Manhattan Social Club
Boulevard Brewing Co.
- From:
- Boulevard Brewing Co.
- Missouri, United States
- Style:
- Rye Beer
- ABV:
- 12.5%
- Score:
- 91
- Avg:
- 4.09 | pDev: 7.09%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 26
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Dec 07, 2023
- Added:
- Jul 16, 2020
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 1
SCORE
91
Outstanding
91
Outstanding
They use an Imperial Rye Ale as the base to mimic the rye whiskey and give it the necessary spicy rye note. Bitters have a distinct herbal and, well, bitter character to them. They put together a heady combination of spices in the brewhouse and in the barrel to try to recreate them.
The sweet vermouth was tricky, but using creativity and the knowledge they gained from discussions with local bartenders they decided the flavors could come from a plum puree added to the barrel during barrel-aging. Using their combined brain power they also came up with a great way to get cherry character into the beer: they added cherry to it.
100% of the beer in the bottle is barrel-aged in a variety of different bourbon barrels. The finished product has an underlying sweetness that dances below the spicy and herbal notes, truly reconstructing the flavors of the original.
This beer will be available for a limited time in 4 -packs of 12oz bottles starting the week of July 6th for the Kansas City area, with surrounding areas to follow.
Malts: pale malt, wheat malt, Munich, Cararye, Special W, Cara 50, Cara 300, CaraFoam
Hops: Bravo, Styrian Golding
Adjuncts: dextrose, brown sugar, dark brown sugar, nutmeg, orange peel, lemon peel, star anise, cinnamon
IBU: 9
The sweet vermouth was tricky, but using creativity and the knowledge they gained from discussions with local bartenders they decided the flavors could come from a plum puree added to the barrel during barrel-aging. Using their combined brain power they also came up with a great way to get cherry character into the beer: they added cherry to it.
100% of the beer in the bottle is barrel-aged in a variety of different bourbon barrels. The finished product has an underlying sweetness that dances below the spicy and herbal notes, truly reconstructing the flavors of the original.
This beer will be available for a limited time in 4 -packs of 12oz bottles starting the week of July 6th for the Kansas City area, with surrounding areas to follow.
Malts: pale malt, wheat malt, Munich, Cararye, Special W, Cara 50, Cara 300, CaraFoam
Hops: Bravo, Styrian Golding
Adjuncts: dextrose, brown sugar, dark brown sugar, nutmeg, orange peel, lemon peel, star anise, cinnamon
IBU: 9
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by pulse from Ohio
4.13/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.13/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
A belated review on this one, but I'll give it a go. 12 oz bottle poured into a fresh pint glass. Pours a dark brown. Heavy rye and spirit taste. Now I'm not at all experienced in the way of spirits or related drinks, so it's tough for me to make comparisons. However, this one always seemed to be true to its label. It has a sort of sweeter smell to go along with the cola-like appearance. I taste cherries, leather, liccorice, ashtrays, and other things. A touch sweet and medicinal. It is definitely strong and numbing like an old-fashioned cocktail, full and well-carbonated. It's got some bitters in there. It's a very good one for fans of the titular drink, if they ever bring it back.
Dec 07, 2023
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho
3.75/5 rDev -8.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev -8.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bottle from Hops and Bottles. Dark, ruddy brown pour, spritzy head. Boozy aroma, whiskey barrel. Taste brings prune and plum notes. Not too off from a quad in flavor. Thin, strong. Lingering whiskey.
Jun 03, 2023
Reviewed by jjamadorphd from Florida
4.27/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.27/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
I really liked this, but I will admit, after letting it age for a year, I coulda had it sit for another one. Even so, it had a dark copper color to it, it had a very appealing boozy and sweet smell to the nose, and the drinking experience was pleasurable. One of the better Boulevards I have had.
Dec 17, 2021
Reviewed by q33jeff from New Jersey
3.81/5 rDev -6.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4.5
3.81/5 rDev -6.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4.5
Look ; cola like, thin black brown. Small light brown head. OK retention.
Aroma: extremely interesting. Cherry, bitters, perfume. Pretzel. Leather, Licorice. Whiskey. Plum. Turpentine. Not amazing, but there is some unique aromas coming in and out of this.
Taste: whiskey first here....much of the same unique flavors from aroma. Licorice is pretty strong also. Caramel sweetness. Aome medicinal flavors.
Feel: medium body, good carbonation. Finish is a bit dry and numbing....almost like an absinthe like finish.
Very unique beer. Kind of all over the place, and had me scrambling for over an hour to describe this monstrosity, but certainly entertaining.
**
Dec 14, 2021Aroma: extremely interesting. Cherry, bitters, perfume. Pretzel. Leather, Licorice. Whiskey. Plum. Turpentine. Not amazing, but there is some unique aromas coming in and out of this.
Taste: whiskey first here....much of the same unique flavors from aroma. Licorice is pretty strong also. Caramel sweetness. Aome medicinal flavors.
Feel: medium body, good carbonation. Finish is a bit dry and numbing....almost like an absinthe like finish.
