Boulevard Smokestack Series - Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale

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

Serve in Tulip

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Dark lemon. Voluminous white head slowly breaks up as it subsides. Glorious hop bouquet with bright notes of apricot, pineapple marmalade, flowers, peppered honeydew melon, fennel seed and distant Juicy Fruit gum. Boisterous carbonic prickles on the tongue. Opens up with an explosively floral and juicy hop smack trailed by a vivacious yeast-driven spiciness which builds upon the scrubbing action generated by a raucous phenolic crackle. Aside from some very subtle pearlike weightiness which lends a bit of haze, the beer is dry and cleanly attenuated, enabling the sharper malt and esters to retain their definition. Honey-glazed orange zest brings a lustrous sparkle to the fore while also a tongue-adhering candylike quality which wonderfully contrasts with the body’s crispness. Unripe melon and peach lends ample acidity and adds to the uplifting character. Malt remains complementary as it yields a pleasant whisper of vivid toastiness (hay) which seamlessly merges with the firm mineralic snap. Vague medical-tapelike phenolics mirror the peppery and leafy hop bitterness. Closes with a flavorsome hop expression coupled with a rustic peppery hop edge gently curtailed by a lingering assortment of fruity esters. A particularly complex rendition due to the masterful balance between the flavorful and cleanly bitter hops, delicate malt and clean yeast-byproducts. Certainly an improvement on the initial (brashly hoppy) draft-only recipe. With all this said, I find it utterly disheartening that this has replaced the regular Saison, which was among the best this world has ever seen. Sigh.

On tap @ Chuck’s 85th. Pours hazy light orange. Aroma is grapefruit and hops. Taste is clean grassy hops up front with funky sweet Belgian yeast on the back. A little thin, but not out of character for this style and well balanced with the ABV. A great choice if you gotta have hops but don’t want the heavier malt of an IPA. This beer introduced me to Boulevard a year or two ago and I’ve been steadily impressed by them. For a Kansas City brewery to get into the hyper-competitve Seattle beer market is no small accomplishment.

Shared from 750ml bottle. Poured a hazy yellow color with a large, foamy white head. Aroma was yeast, spice, a touch of light tart funk. Flavor was yeasty, with notes of spice, and sweet malts, with a slight tart funk note. Very tasty.

I really liked this beer and hard to say it was a farmhouse ale. It did have the dull gold and slight cloud of many but it was wonderfully aromatic and hopped just right.

Poured from 750 ml bottle to tulip. Great saison aroma, with a little bit too much American hoppiness to break the spell. Beautiful color with a thick, creamy head. Taste combines two of my favorite styles, with a crisp hoppiness on the front end, and smooth Belgian style going down. Definitely something to try to get you into saisons.

Good saison that’s different from the dry saisons. A lot of pepper and funk in the taste. Good stuff from Boulevard.

12oz bottle in a tulip. Pours golden with a lacy, off-white head. Aroma of caramel malts, and lots of light fruits, plus a nice balance with the citrusy, grapefruit hops. Flavor the same. Average texture. A pretty good beer.

Quite a pale yellow color, had the banana and clove scent with a sweet taste. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Classic Velgain style. Fruity. Yellow cloudy appearance. Bready malty taste.

Style et résumé: Saison belgo-américaine houblonnée à Amarillo.
Comment: Bouteille de 12oz encore une fois merci Slovak.
Description: Bière dorée éclatante avec une mousse blanche crémeuse. Le nez est citronné, il est frais. Les épices sont remarquables. La bouche est mordante, sauvage presque, la levure est bien présente. Il y a une bonne amertume en fin de bouche. J’aime cette bière.
Note: 7+/10

On tap in Sellersburg, Indiana of all places. I’ve had a couple Saisons before and am trying to get into them, but I’m not quite there yet. Also I’m rating this 48 hours after the fact, so details will be limited. Delivered in a stemmed tulip. Color is a beautiful, sunny orange with a small, light, pillowy white head. Good malt character. More hoppy than expected. Yeast character is more of the dank, barnyard variety. Overall, I definitely see the appeal of this beer, but saison yeasts still give me a little trouble. Will keep trying.