Pale Ale - Boulevard Brewing Co.

TheCondor

Missouri

3.73/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is the other half of Boulevard Brewery's main one-two punch. This and Unfiltered Wheat account for the lion's share of Boulevard distribution; many of their other prodcuts are only consumed by beer geeks like me. Pale Ale poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance - Pours a nice hazy gold color with a decent head that doesn't stick around for too long. However it does leave nice lacing on the side of the glass.

Smell - Fruits, citrus, you absolutely know you are smelling some kind of pale ale when you whiff this one. No question. The hoppiness is predominant in the nose.

Taste - Well balanced between the malt and hops, doesn't swing too far in either direction. This is just a good representative of the style.

Mouthfeel - Leaves a slight lingering bitterness, finishes nice and smooth with mid ranged carbonation.

Overall - This is a good, solid beer. It won't blow your hair back or call your mom, but there certainly isn't anything wrong with it. Can likely be used as a session beer, and is also a good transition beer for trying to convert people to the craft beer scene, as it isn't too strong in any direction. Just a nicely made pale ale. I'd drink one of these any day.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 05:40:35 | More by TheCondor

dmfrench

Indiana

3.48/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A salty, hollow, but not actually bad knock-em-back APA
___

Drinking this four months before 'best by' date on bottle.

A: Hazy, deep pumpkin orange body with a somewhat persistent one finger yellowed white head.

S: Light sweet and slightly tart fruitiness, floral notes, and a bit of earthy hops. Malt is weaker and on butter and caramel. Really not that odoriferous, but what I can smell is pleasant, save for the tiny hint of adjunct/metal.

T: Zesty, earthy hops take over on palate, but are really not all that strong. Fruit and floral notes drop way back, and there's just enough malt backbone to leave you satisfied in that respect. The beer also has a certain saltiness to it. Quite refreshing and sessionable, but nothing special or complex. A bit hollow really.

M: Finely textured, slightly creamy, and very carbonated.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 01:39:23 | More by dmfrench

ruckus232

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 Ounce brown bottle poured into a pint glass

Appearance: Dark yellow almost amber in color with a little bit of lacing on the glass.

Smell: Slight bit of earthy bitterness with a small amount of sweet almost fruity scent.

Taste: There is a slight hoppy bitterness which is complimented nicely by the sweetness that no longer seems fruity. The slight sweetness tones down the aftertaste bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 20:43:02 | More by ruckus232

secondtooth

Indiana

3.85/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Rich and frothy, with a pleasing golden amber appearance. Detailed lace. Nice.

Nose is slightly piney, with a little citrus. Subtle.

Flavor is nicely balanced, with hops and malts working in tandem, neither side overpowering the other. This is a smooth-drinking, sessionable pale ale, and one worth repeatedly enjoying.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 05:14:00 | More by secondtooth

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Acquired from brewerburgundy courtesy of BA Secret Santa 2011, so a big “Thank You” goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light golden brown color, with a short off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains fruity citrus, good amount of hops and caramelized malts.

T: The taste starts out with a decent burst of earthy hops bitterness followed by some caramel and citrus sweetness. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Smooth and crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, decent representation of style, this is a solid beer with enough flavor and substance to make it worth pounding down for a long time.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 01:45:22 | More by TheManiacalOne

Illtryit

Missouri

3.38/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured my way up to a 3" head that had quite a bit of staying power and left nice lacing .

Hoppy aroma.

Taste is fairly bland. Hops bitter is all there is. No depth.

Mouthfeel is light and crispy. Not much body.

This is just a so so beer in my opinion. Drinkable, but not memorable.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2011 00:52:09 | More by Illtryit

lawlerj

Nebraska

3.63/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass.

A - pours slightly hazy golden amber with a slightly off white head. Head dissipates relatively quickly, leaving a bit of foam on the top. Leaves a bit of splotchy lacing (not much) and does not appear to be overly carbonated.

S - the malt backbone and floral and citrus hops are nicely balanced on the nose. Some toffee and caramel notes there as well. Nothing too crazy here, just a solid example of the style.

