Boulevard Double Wide IPA

Brewed by Boulevard Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Kansas City, Missouri USA

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.

An impressive start to DIPA. S: The hops are predominant, framed by a underlining sweet maltiness. Hop aromas of pine oil, evergreen needles, mint leafs, grapefruit peels and leafy herbs. Caramel, bready malts are at the edges. F&T: Moderate bodied with a nice chewy creaminess, softly firm from the carbonation. While the hops rule the taste, there is also a nice balance of flavors,Double Wide to be easy to drink and highly enjoyable. Hop tastes of sweet peaches and apricots, mint leafs, earthy, leafy dark green herbs, orange peel and pith, and oily pine needles. Grain bready, caramel maltiness provide at light sweet backing to the hops. The alcohol is barely noticeable, just a low temperature warmth in the back of the palate with the flavor of pepper and pineapple juice.

Pour: 750 mL champagne style bottle to pint glass. Absurdly dark color for an IPA; it’s a ruddy murky muddy brown shade with a large fluffy head of a white peach flesh hue. Excellent retention and thick lacing.

Nose: Very very sweet aroma. Sappy caramel and real maple syrup, with candy apple, grapefruit rind, and pineapple.

Mouth: Sticky caramel is the first thing to hit the tongue, along with a candied pineapple hoppiness. Midpalate is muddled with bready and hoppy notes that struggle to shine but neither succeed. Finish evolves slowly, at first buttered toast (?!) and finally a decent lingering bitterness without much astringency. I can feel the 8.5 but I can’t taste it. Mouthfeel is very very effervescent, in fact overly so. It’s hard to drink without immediately burping, but after some rigorous glass-swirling and a bit of patience, it becomes more tolerable.

Verdict: I like my IPAs and DIPAs (this beer seems to be somewhere between IPA and an Imperial Red) to be 1) dry, 2) hop-centric, and 3) bitter. This beer is sticky, malty, and only a little bitter. It’s a tolerable beer and it doesn’t taste bad by any means, but it’s a departure from my stylistic ideal.

Bottle. Rich amber bronze beer with a big light tan head. Grapefruit aroma with light caramel and light earth. Grapefruit flavor with caramel and a light woodsiness. Medium bodied. OK bitterness, but could definitely use more. Grapefruit lingers with light pine and caramel.

750 ml Bottle. Dark orange color with a bit of haze and a frothy white head that settles quickly. Heavy citrus on the nose, with subtle pine and caramel. Flavor is somewhat sweet initially, but is rapidly replaced by an assertive bitterness. Mouthfeel is on the thin side for an imperial IPA. Finishes with a note of alcohol and a touch of tongue coating acidic hop resin. Beer does not quite live up to its fabulous nose as its overall qualities are a bit one dimensional compared to some other beers in this style.

Pours a wicked cloudy orange colour with a creamy white head. Aroma is floral, enticingly hoppy, pine grapefruit and lemon. Mouthfeel is creamy, slightly astringent with nice soft spritz. Taste is spicey, hoppy, and fruity all the way through. Awesome!