Boulevard Double Wide IPA

Shared with my brother. A nice dark orange pour with an off-white super head. Aromas came up at me during the pour. Fruity hops and sweet malt. The first taste hit my senses quick- hops was piny, the malts were sweet, a nice mixture of other flavors . Left a nice lacing on the glass. Next time, I’ll bring it home first or leave it in the car. I wanted more for myself.

750ml bottle. Very good all around. Nice smooth and complex. Hoppy, fruity, malty and almost tropical sweetness. Better than expected.

I love everything I’ve tried from this brewery so far, and this was no different. Pours dark orangy brown, thick head. Nose was hops and pine, with some caramel sugary backdrop. Flavor lived up to aroma... Nice bite, hops were nice and green, good crystal malt underneath. Very enjoyable. Hops were not overpowering.

2008 Batch # D8121 Pours a deep orange and ruby brew with a haze that makes it difficult to see through and has a very big, creamy, off-white head sitting atop it. First aroma I noticed a a nice piny hops note with a semi-strong lemon citrus note, low vanilla note, lots of caramel and bready notes to round out the smells. Flavor is very even keeled. Starts off with a lemon citrus with a very light piny background. Some caramel middle but it has a slightly spicy note, kinda pepperish, with a very smooth biscuit ending with a slightly soapy taste. A very smooth beer with moderate density, a warm alcohol presence and a pretty well balance flavor. Overall a solid brew and one I wouldn’t shy away from picking up again.

My third installment in the smokestack series and once again, I thoroughly enjoyed the beer. Murky fire orange with a large slowly dissipating rocky tan head. Super strong aroma, my wife complained about it from across the room. Citrus, pine, caramel, ripe fruits and malt make up a pretty kick ass mix. Full bodied brew has citrus, caramel, bready malt and light alcohol in the taste. Aggressively hopped, a little sharp on the tongue. As it warms it gets smoother and sweeter, even displaying some pepper and beet sugar characteristics and mild vegetation. Light warming effects. Not as sweet as most DIPA’s, but then I see it’s categorized as just an IPA, must fall just under a DIPA in ABV. Either way, it was pretty good.

Big fresh hoppy aroma which carries into the flavor mixed with a solid malty backbone. The minor drawback is a bit too much of a touch of alcohol flavor.

Batch 09135. Excellent pour with a hazy, reddish-copper color and a eggshell-colored, full, creamy, foamy head which is mostly lasting and leaves exceptional drippy lace rings. The nose is standard for a great IIPA with lots of resins, slightly piney in nature, spicy notes of alcohol and hops, hints at floral hidden under the pine, lots of citrus (apricot and pink grapefruit), and just the slightest hints at cookies and buttered biscuits. Flavor is very good as well with a more definite caramel backbone and a moderately high bitterness; citrus hops are well layered but less dominate than I would have thought. Apricot is prominent with lighter pink grapefruit, lots of resinous pine, some floral, and lighter notes of buttery biscuits and sweet caramel. Palate is moderately full, velvety, soft to lively, warming a bit, but also slightly watery. Finish is a bit short with some floral lingering, pink grapefruit, resins, and some rustic notes on the tail end. The only big complaint is as the beer progressed, it became a bit watery and finished short. Not your run of the mill IIPA but certainly something I could not stop drinking. The warming notes only accentuate the intense hop notes. Hardly an IPA but a very good IIPA; Boulevard does some very good small batch beers.

Sampled at the 8th Annual Music City Brewer’s Festival. Dark red-orange, white thin foam. Aroma is big caramel, grapefruit citrus hops. Taste is bitter, grapefruit hops, caramel backbone.