Grainstorm Black Rye IPA | Boulevard Brewing Co.
Brewed by:
Boulevard Brewing Co.
Missouri, United States
boulevard.com
Style: American Black Ale
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 7.70%
Availability: Winter
Notes / Commercial Description:
Just when you thought it was safe to come out of the root cellar, along comes Grainstorm, a big, wet wallop to the senses. In the glass, dark and turbulent clouds gather. A high-pressure system of pungent hops collides with a stationary front of barley, wheat, and rye. The forecast: a veritable monsoon of flavor, with surges of roasty malt, microbursts of hops, and a chance of golfball-sized hail. The extended outlook calls for unseasonably pleasant enjoyment.
65 IBU
Added by Groenebeor on 12-06-2012
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 667 | Reviews: 119
Reviews by Braz:
4.25/5 rDev +4.9%
Braz, May 05, 2014
More User Reviews:
3.88/5 rDev -4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Deep brown with foamy dark tan head with great retention. Roasted malt and earthy notes in the aroma. Spicy and roasted coffee with balanced bitterness and chocolate undertones. Light citrus notes. Relatively light, frothy feel.
I feel the aroma is rather flat in this one but the flavor is clear and easy. Not the hop wallop as it's described perhaps because this bottle was near the end of it's shelf life but a very nice blend of flavors and easy to drink.
460 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Deep brown with foamy dark tan head with great retention. Roasted malt and earthy notes in the aroma. Spicy and roasted coffee with balanced bitterness and chocolate undertones. Light citrus notes. Relatively light, frothy feel.
I feel the aroma is rather flat in this one but the flavor is clear and easy. Not the hop wallop as it's described perhaps because this bottle was near the end of it's shelf life but a very nice blend of flavors and easy to drink.
460 characters
4.03/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a clear deep brown, heavy with swimming particulates, producing a tall 3+ finger, tan, variously bubbled, foamy, somewhat lasting head that leaves, nice chunky sheets, streaks & motes of lacing. Aroma dark malt, bread, toffee, rye spice & maybe a hint of chocolate with & some hoppy pine. Taste is roast, dark chocolate, & biscuit malts, ample rye spice, notes of toffee, pine, subdued citrus & faint coffee. Alcohol presence is low but manifest as dry bitterness, warmth & spice. Malt forward, developing a sweetness just before hops begin emerge in middle & intensify thru finish into aftertaste where they climax & linger. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate-high carbonation, peppery spice, lightly creamy, dry but clean with some warmth.
754 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a clear deep brown, heavy with swimming particulates, producing a tall 3+ finger, tan, variously bubbled, foamy, somewhat lasting head that leaves, nice chunky sheets, streaks & motes of lacing. Aroma dark malt, bread, toffee, rye spice & maybe a hint of chocolate with & some hoppy pine. Taste is roast, dark chocolate, & biscuit malts, ample rye spice, notes of toffee, pine, subdued citrus & faint coffee. Alcohol presence is low but manifest as dry bitterness, warmth & spice. Malt forward, developing a sweetness just before hops begin emerge in middle & intensify thru finish into aftertaste where they climax & linger. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate-high carbonation, peppery spice, lightly creamy, dry but clean with some warmth.
754 characters
3.93/5 rDev -3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours a deep roasted chesnut brown with a large blooming light beige colored head atop that takes forever to settle leaving a nice full ring behind.Resiny hops stand out most in the nose along with a shot of spicy rye,not much roast.Quite dry on the palate with a healthy dose of citric/resiny hops,there is a sharpness from the rye but it's not in your face,somewhat grainy and earthy but not a whole lot of roast.A well hopped ABA that doesn't have alot of the "black" components,still a nice beer.
500 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours a deep roasted chesnut brown with a large blooming light beige colored head atop that takes forever to settle leaving a nice full ring behind.Resiny hops stand out most in the nose along with a shot of spicy rye,not much roast.Quite dry on the palate with a healthy dose of citric/resiny hops,there is a sharpness from the rye but it's not in your face,somewhat grainy and earthy but not a whole lot of roast.A well hopped ABA that doesn't have alot of the "black" components,still a nice beer.
