Tasting Room Series: Imperial Stout Aged In Port, French Oak & Rye Whiskey
Boulevard Brewing Co.

L-dark brown/black...ruby highlights the light head.

S-Bakers chocolate....dark berries....plums..black cherries.......lighter impressions of vanilla.....oak.....nougat....

T-Love how this one comes together with the dark berries, plums, black cherries adding a vinous touch that combines with a nice blend of dark chocolate, caramel and nougat.

F-Surprisingly this is not immense body wise despite the ABV...full bodied but not decadently rich. Drinks pretty easy.

O-I love how the flavors blend in this...the oak and whiskey notes are lighter than in your typical bourbon barrel aged stout but that actually works fine in the overall flavor. A lot of times I drink one of these barrel aged beers and I love it but I'm also good not having another for awhile. This is one I could probably drink every night.

Black color. One-finger thick, beige head. Rich aroma of toasted malt, port, plums, chocolate, wood and vanilla. Balanced taste with moderate malty sweetness and bitterness from wood and roasted malt. Full body. Warming finish.

**
12/21/2021

2020 bottle to snifter.

LOOK: dark black color, small beige head, very good retention. Very thick body.

AROMA: light roast, light wood, lightest touch of whiskey with notes of grape, raisin.

TASTE: cocoa, whiskey, black cherry, raisin, wood comes in later but is very smooth and strong, blackberry, raspberry. Black Pepper starts light, but grows throughout. Very tasty and enjoyable. Complex. A lot going on and positive changes through sipping.

FEEL: mostly full body, (85%), mostly smooth, a little dryness in the back end which seems to be a product of the woody oak flavors, carbonation is below expectation.

Very nice.

**

 

Damn good beer. I remember first getting into craft beer and Boulevard’s barrel aged stout was one of my first “five star” beers. So I see them trying any of that style, I’m in. This one is pretty bad ass. Standard BA stout appearance-cola dark, thinning brown edging, mild lacing with some thick legs. Smell is sweet-chocolate, molasses, and malt, a strong smell of vanilla, oak, rye, and sweet port. Taste is all of the above, with a bit of a coffee presence as well. Medium to big bodied, but there’s no oiliness or stickiness for it, as it has a clean mouth watering finish. Strong boozy presence. Again-damn good beer. Wish I had more. Guess I’ll have to find more Boulevard BA stouts.

Black in color with no penetration to light. There’s a fingernail of brown around the rim and covering three quarters of the top. The aroma is of vanilla, earthy rye, bold and tart port, and sweet malt. I taste a wallop of vanilla, alcohol, and sweet malt. The tart port notes are much more apparent as it warms. The mouth is sticky and boozy.

12 oz bottle, wow what a combo on the label. This could go either way I think.
Bottled on 8/24/20, and another 12%'er.
Acquired on my trip to Tennessee. Likely purchased in St. Louis.
THAT! NE IPA Snifter.

Deep slick black with a creamy brown head of 1/2 finger, receding slowly to a ring. Hangs around better than that porter did.

The complexity is apparent in the nose. It's a nice hefty blend of stiff whiskey oak, dried oak, caramel chews, coffee, and a splash of port wine. I also get a bit of chocolate raspberry.

Flavor is very barrel forward, and the stiff bitter port and the dusty white oak overwhelm whatever whiskey barrel was used. Hops make an appearance as well. There are hints of caramel and cream laced throughout this beer, buoying up only occasionally. I also get hints of hazelnut as odd as that seems. This reminds me a bit of their Deep Flux with the hops being as forward as they are. It's not particularly sweet in any way. It's a very hot beer with a sharp profile. Still, I cannot deny its complexity, it's pretty keen.

First thing I noticed off the bat was how thin this stout was. It's not at the abysmal level of Dragon's Milk (nothing is) but it's definitely not something that sticks around and coats the palate. Side by side, it is noticeably thinner than their BA porter. Perhaps half as thick. As it nears room temperature, it thickens up a little bit. The heat is also atrocious, and there's quite a bit of resin hanging around on the back end.

Overall, the complexity is the strong suit in this one, but to me it's not as enjoyable as most barrel aged beers are.

