Fermented News

There is a new coalition trying to get rid of the ridiculous law that only allows grocery/convenience stores to sell low gravity beer (3.2% ABW). Their big hook is increased jobs which I find that questionable, but whatever lies they have to spin to make buying beer/wine more convenient is okay with me. Lots of other states (missouri) allow it and they all still have plenty of independent liquor stores. [LJ World]

Saturday is Kansas's 150th Birthday as a State and everybody is invited to celebrate by raising a glass of Kansas beer, wine, or cider at 6:00pm when the KU - K-State game tips off. I'm sure I'll have a growler of something nice from Free State (Iron Man Imperial Stout?) [facebook]

Hops Shortage. Everybody Panic. [Rouge Wire Service]

In Boulevard Brewing news:

• Their collaboration with Christopher Elbow should be on shelves in time for Valentines Day. Mmmmm Chocolate. [KC Beer Blog]
• Imperial Stout is in bottles so keep an eye out for that, probably won't last long. [facebook]
• Rye-on-Rye is in barrels. [facebook]

Boulevard's New & Improved Website.

I'm sure you've seen Boulevard's website redo by now. If you haven't go take a look. There was one improvement I found to be especially interesting as a homebrewer that I wanted to point out.

They've added ingredient, gravity, and bitterness information for all their beers. They even have CO2 info, which I've never seen a brewery disclose before. I like it when a brewery is willing to disclose this much information about their beers, it only increases my appreciation of them. (see also: Sierra Nevada) And it helps with recipe formulation if you know what commercial brewers are using in beers you enjoy. I'm not sure why they have the annoying date of birth thing at the beginning. It seems all the bigger craft breweries are doing it, probably to appease some whiny nanny somewhere.

Now, if anybody knows exactly what they mean by "dark sugar" please let me know...

Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad

I got mine. Did you get yours?

One of my favorite beers was beers was released earlier this week. If you see any be sure to buy some and stash it away. This beer is lovely with a year or so of aging. They also make great Christmas presents.

A special note for the 2010 batch:

The 2010 edition is unique because, unlike previous batches, it is 100% barrel-aged. The length of aging time ranged from eight months to three years using a blend of first-use, second-use and third-use oak bourbon barrels. Because more barrels were combined to create this batch, the cherry tartness is slightly more pronounced than in prior years, contributing to a greater overall complexity and depth of flavor.

Yummy!

Some notes from a 2008 bottle I had back in May.

• 02414 of 10630 Batch 2008-2
• Clear deep mahogany color with a tan head that settles into a thin wispy film. 
• Toffee. A little cherry. Some subdued vanilla/bourbon booziness. The sum aroma is better than its parts.
• I really like the subtle cherry note that runs through the sip from begining to end. Dry, a little tart, a nice balance to the caramel/toffee sweetness.
• The bourbon barrel flavors are nice and subdued, well blended with the other flavors.
• No alcohol burn, you feel it more so than taste it. 

I wish I could buy cases of this.

Boulevard Saison Brett

So, I'm finally getting around to reviewing a bottle of Boulevard's Saison Brett. This was a bottle from their 2008 batch (bottle 00212 to be exact), it's been hanging out in my cellar for about 8 months now and I decided it had aged long enough/I could wait no longer. The Saison Brett starts out as slightly beefed up version (8.5%) of Boulevards regular Saison but then it is dry-hopped with delicious Amarillo hops and is inoculated with some brettanomyces, a special kind of beer yeast that kicks off unusual flavors, at bottling time.

The appearance was pretty simple and understated. A bright, clear straw colored beer with a big tight, slightly yellow head that left plenty of lacing in its wake. The aroma was complex and hard to describe. Here's a sample of the smells I thought I smelled: floral perfume, pineapple, must, coriander, pepper, lemon zest, etc. Did I mention that it was very complex?

The drink pretty much followed the aroma, maybe a little less complex but very tasty. Earthy and musty with a light citric tartness. Mouth feel is light and crisp, but not watery. A touch of alcohol burn in the back followed by a crisp dry herbal finish. More, I must have more.

I have to say that this is one of the finer Saisons I've ever tasted, hell it's one of the finer beers period. It just recently cracked the Top 100 over at beeradvocate.com. I was really impressed that I was able to hold off so long before drinking the first bottle. I wanted to give the brett plenty of time to do it's thing, and it did. The question now is how long can I hold out on the other 2 bottles of the '08 batch?