Very unique beer. Kind of all over the place, and had me scrambling for over an hour to describe this monstrosity, but certainly entertaining.
**
Reviewed by Franziskaner from Missouri
4.01/5 rDev -2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.01/5 rDev -2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Dark brown in color with a murky complexion. There’s a fingernail of brown on a fifth of the top and around a sixth of the rim. The aroma is of whiskey and dark malt. I’m tasting whiskey and dark malt. The mouth is dry, sticky, and boozy.
Oct 24, 2021
Reviewed by Scotchboy from Idaho
4.2/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.2/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
12oz bottle poured into my HotD tulip.
A: Slightly murky dark brown pour leads to an opaque liquid in the glass with a small off-white head.
S: Sweetness and mild spiciness on the nose with an apparent spirit character and minor notes of dark cherry and some other dark fruitiness.
T: Tremendous palate full of notes of oak, cherry, herbal/earthiness, licorice, brown sugar, toffee, dark fruits, some latent heat, orange peel, spice, and notes of vermouth and gin-like botanicals.
MF: Smooth body with light but noticeable heat and light bitterness.
O: Really, really well-executed "cocktail" beer.
May 17, 2021A: Slightly murky dark brown pour leads to an opaque liquid in the glass with a small off-white head.
S: Sweetness and mild spiciness on the nose with an apparent spirit character and minor notes of dark cherry and some other dark fruitiness.
T: Tremendous palate full of notes of oak, cherry, herbal/earthiness, licorice, brown sugar, toffee, dark fruits, some latent heat, orange peel, spice, and notes of vermouth and gin-like botanicals.
MF: Smooth body with light but noticeable heat and light bitterness.
O: Really, really well-executed "cocktail" beer.
Reviewed by beerthulhu from New Jersey
4.41/5 rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25
4.41/5 rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25
-12.5% Enjoy by 8jun21. Consumed 01.04.21
A: Dark auburn pour produces little to no head. A flat black coloring in the vessel. Carbonation was hard to detect. Good viscosity, dark appearance check.
S: Creamy rich chocolate fills the nose, fresh, milky, with some sweet molasses and and warm spicy bourbon. Oaky vanilla, with strong hints of sweet rum and dark licorice.
T: Rich bourbon and molasses on the flavor. Strong, deep chocolate notes are backed by some dark fruitiness of prunes and spicy warm dry rum alcohol. A bit of charred barrel woodiness evolves. The overall perception was simple in theory, but rich, and deep in flavor and execution. A spiciness of cinnamon alcohol and dark figs combines with vanilla as well caramel roast for a boozy dry finish.
M: Thick and syrupy mouthful. So malty its chewy porridge thick with no detectable carbonation. Heavy and lush.
O: The 12.5% plays very well here. The chocolate is rich and deep and blends exceptionally with the boozy warm bourbon highlights to give you a thick and lush mouthful and chewy malt palate. Sweet molasses and vanilla. A definite big occasion beer, dessert style, that is boozy and rich and spicy, and drinks like a meal.
Jan 20, 2021A: Dark auburn pour produces little to no head. A flat black coloring in the vessel. Carbonation was hard to detect. Good viscosity, dark appearance check.
S: Creamy rich chocolate fills the nose, fresh, milky, with some sweet molasses and and warm spicy bourbon. Oaky vanilla, with strong hints of sweet rum and dark licorice.
T: Rich bourbon and molasses on the flavor. Strong, deep chocolate notes are backed by some dark fruitiness of prunes and spicy warm dry rum alcohol. A bit of charred barrel woodiness evolves. The overall perception was simple in theory, but rich, and deep in flavor and execution. A spiciness of cinnamon alcohol and dark figs combines with vanilla as well caramel roast for a boozy dry finish.
M: Thick and syrupy mouthful. So malty its chewy porridge thick with no detectable carbonation. Heavy and lush.
O: The 12.5% plays very well here. The chocolate is rich and deep and blends exceptionally with the boozy warm bourbon highlights to give you a thick and lush mouthful and chewy malt palate. Sweet molasses and vanilla. A definite big occasion beer, dessert style, that is boozy and rich and spicy, and drinks like a meal.
Reviewed by Viaduck from California
4.15/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.15/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pretty brown body with minimal tan head. Very pretty aroma: cinnamon, bourbon, brown sugar,plums, cherries & rye. Mostly sweet with some bitter. Flavors: same as nose with plums & lots if barrel flavors. Lots i on f alcohol heat, feels stronger than 12.5. Or much carbonation but plenty of alcohol tingling. Overall, excellent.
Dec 19, 2020
Reviewed by johnnnniee from New Hampshire
3.75/5 rDev -8.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev -8.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bottle from tfontana, thanks for the opportunity.
Dark brown with ruby at the edges and a thin off white head that dissipates quickly. Sweet sticky maltiness with bits of brown sugar cherry and non de script spices.
Nov 16, 2020Dark brown with ruby at the edges and a thin off white head that dissipates quickly. Sweet sticky maltiness with bits of brown sugar cherry and non de script spices.
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