Price paid : $3.99 / single
Would buy again : no

Poured into tulip glass. Pours a very dark beer. N ice small dark creamy head which goes to a consistent nice lacing down down the glass. Aroma is complex a port aroma with some dark fruit notes a slight oaky note. Flavor is a very complex mix of flavors. Some chocolate, malts, dried fruit sweetness, with port sweetness with a oaky note. Rye spice does show up at the back end.
Overall this is a complex wonderful beer which deserves another. this is part of their tasting room series, my hope is this becomes one of their stable of beers.

Picked up a Tasting Room six pack; half imperial stout and half imperial porter, from TW Arrowhead on 11-12-20 for $19.99. Best by 21AUG2022; consumed the first bottle 2-5-21.

Beer poured black as night with a nice tan head that has good hang time.

Nose is a very nice combo of port and whiskey barrel and light roasted malts.

Taste is a huge malt base that has been aged in multiple barrels and the Port is front and center with the Rye in the background. Hopping is nicely done and in conjunction with the barrels this is a balanced beer.

Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and very soft resulting in a smooth sip each time.

Overall this beer rocks as it is a great value for the price point. Seek it out if you are a fan of this style!

 

 

 

Poured from 12oz bottle into my BeerAdvocate teku. Year 2020, Release 001.

Appearance: rich, murky, extremely dark brown hue, if not quite black. head is a thick finger of creamy dark-tan foam; I think it's quite pretty!

Smell: sweetness and oakiness from the rye; fruity dessert from the port, and nice chocolate as well as dark fruit notes from the malt. What a delightful and complex treat!

Taste: richly fruity, certainly from the port cask but I think there's a dark-fruit character that I associate with strong, malty beers as well. Notes of chocolate and roast complement the fruit very well. The whiskey character, while subtle, is also definitely present there toward the end. This beer is surprisingly balanced, despite its general sweetness. Wow, I'm really digging this beer!

Mouthfeel: medium-rich body with a good level of carbonation and a very smooth creaminess. Very good indeed.

Overall: I'm thinking there're just not enough port-barrel-aged beers out there, because this thing is wonderful! Absolutely worth checking out.

Pours a pitch black color with a thick foamy head. Head retention and lacing are both very good. Nice whiskey aroma. A little woody with hints of dark fruits and chocolate. Taste holds the same profile. Smooth, medium to heavy bodied, moderate carbonation, and very drinkable.

 

 

 

Enjoy by 8/24/22. 12oz bottle poured into a tulip. Pours black; small khaki that fades leaving okay retention and lacing. The aromas have whiskey leading the way. The whiskey shines but is balanced in the aroma department. Subtle hints of dark wine. Some chocolate coming through. Malts are there. The flavors follow the nose. The rye whiskey leads the way. More subtle dark wine characteristics. More milk chocolate. Some cherries. Hints of vanilla and coconut in the mix. Mild hints of oak. Subtle spiciness. Subtle sweetness. Low bitterness. Malts do their thing. There's an obvious subtle warmth in the finish, but it's not hot or boozy at all. Mouthfeel is full-bodied with moderate carbonation. It's fluffy, slightly creamy and velvety, smooth and dangerously drinkable.

This is a really nice barrel-aged stout. I wouldn't expect anything less from Boulevard. It's big, bold and balanced. Well done. I really like it.

Boulevard! Makers of many good brews, though I’m still convinced they don’t understand the meaning of the word “rare”. 12 oz. bottle.

The pour is pretty dark. The nose is pretty good & everything is accounted for: roasted malts, rye, fruit from the port.

Boulevard’s Imperial Stout – Aged in Port, French Oak, & Rye Whiskey Casks has more layers than Mars regolith. The barrels bum rush the actual beer: rye whiskey & ruby port mingle on top, followed by plenty of desiccated oak to keep the two aggressors in check. The port sinks in plum, blackberry, black cherry. The beer barely peeks through with a touch of roasted malt & probably adds sweetness, but who can tell? Moderate alcohol. The sweetness might limit the amount I drink before canker sores & sugar poisoning take hold.

This is a barrel showcase & that case is delicious. A little more support from the base beer would have pushed this one through the roof. Excellent brew.

12oz bottle. Poured out an opaque, jet-black color with a small, light brown colored head of bubbly foam. It left sudsy trails of lace. It smelled of bourbon, oak, whiskey, vanilla and roasted malt. Big boozy taste with bourbon, oak, vanilla, chocolate, and toffee.