Worth The Wait
Boulevard Brewing Co.

This has been labeled an Imperial Red Ale and an Imperial IPA. I'll be reviewing within those confines. Pour color is a rich burgundy that holds a little more mahogany-brown to it when held against the light. Head is two fingers of lightly tan khaki that retains well. Aroma is ripe with hops, forming a notable bite right at the front. Notes are grassy, herbal, resiny lightly piney hops with caramel, bread, toffee and brown sugar mixed in behind. Mix favors the bite of the hops, as opposed to the richness of the malt behind. This favoritism changes as the beer warms slightly, landing it more in balance, although still favoring the hops. Flavor profile is more balanced, mingling the hops with the malts vs. being suspended apart something like oil on water. Hops are similar, coming by way of herbal, grassy, piney and resiny, carrying a notable stickiness. Malts are caramel, toffee, bready and lightly earthy, adding just a bit of grit to each sip. Mouth feel is medium in thickness with an unoffensive, mild, middle-of-the-road effervescence that teeters somewhere between crisp and soft. Overall, it's smooth with quality hop bite and favorable malts behind to back it up. It's not quite as smooth as the Mahomes-Tyreek connection, but not much compares there.

Served in a 15.5oz Speigalau tulip from a 750mL bottle.

Dark copper colored with a sedimentary haze. There’s a fingernail of brown around the rim and covering two thirds of the top. I’m smelling gently toasted malt. I’m tasting an abundance of toasted malt with a chestnut like flavor. The mouth is dry and lightly boozy and warm.

 

Picked up a caged and corked 750 ml bottle from the Craft Beer Hop Stop on 7-16-20 for $13.99. Bottled on 030220; best by 03022021; consumed 9-25-20.

Beer poured deep amber with a beautiful off white head that has some very good hang time.

Nose is a nice combination of citrus and toasted malts.

Taste is really well balanced with the toasted and caramel malt base combining nicely with a balancing dose of grapefruit. Finishes perfectly balanced; 3/10 on my bitterness scale.

Mouthfeel is moderately smooth and not overly refreshing.

Overall this strikes me as an old school imperial amber ale that falls just short of the bitterness required for a DIPA. Fun beer to have and cheers to the Chiefs for a great run last year and a fun team to watch!

 

Why this catagorized as a DIPA is beyond me will rate as an Amber

Opens with a resounding pop, pours an effervescent haze/scarlet with a sliver of fastfalling tan head. Below average head retention & lacing

S: Toastyness. leafy & woody hops, fades over time

T: Follows the nose, leafy hops some caramel up front. Toastyness, a little dryness & leafy hops as this warms, some sweet brown/maple sugar notes too. Finishes dry, toasty with leafy & woody hops

MF: Medium body, soft carbonation & pretty good balance, body thins as this warms

Not a bad beer, but the lack of body really drags this down, ABV is fairly well concealed, Had much higher hopes for this

This brew is a deep, ruddy amber-brown color with a cream-colored head. The smell is sweet, with a resin and pine hop bill. Wonderfully complex. The taste is balanced, with a firm bitterness. The alcohol warmth is ever-present. Finish is quiet, considering the forceful start to the beer. Still, this one is excellent.

This pours a thin beige head from Boulevard's Smokestack Series 750 ml bottles. Aromatic nose based on a sweet malt bill. It circulates up into your olfactory senses. The malty finish has the tiniest tinge of licorice but the imperial red ale classic flavor prevails.

 

750ml bottle. Poured out a clear, dark amber color with a large, khaki-colored head of foam. It smelled of roasted malt, pine, citrus and toffee. Sweet toffee and caramel taste with a bold, piney bite and hints of citrus.