Boulevard - Imperial Stout "X" Coffee

Dark Truth Stout is amazing. So is The Sixth Glass and Long Strange Tripel.

 

Yeah I think I've seen the Stout X now for $12 ... I may have bought it from the wrong store

 

I hate to say it but I popped a bottle last night and it was really not good. I'm guessing it was an off bottle or something because it had an insipid, flat taste and weird "fizzy" texture/appearance. Couldn't identify any key flavors and could only get through about 6oz. A buddy of mine was with me and he agreed something was off and couldn't even finish his. Sadly, the majority of the bottle got poured down the drain. Haven't done that in nearly 2 years and oddly, this is the second drain pour I've had in a week.

 

Thanks for the info, looking forward to trying this!

 

Oh boy!

 

It's funny, I'm not a fan of bright, fruity coffees - I like mellow, earthy, chocolatey, caramel/molasses notes, and I thought Imperial X was right up my alley. It's quite possible I'm using the wrong words to describe it, or that we picked up on different things, but it sounds like it worked out well for both of us.

Either way, I agree with your last point - very nice work by Boulevard on this one.

 

I'd like to follow up with our QA/QC folks if you'd be willing to email me at jdanner at boulevard dot com. Please include the codes from the back label as well as some more specific notes about your experience. I do find it interesting that you note the beer was "flat" yet "fizzy". It's worth noting our Smokestack Series beers in 750 ml bottles are 100% bottle carbonated and exhibit higher CO2 levels than our other bottled and draft offerings.

We take quality control complaints very seriously and I'd like to have as much information to pass along as is possible.

 

In saying it was "flat" I was referring to flavor, not carbonation. Yea, that was probably not the best word choice lol. "Blah" would have been more appropriate. It just didn't really have much taste I felt like and no discernible layers/complexity. I'll gladly shoot you the info on the bottle once I get home. Shit happens, so its not like I'm holding it against you all or anything! Still love Boulevard

 

Just bought a bottle here's hoping your experience was the exception to the rule. I do find my tolerance/patience for beer that isn't good to great gets lower by the day.

 

Well, I may have gotten a bit carried away in my description. But I do think "cordial" was an apt descriptor for the coffee note, and my comparison to Victory at Sea was deliberate in that regard. But we all experience flavors in different ways, and coffee is no different in that regard. Whether blueberry, chocolate, or cherry, the notes still fall on the continuum of what we know as coffee. That's my point--this was an unmistakably coffee stout. Boulevard's X series is off too a roaring start. Can't wait to see what's next.

Appreciate Boulevard's continued presence here and it's direct involvement with its customers, @TheJermis.

Hope it was an exception, too. I can only speak for myself, but I thought it was an excellent beer.

 

definitely agree with you there

 

I'm a bit surprised about some of the negative reviews. I enjoyed my second bottle of this last week, which was consistently good, medium coffee forward with a earthy taste. It had a good nose and poured heavy, so I thought it would be overwhelming but it was strikingly mellow and the aftertaste lingered in a very satisfying way. The second time I had it with Trader Joe's Truffle Chocolates and it was the bees knees. Also, gotta love that price point.

 

These were my thoughts as well, glad I'm not alone. It in no way was a bad beer, just not good and didn't know how to describe it. Hopefully I'll see it on draft and give it another chance.

 

Imperial Stout X - Coffee was only available in 750 ml bottles. There aren't any kegs, not even a limited amount for special events or festivals.

 

Bummer. I'll certainly give it another shot then and grab another bottle because it seems like the rest of your beers - excellent.

 

What price is this going for? some confusion at a store here in tx where they initially told me it was 8.99 and later rang it up as 13.99

 

By law, we have zero influence in dictating price at the retail level, but Imperial Stout X - Coffee is sold to our distributors at the same pricing tier as our other limited release beers like Saison-Brett, Bourbon Barrel Quad, and Rye-on-Rye. In the KC area, these bottles are typically in the $11-$15 range.

 

Has anyone seen this in California yet?

 

I need to pop another one and see how this guy is holding up

 

It was pretty good, although not particularly memorable or worth killing yourself to find. Their ba imp stout is way better