Boulevard Smokestack Series - Saison-Brett

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

Serve in Tulip

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

UPDATED: DEC 28, 2009 My favourite beer of 2009! Botlle from Bottleworks on Poperinges patio, on tap at Falling Rock and a keg at the Babblebelt pre-GABF party. 01946. And I thought the clean Saison was amazing! Maybe my best beer for 2009! Giant head on dark cloudy gold. Great funky hop nose. Reminds me of Orval....very.....very tasty.

2011 Vintage. Pours golden straw yellow with a large fluffy white head. Smells hoppy, earthy, funky, with a solid wheat malt backbone. Taste is malty sweetness, with a strong hoppy dryness with a nice funkiness underneath that will improve with age. Medium-bodied with a smooth texture and decent mouth-carbonation, Boulevard Saison-Brett (2011) finishes with some funk dryness.

This is why Boulevard is one of the best breweries out there. Pours a nice, thinly colored yellow with a moderate head. Big earthy taste from the Brett followed with some pineapple and carries some staying power. At 7.7%, this could cause one to drink it all day long and not regret the hangover. Great interpretation of a Saison.

UPDATED: FEB 26, 2013 This brew has a great spicy, brightness. Initial taste is of grapefruit and spice, then finishes with a dry saison funk. Awesome summer brew with a nice abv punch. This is Tank 7?s big brother. Hats off to Boulevard.

Definently the best beer I’ve ever had. Some say that this condintions well and does for the sake of advancing the brett taste, but there is nothing like this beer fresh as it is dry hopped with hallertau, and intergrates so well with the brett botlle conditioning. The nose is what sets this beer apart from every other saison I’ve ever had. Huge banana, dough, grapefruit, citra hit the nose with just enough earth funk entering as well. Taste straight up coresponds the the aroma 100%. Big juicy grapefruit, citrus, banana and pine. These flavors give way the big Brett cream mouthfeel that finally part with that classic saison finish. Wow, some say Ann is a revelation to the saison style, but beer is all I need in the saison arena.

UPDATED: JUL 25, 2007 BCTC 2006 and BCTC 2007. At BCTC 2006 I had the Boulevard Saison and Saison With George Bret side-by-side. At BCTC 2007 I had the Saison With George Bret 2006 and 2007 side-by-side. Very cloudy blonde-yellow body with a small white head. Brett explosion on the nose. Mouthfeel is full yet very silky. Taste is very very funky. Rather grassy with a lemony twist. Light fruity note. Minimal hops presence. But overall this is all about the bretty yeast and amazing mouthfeel. The aged 2006 had a fuller body and a little sourness that made it even more drinkable. I’m not sure if there is a beer I could drink more often without getting tired of. Even my beloved Orval could become tiresome if I was to drink 6/day for two years. But not this one. Nothing aggressive, just perfect refreshing wild funky beer that doesn’t overdo anything. In terms of brett-oriented beer it gives a run for its money to the Luciernaga. The staff and the stand told me they will soon start bottling it. If they can make it almost as good as the draft versions then I’ll be as happy as four fags sitting on an upside-down bar stool.

UPDATED: AUG 23, 2012
++++ RE-RATE 22 August 2012 ++++
Three bottle blind tasting of 2012 Batch 1, 2011 Batch 1 (stored in a ~72 degree closet) and 2011 Batch 1 (stored in a ~55 wine fridge). The goal was to determine which version we preferred, as well as attempt to identify which bottle was which.

Bottle 1. Bottle opens with a loud pop. First pour from the bottle. The pour is mostly clear golden, with a one inch white head, that falls pretty quick. The aroma is soft floral hops, soft ahy, fruit sweet, and the light Brett notes. Fresh, alive nose. The taste is hay, floral, clove and the leathery Brett. Aftertaste shows herbal. The palate is soft, active fine carbonation, turns sweet, then finishes dry. (8,4,8,4,17 – 4.1) I predicted this was the 2012, it was in fact the 2011 which had been stored in the wine fridge.