T - a bit of floral and citrus hops up front and then moves back into the caramel and malty backbone of the beer. Very nicely balanced again, as it should be. Not too much in the way of hops, not too much malt. Pretty dang good.

M - medium to light bodied. Moderately carbonated. Finishes smooth.

O - overall, a solid beer. Nothing outstanding, but as I said above, a fairly decent example of the style and sessionable as well. I would definitely pick up a six pack for a barbecue or party.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 00:23:43 | More by lawlerj

metter98

New York

3.6/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is slightly hazy amber in color. It poured with a finger high off white head that never completely faded away.
S: There are moderately strong aromas of pale malts in the nose along with some hints of citrusy hops.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has flavors of bready and caramel malts with hints of citrus. There is a light amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate to high amount of carbonation.
O: The beer is quite easy to drink and can be considered sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 18:37:13 | More by metter98

jkrich

Indiana

3.6/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle: clear, deep golden to amber with a quickly dissipating white-head.
I was quite surprised and pleased by the aroma: very fresh, sweet and fruity - oddly faintly similar to something belgian with a hint of banana.
The refreshing aroma follows through on palate: very flavorful with a fruity, semi-sweet entry, almost a hint of marmalade. There is some faint hop bitters on the back of the tongue, but this is a fairly balanced, malt forward interpretation of an American pale ale.
The mouthfeel is rather slick with a short-lived sweetness on the palate. The carbonation is about average for the style, adding a spritz character to the mouthfeel.
I enjoyed this one, though there was an off-putting banana-like flavor that detracted from the experience. Worth trying but you can easily find better options.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 23:52:43 | More by jkrich

iSip

Colorado

3.03/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Boulevard Ale: At an airport waiting to depart I opted for the beer lunch. Boulevard was on tap. The body is straw yellow, translucent and very lightly carbonated. The head is pure white, very fine and did not last long. The aroma is subtle, and more fruity than malty. Very smooth drinking, this beer goes down easily. No robust flavor here, just a subtle malt taste and no sense of bitter or hop. I enjoyed this brew, and its easy going nature.

Serving type: on-tap

11-16-2011 21:43:56 | More by iSip

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.05/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a glass stein. Light copper color with a tight two fingers of head. Looks really nice.
Honey smelling, slight hop aroma. Really had to search for this too.
A bit of malt, a little more bitter at the end. Just a simple one, two profile.
Light body and light carbonation.
An average beer. Nice and easy to drink, but not interesting or different.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 03:05:16 | More by Fatehunter

FosterJM

California

3.68/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

903rd Review on BA
Bottle to Pint
12oz

Best by: 02/16/12
Purchased from: On the Rocks, Lawrence, KS

App- Across the looks of this beer you would imagine this to be a big DIPA, or even a strong IPA. More dark in color with a very dark orange color with a bit of yellow highlights on the bottom. A one finger head with zero lace and cling.

Smell- A good florally malt driven APA and a nice spicy citrus flavor behind it. Wasn't the most hoppy or citrus but was very nice.

Taste- A good bubbly conditioned pale ale. Very close to an IPA for me with a good amount of bitter and a decent of hop notes to it. A touch less hoppier than SNPA but a touch more citrusy with some earthy malts and more bubbly yeast.

Mouth- A medium bodied beer with a medium punch carbonation. A good bit of bubbles from the conditioning and a little deep citrus.

Drink- A good bit of bubbles with a nice malt presence and a nice bit of citrus make this a very tasty and easy to reach for brew.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 04:37:10 | More by FosterJM

JohnnyChicago

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a shaker pint.

A: Pours light amber with two fingers of white head; looks like an APA should.

S: Light citrus hops are only slight and the malt is more than present...ookayy, maybe the taste is an improvement.

T: Yeah, not so much. It has all the right flavours of a good APA. It has the grapefruit, the slight lemon, the busuity malt, but the hops are just WEAK.

D: Drinkable, sure, but uninteresting and uninspiring.

