Deep Flux
Boulevard Brewing Co.

RB transfer

 

This is a classic barrel aged Barleywine. Bronze on top but lightening colors from top to bottom throughout. Smells and tastes are strong notes of rye, whiskey, and red wine barrels over the typical Barleywine characteristics of honey, dark fruit, and vanilla. Big, bold, sweet, boozy. Just all around great, and I’m bummed they haven’t done it again. Some of Boulevard’s barrel aged beers were what initially got me into craft beer, and drinking this one about a decade later reminds me why.

A - Pours a lightly hazed amber with a one finger off white head. Decent amount of soapy lacing.

S - Aroma is raisins, plums, caramel, vanilla and whiskey.

T - The taste is raisin, plums, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, oak and whiskey barrels.

M - Medium body with medium carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel with a soft drying finish.

O - Really solid Barleywine. Pretty easy drinker for being 14.3%.

There are some classic barleywine elements here, butterscotch pudding, raisin, caramelized brown sugar etc. Plenty of booze as well, I think this is a big one. Definitely barrel aged, there is a nice oaky bite, a vinous note (wine? brandy?), and maybe some bourbon. Sweet overall but the grape-y tartness keeps things on an even keel. Overall this comes together extremely well.

 

12oz bottle poured into a teku

A- pours a bright clear amber color with a one-finger foamy off-white head that reduces to a ring

S- lots of barrel influence on the nose; peppery and spicy rye, along with sweet vinous wine and wet oak. Brown sugar, vanilla, clove, booze soaked figs

T- rich and malty up front with notes of caramel, toffee and brown sugar. Mid-palate gives some hoppy bitterness, quickly followed by plenty of barrel notes; peppery and spicy rye first, followed by vinous sweet madeira. The finish gives hop bitterness, booze, caramel, spicy rye and madeira

M- medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a creamy mouthfeel that continues into an almost chewy, warming finish

O- heavy barrel influence throughout with plenty of booze to boot. The complexity increases as it sits

 

 

 

12 oz bottle, best by 10/22/21 - almost a year old. Pours hazy copper gold with some big floaties and a big fizzy off white head that retains fairly well and laces the glass.

The aroma is sweet and boozy with vanilla, fruit, and wood.

The flavor is sweet candied malts with some vanilla and a big harsh alcohol bite and burn in the finish. As it warms more caramel and toffee come out. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with smooth carbonation.

Overall, still too sweet and boozy even after about a year.

 

Type: 12-oz. bottle
Reviewed as: American Barleywine
Glass: Revision 12-oz. tulip
Price: $4.99
From: San Diego Wine & Beer Company in Miramar (San Diego), Calif.
Purchased: Dec. 20, 2020
Consumed: Jan. 5, 2021
Misc.: Collaboration with 3 Floyds' Bottled on Oct. 22, 2020; Best by Oct. 22, 2021

Grabbed a bottle of this and another, along with a 6-pack of North Park after making a trade at Pure Project. Had been wanting to try this so was happy to finally see it in stores. Boulevard’s website called it “A while back, we took our friends at 3 Floyds on a long strange trip down a deep, dark hallway past thousands of our bourbon, rum, tequila, and red wine barrels. We stopped to rest next to a collection of rye whiskey and Madeira wine casks, and after a few beers, we agreed that, yes, these were the chosen ones. A couple more beers and we heard them tell us they wanted to be filled with barleywine - and when barrels speak, we listen. Deep Flux is a unique, pale barleywine that pours a rich auburn color with aromas of brown sugar, oak, and dark stone fruit. This malty brew is beautifully complimentary of its barrel aging, which spent 100% of its process in wood barrels and broke down into 60% in rye whiskey barrels and 40% in Madeira wine casks. The end result for Deep Flux is a big and boisterous barleywine with resplendent flavors of rye, Madeira, and oak lurking in the barrels.” Sweet. #BiL

Poured a deep copper/garnet clear color with two fingers of frothy off-white head. Could see some bubbles coming up from the bottom of the class. Below average watery lacing. Below average retention. (Sight - 3.25)

Smelled whiskey, port wine, vanilla, toffee, caramel, leathery oak, date, dark fruit, brown sugar, lingering banana and hints of Belgian cloves. Really got better as it went down. Not quite as good out of the bottle as expected. (Smell - 4.50)

Tasted almost as good as the nose. Got whiskey, port wine, vanilla, toffee, rye spice, leathery oak, caramel, date, dark fruit, brown sugar, banana and hints of Belgian cloves. Super smooth for 14.3 pct. ABV. (Taste - 4.25)

Full body. Sticky texture. Average carbonation. Long, smooth finish. (Feel - 5.00)

Damn. Just an absolute banger for an American Barleywine. May have underrated this overall. In search of more. (Overall - 4.50)

4.38 | 97 | A

 

Pours a med-large frothy off-white 1 finger head with moderate retention, fair sticky lacing, very hazy dark auburn color

Nose fair sweet malt, caramel, toffee, fair dark fruits, fig, plum, etc, with plenty of caramel reddish toasted malt, light perfumey alcohol, light sweet wine, hint of oak

taste more sweet malts, reddish toasted sweet malt with plenty of caramelized sugars, toffee, a touch nutty, caramel candy, plenty more fruits, raisin, fig, candied date, etc, a bit of sweet fortified wine, light buttery oak, a little hot tingly but smoother perfumey alcohol, light to med bitterness with some spicy hop notes and maybe spicy rye, mild sticky sweet finish,

Mouth is fuller bod, rich almost chewy like, fair warming slight tingly alcohol, med lighter frothy carb

Overall decent barleywine, pretty tasty and enjoyable, not incredible but nice

12 ounce bottle into a snifter. Bottled 10/22/20, had 3/12/21.

Pours a bright copper color, clear, with a quarter inch quickly dissipating head and a little light, foamy lacing. Aromas of caramel, malt, brown sugar, some rye whiskey- more as it warms, some grapes and cherries, some oak, light wine. Has a spicy aroma, mostly smells like rye. The flavors present mostly as the aroma does- caramel, rye whiskey, some wine, malt, oak, some cherries and grapes, some vanilla, light brown sugar and raisins. Has a spicy flavor- again, mostly rye, and there’s a bit of alcohol warming. Smooth, a very good medium body, appropriately carbonated.

There’s a lot going on here, a multitude of aromas and flavors with a big rye presence. The rye whiskey barrels really pull this together, while the Madeira barrels are a solid compliment. Definitely let this fully warm up. Really enjoyable, looking forward to aging a few bottles.

 

 

 

Very good Barleywine from Boulevard. Pours a clear burnished copper color with a small foamy white head. The head lasts a surprisingly long time for a 14.3% abv beer. Aroma is prominent right out the bottle as the cap is removed. Not as much after the beer is poured. The aroma is sweet caramel malt and some toffee - good Barleywine aromas!!!!! Flavor is more of the same but some oak bitterness and a little whiskey (with all this going on, I didn't pick up any wine flavor). The taste is very good and surprisingly not limited by any alcohol harshness - this is a very strong beer. I doubt that it was cellared that long. I drank it fairly soon after I bought it and Bottle Craft in Va Beach doesn't feature a lot of dusty old bottles. Mouthfeel is rich, sweet and features a little oak bitterness. Fairly smooth for a Barleywine (and a strong one at that). A little alcohol "bite" and some warmth but no harsh "burn". A great slow sipper, I enjoyed this beer.