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4.25/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.19/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Explosive pour into a tulip from 750 ml corked & caged bottle.
Massive four finger head in spite of my best efforts to pour carefully.
Dark appearance brown foam holds nicely for a long time
Very smooth malty feel up front. Full hop flavors don't appear until after way into the mouthfeel phase.
Very enjoyable beer. Very easy to sip through an entire bottle without realizing it.
381 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Explosive pour into a tulip from 750 ml corked & caged bottle.
Massive four finger head in spite of my best efforts to pour carefully.
Dark appearance brown foam holds nicely for a long time
Very smooth malty feel up front. Full hop flavors don't appear until after way into the mouthfeel phase.
Very enjoyable beer. Very easy to sip through an entire bottle without realizing it.
381 characters
3.43/5 rDev -15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
750 ml bottle, best by 11/2014. Pours brown with a huge and growing creamy light tan head that retains well and laces the glass.
The aroma is roast, sweet chocolate malt, rye and piney hops.
The flavor is sweet chocolate malt, spicy rye with big roast piney bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and a little watery.
Overall, a nice black IPA with lots of piney hops, roast and some rye.
395 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
750 ml bottle, best by 11/2014. Pours brown with a huge and growing creamy light tan head that retains well and laces the glass.
The aroma is roast, sweet chocolate malt, rye and piney hops.
The flavor is sweet chocolate malt, spicy rye with big roast piney bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and a little watery.
Overall, a nice black IPA with lots of piney hops, roast and some rye.
395 characters
3.01/5 rDev -25.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
Appearance: dark brown in color, clear, 1 inch head, high carbonation
Smell: roasted malt and citrus hops
Taste: coffee grounds, char, citrus and earthly hops, light rye bread
Mouthfeel: medium-high body, medium-high carbonation, sweet start that becomes bitter and dry
Overall: I love Boulevard and the style, but this one just did not do it for me. The char is heavy on this one and sometimes the rye added a slightly medicinal quality to it. Not a horrible beer by any stretch but there are several others in the style I would go to first. This one was a miss for me.
574 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
Appearance: dark brown in color, clear, 1 inch head, high carbonation
Smell: roasted malt and citrus hops
Taste: coffee grounds, char, citrus and earthly hops, light rye bread
Mouthfeel: medium-high body, medium-high carbonation, sweet start that becomes bitter and dry
Overall: I love Boulevard and the style, but this one just did not do it for me. The char is heavy on this one and sometimes the rye added a slightly medicinal quality to it. Not a horrible beer by any stretch but there are several others in the style I would go to first. This one was a miss for me.
574 characters
4.14/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Serving glass: Poured from tap into Tulip.
Appearance: Black with thin but persistent tan head and light lacing rings.
Smell: Citrus and pine, chocolate, grains and spicy rye.
Taste: Slghtly smoky chocolate with nice layers of citrus and pine. Grainy malts with definite notes of rye. Finish is bitter and spicy with some pine and roasted bite.
Feel: Medium to full bodied, creamy and smooth, but a little chalky and grainy. Dry finish.
Overall: Another very good Smokestack beer from Boulevard.
500 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Serving glass: Poured from tap into Tulip.
Appearance: Black with thin but persistent tan head and light lacing rings.
Smell: Citrus and pine, chocolate, grains and spicy rye.
Taste: Slghtly smoky chocolate with nice layers of citrus and pine. Grainy malts with definite notes of rye. Finish is bitter and spicy with some pine and roasted bite.
Feel: Medium to full bodied, creamy and smooth, but a little chalky and grainy. Dry finish.
Overall: Another very good Smokestack beer from Boulevard.
500 characters
Grainstorm Black Rye IPA from Boulevard Brewing Co.
Beer rating:
4.05 out of
5 with
667 ratings