Boulevard Smokestack Series - Grainstorm Black Rye IPA

Brewed by Boulevard Brewing Company
Style: Black IPA
Kansas City, Missouri USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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I’m a big fan of this beer. I knew I would be even before I drank it considering its "black," "rye," and an "IPA," three of my favorite beer qualifiers. Also, Boulevard has been on a roll for years now, churning out more and more interesting and well-designed beers. This is one of the best. Smooth, spicy, chocolate, coffee, dark fruit, piney hops.

The label leads you to believe it will be bitter, malty and over-the-top. Actually, this beer is smooth, balanced and very refreshing. Your taste buds are sucker punched as your senses tell them to expect a heavy, bitter dousing. Instead, they are treated to a perfectly balanced blend of malt and hops that bathe them in pure joy. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Pours a deep almost black with a medium creamy tab head that left all kinds of sticky lacing. Aroma of a handful of fresh American hops, citrusy and floral with orange notes dominating. Just a hint of caramel...this nose is all about the hops. Flavor of piney and grapefruit hops, a touch of spicy rye notes, hop bitterness is perfect for the style. One of the best black IPAs I have had! Nice and dry too!

Lovely cola color, and enticing aroma. As to the flavor the dark rye and hops pair beautifully. I need to rush out and stock up on this gem while I still can.

super tasty. glad i bought a second bottle by mistake. and, it set a new record for distance flown by the cork when popped. another home run from boulevard!

When you open a bottle of beer, and the smell of the hops hits you before you pour the beer, you know that a treat to the senses is coming. This was one of those times. The smell of grapefruit became stronger with beer having been liberated from the bomber, but oddly did not get much more intense while nosing the glass. The look was as dark as a stout, but the head formation was much more massive, at three plus fingers thick. The head did not seem to go anywhere at all till I typed all this. The taste was very complex, with a constant interplay of light and dark malts and hops. There were notes of licorice, banana, coffee, dark toasted bread, grapefruit, and iced tea flying across the tongue in rapid succession. There was not a lot of heft to the body though, and the finish was a little watered down. I also did not notice much of a rye influence, as the dark malt seemed a lot more assertive. Boulevard produces another winner. What a surprise..not.

750ml bottle, caged & corked. Black pour, tan foam. Aroma of west coast hops. Roasted grains, citrus, and pine. Toasted malt, burnt grains. Huge hops bite, harsh sharp bitterness, pine citrus. Finishes with a fruity grain character, mixed berry notes, lingering hops. A great Black IPA. (3673)

Wow, this is a nice black IPA. Deep brown very spirited pour with off white head and hoppy aroma. Hoppy bitterness hits you first, but then a beautifully roastiness asserts itself, lingering for a bit until just the bitterness remains. Quite complex: in different sips different notes assert themselves. This style is one of my favorites, and this beer is a superb representative thereof! ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Aroma is extremely, I mean, EXTREMELY hoppy - woody and resiny evergreen components have about equal strength - with a nice rye underpinning. Comes out of the growler a clear Coca-Cola brown with a fairly thick light tan head. Hoppy flavor has hearty evergreen and woody tones that dominate your taste buds but don’t drown out the rye, malty and fruity notes. Smooth texture doesn’t have much in the way of body, but has a firm fizz and leaves a very hoppy and rye-laced finish. Brave the rainstorm, have a brainstorm, down the grainstorm!

Pours brown with a big, tan head that sticks around forever. Roast, rye, rind, chocolate, pine.