Boulevard Smokestack Series - Bourbon Barrel Quad

Brewed by Boulevard Brewing Company
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Kansas City, Missouri USA

Serve in Trappist glass

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Pours dark auburn brown with small yellow fizz. Smells strongly of bourbon and vanilla and hints of cherries. Tastes strongly of sweet bourbon characters, vanilla and hints of toffee, and a subtle cherry flavor with almost no alcohol present at all. Full-bodied with a smooth, velvety texture and mild mouth-carbonation, Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad finishes with a nice lingering sweetness.

The cherries seemed to be more pronounced in the 2010 version, but the 2011 version is just as perfect.

2011 Release, bottle # 0034. Well worth the wait. My first taste of the BBQ from Boulevard. Knew it had to be good as their "The Sixth Glass" Quad is my favorite. Vanilla, cherries, a slight buttery feel. Great carbonation, not too much, left light lacing. Drank from trappist glass. Color was a maple syrup slighty cloudy. Fantastic.

Tried a bottle from 2011, 2010 and 2009 side by side. Pours a cloudy dark copper color with small white head and dissipates quickly. Sweet vanilla, cherry and lots of warm bourbon on the nose. Very rich flavors full of bourbon, caramelized cane sugar, dark fruits. Thick mouth feel with a strong warming effect. This is best aged at three years. The strong bourbon and sugars begin to mellow down and wonderfully complex flavors begin to appear after aging. Put it in your cellar, if you can stand to actually wait.

From notes: Pours a deep dark chestnut brown color with faint amber hues an a massive frothy beige head that has excellent retention, slowly fading into a lasting cap. Large chunks of soapy lacing coat the glass. Complex aroma with hints of dark fruit, spice, barrel character, vanilla and booze. The barrel presence is strong but not overpowering with hints of vanilla, bourbon, earthy oak and toasted coconut. Thankfully the bourbon isn’t overwhelming letting hints of raisin, fig, plum and dark cherry shone through. Chewy medium body with sweet chocolate malt, dark fruit and a nice barrel presence. Similar to the aroma, the bourbon is there but not dominant. Hints of toasted oak, silky vanilla, toasted coconut and sweet bourbon without being hot. The vanilla flavor really smooths things out. Underneath there is a nice malt backbone with hints of chocolate and caramel and plenty f peppery spice and dark fruit notes. Hints of raisin, plum, fig, cherry. Perfectly balanced with an incredibly well masked ABV make this beer dangerously drinkable. Probably my favorite beer in the Smokestack Series.

Just a hint of cherry comes through on the nose - like a lambic might have. ABV is VERY well hidden. Scary to think... Mellow overall with some toffee, maybe a bit of butterscotch, and vanilla on the tongue and aftertaste. If you search for it you get a little sour hit in the corners of your mouth from the cherry. Well put together!

750 ml bottle from the Four Firkins. Reddish brown pour with a light tan creamy head. The bourbon, cherry and vanilla are definitely showcased in both the aroma and the flavor with the bourbon being the star of the show. It has a great creamy mouthfeel and a very smooth finish. One of my new favorite beers. This is an amazing beer.

Drank a cellared 2008 in Nov-2010. Pours smooth orange with little head. Aroma is awesome oak/cherry. Great sipper that tastes of heavy oak and cherries with hints of other dried fruits. Complex flavor profile that keeps you thinking throughout the drink.

Excellent Belgian. I made the mistake of eating it with Thai food. Not the best combination.

This is truly a world-class beer, fantastic in every way. Pours a dark reddish brown with a decent sized head. Aroma is heavy on malts with some definite oak notes as well. Has a nice toffee-malt start when you first sip it, then the vanilla-bourbon flavor hits you, with a hint of cherry rounding it out. The alcohol is surprisingly absent for a beer of nearly 13% ABV.