Boulevard Double Wide IPA

750ml Batch D8095 Received in a recent trade with turbine2475, thanks again Jeremiah! Double-Wide IPA pours darker then expected and appears more garnet then amber. A hazy body barely lets me see the logo on my glass through the beer. A standard pour produces a creamy dense three finger head that eventually falls to a thick cap with a mountain in the middle and a thicker ring around the glass. Leaves chunky lacing after each drink. As soon as I stick my nose in the glass I’m greeted by a strong hop presence, which I always enjoy. Resinous hoppiness hits first but is quickly joined and overtaken by an apricot and grapefruit fruitiness. There’s even a splash here and there of the aspirin like bitterness I’ve really come to enjoy in my IPAs. As this opens up more I seem to pull out blonde tobacco over the top of the caramel maltiness and mild alcohol. Gives the idea this will be a bit of a tongue ripper. The resinous hop presence isn’t quite as prominent as the nose suggested but does take center stage. A quick flash of the apricot comes through mid palate but the grapefruit isn’t around on the tongue. While the resinous hops lead throughout they’re met by the tobacco on the swallow. All of this hop complexity is layered over the top of a caramel foundation that stands out more on the swallow. A hint of clean alcohol here and there adds to the flavor rather then detracts. The mouthfeel on this beer is near perfect. The body is on the heavier side of medium but there’s ample carbonation to keep things moving along before things get at all sticky. Each swallow leaves a coating of bitterness that eventually is becomes the tongue ripper I was expecting. The drying finish only adds to the bitterness. There is huge flavor in this beer but it stays easy drinking throughout. The dryness and bitterness keeps me going back faster then I should which could get dangerous with an 8.5%abv. This is an excellent IPA that will definitely give your tongue a beating which just happens to be a quality I love in my IPAs. My first of the Smokestack Series and if the others live up to Double Wide I’m certainly in for a treat. Thanks again Jeremiah! 6/18/08

Pleasant surprise here, strong lemon and grapefruit notes, excellent amount of dryness, finishes very crisp.

Pour revealed an hazy golden orange hue with a nice white head. Sweet floral citrus aromas. Medium full bodied in your mouth. Good solid bitter hops but balanced well with caramel sugary maltiness. Flavors of lemon and grapefruit kick in. Good long nice finish. Easy drinking. Will sample more of these for sure.

Bottle on 11/30/2008 at the 3rd Annual Richmond Industry Gathering. Clear golden body with a medium frothy off-white head. Citrus and caramel aroma. Big citrus and fruity flavor. Medium full body with moderate carbonation.

Bottle, from Liquor World in Fayetteville. Opened with Sunskates. Warm copper, good dense white head. Intense bright green hop nose, citrus oil, fresh pine and cinnamon, a little marzipan around the edges. Huge pungent oily grapefruit flavor with a gentle balancing touch of sweetness. A really interesting quality to the bitterness: very high volume level, but then very silky at the same time. No rough spots anywhere. Like a freshly squeezed glass of hop juice.

750 ml, thanks General Gao. Huge head finally settles to a 2 inch mound, atop an orange-copper body. Big hop-tilted aroma of earthy tea leaf, caramel-orange, and resin. Medium body is slightly watery, lightly carbonated, and dryish. Taste is orange-grapefruit blend, caramel, resin, and tea leaf with some lightly peppery oak.

Wow, this is an awesome beer. While I wouldnt exactly consider an IPA, it has lots of aroma hops, but too dark and not bitter enough for an IPA (which is fine with me). You can tell the Belgian influence from the brewmaster at BLVD in this one. This is in my favorites list now. Nice head, Citrusy, very malty, and a nice balance of bitterness. There is a hint of oak, although not oak aged. Caramel, with a nice grapefruity sourness. Poured from a 750 bomber into a tulip at 50deg. Simply awesome.

750 ml bottle (for rating #750). Pours a slightly hazy amber color with a large yellowish beige head. The aroma is a mix of sweet caramel malts and tart aged citrus. The flavor is more malt forward than I would expect from an IPA. Flavors include a big caramel malt opening with orange citrus present as well. Grapefruit with slight bitterness in the middle. The finish has some bready/biscuity malt with some more sour citrus. This does warm a bit as it goes down. Medium-full bodied and easy to drink.