Overall: Not bad, but not that great. There are just too many good local APAs for me to reach for another of these.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 20:46:02 | More by JohnnyChicago

afausser

Virginia

3.7/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: a deep, burnt amber with very little head, but what's there lasts and forms just the slightest layer across the top of completely uneven bubbles. The beer itself has a lot of depth to it and looks really neat when held up to the light, with fine streams of carbonation dancing to the top of the glass. It looks as if they're coming out of nowhere and making their way playfully to the top of the glass.

Smell: The aroma on this one is great--full bodied, but still manages to be crisp and light. There's a great deal of citrus in the nose--lemons, grapefruits, orange peel--but the malty notes are just enough to counter them and give them depth so they aren't abrasive. Slight caramel and brown sugar, very nice.

Taste: Sadly, not as balanced here as the nose, and almost comes across as an IPA. Not that that's a bad thing, but the nose smelled really great. Predominantly hops and strong lemon notes.

Mouthfeel: Excellently done. Almost too much in the way of carbonation, but it works, and leaves me with little to complain about.

Drinkability: Pretty good. Again, a very solid boulevard brew that I really wish we got out here on the east coast.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2011 04:39:39 | More by afausser

KTCamm

New Jersey

4.03/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours medium amber/copper color with starting foam that settles out. Some lacing. Mild hoppy smell, and malt. Clean malty taste with a backing toffee taste. Very mild hop. The bittering grows over time.

Even balanced pale, less "american" than others, but in a good way. Doesn't hammer you with hops. Good drinker.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2011 11:37:45 | More by KTCamm

emmasdad

Colorado

3.58/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I picked up a Boulevard mixed twelve pack last week at Argonaut. This was one of the beers included in that box. Poured a nice amber color with a medium beige head. Aromas of grass, floral hops and a light breadiness. On the palate, this one is medium bodied, with flavors of grass, resiny hops and caramel.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 02:39:23 | More by emmasdad

JMad

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I drank this from a pint glass...

Pours a burnt orange color with a thin, rocky looking head that left lots of lacing. The aroma has a caramel base with nice hoppy tangerine and lemon flavors. It tastes of bitter lemon with biscuits, the most noticeable flavor is bell pepper. This beer is light with sharp carbonation and a slightly dry finish. I thought this was a good pale ale, nothing special but there's nothing bad about it either.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2011 21:14:03 | More by JMad

DRtacoburger

Kansas

3.73/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I bought this by the bottle, but poured into a pint glasss

Appearance: Has an amber or bronze color, is not cloudy and has a small finger width head.

Smell: I smell a hint of malt and cinnamon

taste: Boulevard Pale is a crisp beer that has a slightly floral taste and prominant hops, but does not very dry.

Moulthfeel: Light to medium body with quite a bit of carbination

Overall: I think this is a very solid pale ale. It's body makes it very easy to drink and has a nice sweet character while still tasting like a pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2011 00:56:01 | More by DRtacoburger

TheGordianKnot

Tennessee

3.03/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Extra from mizzouguy! Poured into nonic pint...

A- Dull orange with a two finger head. Lacing and stability are decent.

S- Very light aroma. Some grass and not ripe enough fruit. Sweetness in the background.

T/M- Though it's only a pale ale, the hops still don't deliver a whole lot of bitterness or flavor. I could see this being an even better segway craft than SNPA for a lot of people. Very low amount of DMS at the very end. Light, crisp, refreshing body and feel- would be great on a hot day.

O- Middle of the road pale ale. Not bad by any stretch, but lacks any substantial factor to make me want more or keep this beer in my scope of pale ales. I would buy this for the right occasion if I had it in my market, but it's not something I'm sad to not have in market...

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2011 02:57:19 | More by TheGordianKnot

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served in a Walter Payton shaker pint glass.

