Boulevard Double Wide IPA

First of all I just have to say this is a Killer Double IPA! The smell is lovely, it tells you everything that this beer has to offer, displaying all the hop characteristics, citrus, pineapple and grapefruit, with loads and loads of rich and sweet caramel maltiness. Dark amber in coloring with a creamy white head, that recedes down leaving behind lots of sticky lacing. Resiny bite on the palate, with some sweet citrus fruits and a very assertive malt backbone holding it all together very well. An excellent offering!

Bottle (Batch D8095). Poured a hazy copper with a creamy off-white head with some lasting and leaving lacing behind. Aroma of citrus hops and floral backed with a slight pine and malt background. Caramel malts in the flavor with an even mix of hops. Medium to full body that is sweet up front yet has moderate bitterness in the ending. Very nice.

Bottle. Pours a coppery haze with a massive head and thick aromas of floral and fruity hops. Flavor is refreshingly different from so many IPAs... sure, the pine flavored bite is there up front, but then things transition to a nice orange juice finish with a touch of hibiscus tea or some other flower type sweetness. There is enough malt to balance all of this out, but it doesn’t really have much character of its own. This is darn good and I wish I had another couple bottles.

Bottle courtesy tpd975. Pours a slightly hazy copper with a large off-white head. Aroma of sweet malt with floral, citrus, and grassy hops. Taste is the same as aroma but more prominent. Medium mouthfeel with a moderate amount of bitterness and smooth alcohol. Very good.

Copper color with a huge beige head. Aroma of citrus and piney hops and caramel malts. Flavor of citrus(grapefruit) hops and caramel malts. Finish is bitter and sticky.

The aroma is distinctly piney, with a slight citrus hint. Deep head with good lacing. The head lingers through the entire beer. Very hoppy with some citrus, bit of a tart finish. Hides the alcohol very well. A well done IPA. Kudos again boulevard

Rich copper color and gloriously thick gold-tinted white foam. Sticky lace. Delicate and full hop aroma that eventually seems to dart and duck around a heavy, warm body of malt; the immediate waft is pineapple, apricot, cotton candy, and fresh pine needles. Cookie dough and toffee gather in the sunshine with stability and ease. Complex character and graceful simplicity holding hands.

The citrus sweetness from the hops is vibrant and fresh in the flavor, never abrasively bitter but simple, fresh, and fragrant. Beautiful and refined floral touches. Sappy resins really push that natural, earthy perfume through. Blood oranges, lavender, and a mildly abrasive tarragon spice heat that rides in on alcohol.

Medium to full body is fairly prickly and punchy; finishes with warm sourdough and a pasty pine nut bitterness, though the substantial caramel malt foundation is steadfast. Somewhat sticky ending. It’s almost silly to describe the characters of this beer with words and phrases when it could be noted simply that it has every quality of forward hops and earth-dwelling malt in this style that anyone could ask for. I might prefer for this to be called a double IPA such that in that case I could really be blown away by its restraint and generally gorgeous balance. Lovely stuff.

750 mL bottle. Not bad, but nothing special. Very similar to Sierra Nevada IPA, but not quite as good. I thought this was an IIPA, but it looks like an IPA here, which makes mroe sense, because it wasn’t nearly as good as the IIPAs I’ve had. Poured a red/brown color with a substantial head. Aroma was of bitter hops, pine needles, some citrus if you really dig for it. Flavor was about the same. Heavily carbonated. A muddled attempt, IMHO, that doesn’t compare favorably to the big players in the high-bitterness game.