amount of malt going on here. I liked it, but less than your average person.
Aug 19, 2020
 
Rated: 3.88 by flgimp from Pennsylvania

Jul 08, 2020
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Reviewed by macrosmatic from Florida

3.88/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
Reviewed from (long-standing) notes. 2014 vintage bottle, consumed 5/16/16. Poured from a 750 mL bottle into a J. Wakefield Brewing OG teku glass.

A: Very dark brown and nearly opaque. Low visible carbonation, but a big three-finger tan head with great retention.

S: Whiskey, chocolate, vanilla, and oak. Deep moist tobacco, cacao nibs, and toffee.

T: Chocolate and roasted malts. A big punch of whiskey with some alcohol sweetness and heat. Vanilla, oak tannins, and mild barrel char. Some bitterness (roasted malts – a bit of hops? Can’t pick out specific flavors) after the swallow with fading malt and ethanol sweetness.

M: The body is fairly thin, and I think this detracts from the beer pretty significantly. Whiskey flavors are pretty dominant, and it does drink a bit “hot” but not insanely so. Low carbonation sensation.

O: The whiskey presence toes the line, but I think stops just short of being over the top. Aside from the thin body, there aren’t really flaws here…but not much to set it apart or prevent it from being forgettable. Decent, but nothing I’d go seeking out in a world crowded with barrel-aged stout offerings.
Mar 24, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by teamwiggum from Wisconsin

Aug 08, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by Griffith from Connecticut

Jul 11, 2019
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Reviewed by HopsAreDaMan from Missouri

4/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had the 2015 version 12 oz bottle in a side-by-side with a few other imperial stouts. Although it was very good, it was not at the level of a barrel-aged RIS, so I was a bit disappointed by this beer. For the price (about $4 a bottle) I judge there are many other better imperial stouts out there.
Dec 28, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by Vidblain from Minnesota

Dec 11, 2017
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Reviewed by Tony210 from New Jersey

4.44/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
2014 vintage - had been in my cellar for 3+ years... Best by date is 10/2016, so I am a year late...

Pours very dark, gave me 3 fingers of foam, which was delicious (vigorous pour)! Great carbonation. Big whiskey and chocolate aromas, coffee in the background with the roasted malts. Pretty complex brew, rich and creamy, quite sweet, like s sweet milk stout, big whiskey presence, gobs of chocolate, sweet vanilla, some dark fruits, fig, prune. Viscous and sticky, fairly full bodied. Overall a nicely done brew - I am curious how it would have tasted a year or two ago.

12/4/17
Bomber
4.5 rating
Dec 04, 2017
 
Rated: 4.03 by HopsForBrains from North Carolina

Dec 03, 2017
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Reviewed by spaser from Canada (AB)

4.63/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
2014 vintage, drank November 2017.

Barrel character is very apparent. Strong vanilla, and malt notes, weaker hints of chocolate, tobacco, smoke, and a touch of spiciness. To me this beer epitomizes what a barrel aged stout should taste like.
Nov 08, 2017
 
Rated: 3.97 by Justdoit1234 from Minnesota

Oct 16, 2017
 
Rated: 4.75 by NickThePyro from Washington

Aug 24, 2017
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Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

4/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This was poured into a snifter. The appearance was a dark brown close to black color with a soft and somewhat refined bubbly off white to slight tan slim head. This head died within about less than forty seconds. The lacing was there in a slightly weird messy way, but it was there. The smell started off with a boozy roasty coffee cocoa sort of blend. As it warmed, a light plum entered in. The taste was mainly boozy and sweet but did have a decent roasty quality about it. On the palate, this one sat about a medium on the body with more of a sipper aspect to it. The carbonation was slightly there but allowed a decent harshness to pervade. Overall, I say this was a good Imperial Stout it draws out all of the aspects as any Imperial Stout should. This would make a great night capper.
Jun 29, 2017
Imperial Stout from Boulevard Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 93 out of 100 with 1341 ratings