Fermented News

There appears to be a new brewery in Kansas City. Dead Canary Brewery is a new, female owned brewery located in the West Bottoms of KCMO. It looks like they'll have some pretty kick-ass beers. It'll be awesome to have another brewery in the area. I can't wait 'till they launch.

Meanwhile, over at Boulevard, they are pumping out new beers left and right. In case you missed it, they recently released a funktified version of their Saison. I have three of these aging in the cellar right now.

To follow that, they just released a special version of Sixth Glass that was fermented on tart cherries and then aged in bourbon barrels. I just picked up two bottles today I should have a review up soon. (More info on the two special releases here)

As if that wasn't enough, They also released a new year-round IPA called Single-Wide IPA. I can't wait to get my hands on one of these. Right now the Single-Wide is only available on tap, I hear they have it at the Jazzhaus, so I'm going to have to hit that up soon.

Boulevard Pale Ale

Today we'll review local favorite, Boulevard Pale Ale. This ale weighs in at 5.1% ABV and 31 IBUs. You can find this and their Wheat on tap just about anywhere in Kansas and Missouri so it makes a nice alternative to the usual crap from Bud, Miller, Coors.

Pale Ale pours crystal clear golden amber in color with a quickly deflating white head. The Cascade, Magnum, Simcoe, and Fuggles hops create aromas of lemon, flowers and hint of grass. The pale, Caramunich, and Caravienna malts add a light touch of caramel sweetness.

Flavor is similar to the smell, some light malty sweetness mixed in with a citric twang from the hops. Bitterness is mild at best. Mouth feel is light to medium bodied with a slightly dry finish. Overall this is a delicately balanced beer with no bold flavors but what is there is very good. A good ale for long sunny days.

Irish Ales, Jayhawks, and Irish Stout

Since I won't be able to bar-hop with all the amateurs tomorrow I decided to go ahead and do a little celebrating today while I enjoy another epic battle between the Jayhawks and Texas Longhorns (and another victory). In homage to St. Patrick we'll take a look at three different Irish styled beers, Boulevard's Irish Ale, Free State's Grace O'Malley's Irish Ale, and finally, Murphy's Irish Stout.

The Boulevard Irish Ale is a clear, rich amber colored ale with an off-white head. The aroma is an enticing mix of caramel sweetness, fruity yeast esters, and a crisp, citric hops smell. Flavors are pretty much the same with a lightly bitter finish and a pine-like aftertaste. Mouth feel is medium-light with proper carbonation, Overall, a tasty example of the style with perhaps a little more of a hop profile than some, but I like it. Look for this beer on tap while you're out and about on Monday.

Meanwhile the Free State version is a richer maltier version of the style. Almost the same color with a rich malty aroma mixed with some fruity esters from the yeast. The flavors start off with a caramel and biscuit-like sweetness followed by a quick fruitiness and then a light, toasty finish. Not as bitter as the Boulevard but richer in the mouth with an excellent malt heavy flavor. Both would be an excellent choice, but I'm going to go with Boulevard as my favorite right now.

Finally, Murphy's Irish Stout is an InBev owned beer (the A-B of Europe) that is widely available in 16oz cans that have that nifty widget in them that allows us to get that creamy nitrogen infused pour. Color is black with a dark ruby highlight and a thick, creamy, dirty white head that lingers...and lingers. Aromas and flavors are mild at best. A slight milk chocolate aroma then some roasted flavors show up in the mouth to help give it a dry finish with a chalky aftertaste. Mouth feel is velvety smooth, a little watery at the end. Overall, a notch above Guinness in the flavor department but not as good as the other dry stouts I've reviewed (Avery, Boulevard, & North Coast).

Boulevard Dry Stout

Today we'll take at look at another local brewery, Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City, MO. To me, Boulevard's brewing philosophy seems to be brewing simple, flavorful, low ABV beers that one could enjoy over a long drinking session (I'm referring to their regular lineup here, not the new Smokestack Series). Their strongest year-round beer, Bully Porter, is only 5.4% ABV. The Dry Stout weighs in at a mere 4.9% and 28 IBUs, but does it have enough flavor to stay interesting for multiple servings?

Pours black with a light brown head. Mellow aromas of milk chocolate and creamy coffee, not as intense or complex as other stouts, but still a pleasing aroma. Flavor has more chocolate and roasted coffee flavors. Swallow is smooth with a subtle dry and earthy aftertaste. Not the greatest stout ever made, but I would easily pick it over a Guinness. While not as interesting as their porter, which I almost never see on tap, I could easily drink several pints and be perfectly happy with my choice. I'll go ahead and give it a B-minus.