Bottle 2. This bottle also opened with a loud pop. Third pour from the bottle. The pour is soft haze golden, with a foamy three inch white head, falls with nice lace. The aroma is soft Brett, spice yeast, hay, and apricot fruit. The taste is herbal, hay, grass, dry leather of the Brett. The palate is soft, active fine carbonation, light sweetness and then a bone dry finish. This one showed more of the Brett character. (9,4,8,4,17 – 4.2) I predicted this was the 2011 wine fridge, it was in fact the 2011 closet version.

Bottle 3. This bottle opened quietly. Third pour from the bottle. The pour is golden, mostly clear, with some visible chunks floating around. Not too much of a white head. The aroma is leather, soft earthy Brett. The taste is floral honey, hay, lemon citrus and some (almost off tasting) dirty leather Brett yeast. The palate was soft, active carbonation, the sweetness and a dry finish (though probably the least dry of the three samples). (8,4,7,4,15 – 3.8) I predicted this was the 2011 closet, it was in fact the 2012.

This was a really interesting blind tasting. I was surprised I did not properly identify any of the beers, yet my order of preference ended up being what I would have guessed going into the exercise.

++++ Updated Rating - Jan 22, 2009 ++++
2008 Batch. Bottle #08629 of 11950. Let’s check in and see how this one is doing. Bottle purchased in October 2008 and stored in my cellar. Opens with a loud pop. Poured into my Smokestack chalice. Pour is hazed yellow golden with active carbonation and billowy 3 inch white head. Head falls slowly with spidery lacing. Aroma of gentle Brett goodness, earth, horse blanket, flowery - so expressive, so amazing. Wow this is as close to perfect a nose as I can imagine for this beer. Taste is the peppery, earthy, bretty, horse blanket of the nose. Absolutely bone dry. Again, this is tasting really great. Palate is mouth coating yet dry at the same time. Texture is so interesting, really exposes all the amazing flavors. My word has this beer come together. Wonderful, just wonderful. I never thought I would raise my score, but here we go. (10,5,9,4,20 - 4.8)

++++ Original Rating - Sept 1, 2007 ++++
Advanced preview of this beer at the invitation of the Brewery. Draft, on tap at the Brewery. They mentioned this had 6 months or a bit more age on it. Pour is a slightly hazy yellow with a nice white head. Aroma is just stunningly good, citrus (grapefruit) hops, some earthiness, and just the perfect amount of Tart grassy musty Brett. Taste is extremely smooth, with a nice hop brightness at the beginning, moving into the complexity of the Brett and finishing with a really nice dryness. This is just a great Saison enhanced (but not overpowered) by the Brett. I really enjoyed the regular Boulevard Saison and thought it lacked just a bit of character and complexity. The regular Saison would be perfect for everyday, this is perfect for that special treat with a great meal. Phenomenal job Boulevard, and thank you. Can’t wait until this is more regularly available. Thank you John Bryan for allowing me to taste this one! (10,5,9,4,19 - 4.7)

Bottle(s) from Gomer’s Lee’s Summit. Read otakuden’s review, mine can’t do this justice. Shines like yellow straw in the sun. Head is soft and creamy and lingers perfectly, finally fading into lacing as you drink it away. The small bubbles of carbonation constantly rising seem like evidence of the lively brett. From the second it hits your tongue it dances through to the finish. So much going on i can’t describe it well- yeast and light spices, brett earthiness, classic saison flavors, tart (and yet soft!) fruits... it’s just too complex for my vocabulary. Hops are not overdone at all, i almost forget about them with so much else i’m trying to pinpoint but then they provide a wonderful, slightly dry finish. With some age the fruity characters fade into barnyard funk. I love it fresh, as opposed to over 6 months old, but think it is going to be killer with a couple years of age. So buy as much as you can, drink half now, cellar half for a few years.

Bottle. Pours a hazy golden color with a very large foamy white head. Great lacing. Fantastic spicy citrus and brett aroma. Flavor is absolutely amazing. The brett really compliments the spicy saison flavor. Absolutely fantastic! If I could I would drink this everyday...

Pours a hazy gold. Fizzy white head, aroma of citrus, grapefruit, and funkiness of the brett is present. Flavor very hoppy grass and straw. Grapefruit. Tart up front and a dry finish at the end that that finishes with a leather note. Perfectly carbonated for a saison. This beer is exceptional and makes you want to go back for another glass each time.