Boulevard Imperial Stout

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

Corked bottle.
Pours a perfect black with a medium-tinted head of beige that sits atop the beer like cappucino foam. Aroma is straight-up chocolate and coffe, with the former melting into the latter with each sniff. Tastes just like my mom’s homemade chocolate chip cookies- chocolate chips, sugary dough, and vanilla extract. Thick and chewy on the tongue, like a melted Hershey Kiss. A great stout.

750mL bottle, #936/11960, Batch 2008-1. Rating #4000.. I was going to do a crappy nostalgic rating here, but all I could find was a 30-pack, and I didn’t need that. Poured a healthy shade of deep brown with a creamy, well-retained dark tan head.. looked great in the glass! The aroma picked up toasted oak, vanilla, and very faint smoke over a rich bed of molasses and dark chocolate.. warmth brought out more almost metallic barrel character and sweeter underlying biscuits.. just a little extra barrel sourness kept this from being excellent. The flavor found toasted coffee grounds, molasses, dark chocolate, and sweeter oats at the core.. coffee and earthy bitterness joined vanilla, tangy bourbon, and oak on the edges.. alcohol warmth was laced throughout and was a little too evident at times. Heavily-bodied with moderate-plus carbonation that worked well for it.. alcohol and barrel sourness were too prominent, but this was otherwise a great brew.

BOTTLE NUMBER 00889 of 11960 Pours black with the slightest ruby tint. Two-finger head of dense, milk chocolate colored, foam. Retention is totally amazing! Excellent super-sticky lacing. Big, dark fruit notes hit me first. Folowed by a hint of leather and a touch of booziness. Nice roasted grain notes. I’m getting the Rye, most of all. Just a touch spicey. Very light hints of dark chocolate and coffee. Big, dark coffee notes blast my tastebuds. Very nice smokey presence, also. Big dark fruit sweetness. Nice hint of caramel malts. Roasted grains make a nice showing for themselves. Once again, I’m getting the spiciness of the Rye, coming through, loud and proud. Hints of vanilla and bourbon-like notes. A very nicely complex brew. Mouthfeel is full, as it should be with an Imperial Stout. Very nice and creamy. Super smooth going down. This one is very easy to drink. An enjoyable process, also. Nice one to sip and bask in all of the flavors that are going on in there. Yet another excellent offering in the Smokestack Series from Boulevard.

If you handed me this beer and said it was a beer, I’d say it was pretty darn good. Tell me it was An imperial stout. and I’d say it was a little meh. Good roast, a little astringent but easy drinking.

Bottle 75cl.
Clear dark dark red brown color with a large, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, light brown head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, caramel, coffee, wood notes. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a long to average duration, chocolate, a alcohol burn / warm finish. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft, finish feel is light to moderate alcoholic. [20090913]

Courtesy of After4ever, thanks Tom! I’s bottle No. 01105 af 11960. It’s pitch black and the head is nougat colored and creamy. The aroma has notes of roasted malt, licorice, fresh cut oak, vanilla and hops. The flavor is slightly sweet with notes of oak, roasted malt, licorice, dark fruits, coffee, light vanilla and it ends roasted bitter and dry. It’s truly nice!

A solid beer but it happens to lack depth that would put this over the top. Black pour...aroma of chocolate, caramel, roasted malts...flavor is sweet and palate is thick and creamy...a typical impy...

bottle courtesy of kcdoom, thanks man! pours a thick viscous black syrup, but still easily musters a great dark brown head that leaves nice lacing. notes of oak on the nose, lots of roast and sweetness with a kck of alcohol underneath. flavor is nice, roast, toast, char, choc, with some prune aftertaste. mouthfell is nice and creamy in front, has a liol too much carb in the back though. damn good offering!