Finally done with this variety pack. What a ride... This stuff pours a mostly clear copper-amber topped by a dirty cream-white foam. The nose comprises light toffee mixed with mild orange peel. Such is all, and it's all pretty weak. The taste doesn't really change too much up, though now the citrus is ascendant. A slight hint of rubber permeates the background. The body is a hefty light, with a light moderate carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, a kinda sad pale ale, frankly, and definitely a disappointing way to finish the pack.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2011 19:54:13 | More by TMoney2591

Mississipping

Mississippi

2.88/5  rDev -20%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: Pours a pretty clear copper color with a small khaki-colored head that dissipates very quickly to leave behind a few very thin patches and a thin of tight bubbles.  Moderate lacing is left behind on the edges of the glass. 

S: It's tough to pick a lot out of this one.  Slightly bready, earthy hops, and maybe just a touch of orange.  Pretty muted.

T: Follows the aroma pretty well.  Slightly bready up front (almost like a triscuit, though).  Mild, earthy hops, and a drop of orange, just to say it's there.  A bit of a spiciness at the finish, but it's pretty darn subtle.  Also a slightly odd soapy taste lingers in the background.  Really not a whole lot going on here.  

M: Medium-bodied with a good amount of carbonation.  For such a watered-down flavor, the body was a little surprising.  It's definitely the best part of this beer, although I'd rather the positive characteristics be elsewhere.  Finish is just a tad drying, but barely.  

D: Really not very enjoyable.  I'm not one for pale ales to begin with, but this one seems a bit off and watered down.  Everything is muted, and there is an odd after-flavor that doesn't sit well with me.  Mouthfeel is pretty good, and it goes down easy enough, but it's not especially enjoyable.  This, to me, is the black sheep among the heard of great beers that Boulevard makes.  I know it's the flagship beer, but I think it might be time to tweak the recipe (... this coming from someone who doesn't homebrew at all :)

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2011 22:26:39 | More by Mississipping

jcartamdg

Florida

2.8/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into my ccb pint glass. Golden brown in color with decent carbonation but only a papertgin head to show for it Aroma is very light, hard to detect much in the nose but I do smell bready yeast and feint citric from the hops. Taste follows the nose, good balance between malt and hops. Just an average beer, nothing special here.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2011 23:35:44 | More by jcartamdg

HaysAmerica

Kansas

3.55/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the 12oz. bottle into a snifter w/ a nice off white head an color is of rusty brass. Kinda hard to describe. The nose is as you would expect. Mostly some nice citrus hops in the forefront. Nothing too exciting or out of the ordinary on a pale ale. Has some damn good lacing. Taste is bitter, citrus hops dominating, not much of a malt presence to it. Leans on the hop side of the balance in a good manner. Dry finish after scrubbing the palate. There's a little bit of a grapefruit component to the taste of this but not a lot. Mostly getting the hops. I've had this several times over & for some reason something seems a little off on this one. Can't quite put my finger on it. Mouthfeel is light. Overall, a very drinkable beer. Great on the hot summer days. A decent one to have in the regular rotation. Prosit!

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2011 21:01:21 | More by HaysAmerica

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

golden yellow pour with a huge amount of carbonation that was streaming up from the bottom of the glass and reached the top to form a huge head of white that towered over the rest of the glass.

aroma is light herbal hops, lots of wheat and grain, hints of grassy notes and herbals that blend with a light spiced rye note and a really well done light floral finish. perfectly drinkable this was simply an amazing pale to drink on the first 85 degree day. long finish of light hops and grains that rolls through slightly dry but clean and crisp.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 05:00:49 | More by mikesgroove

seeswo

Ohio

2.45/5  rDev -31.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from 12 oz. bottle into Bruery snifter into the sink. Pour is copper with some off-white head. The nose is bready malt/yeast with big perfume and grassy hops. Does not smell very good, actually. The taste is...not good. Again, perfumy, acidic, grassy, herbal, flowery, bready and all coming together in a poor way. The hoppiness is harsh, but not in a good way. There is an off-flavor that I am not ciceroney enough to identify (vegetal?). Mouthfeel is mostly fine. Carbonation is good, body is ok. Not an easy drinker for a pale ale, which is all wrong. Overall, had maybe 1/3 of a bottle then moved on.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2011 14:50:05 | More by seeswo