The Sixth Glass - Boulevard Brewing Co.

magictacosinus

California

3.88/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Consumed during the second monthly "Beermageddon" with many others recently. Review is from my notes. Poured into a tulip glass from a 750ml bottle.

Pours a surprisingly lightish amber tinged brown color, which is already unexpected given the style at hand here. Hazy and cloudy in color (and I believe this had been laid down prior to pouring), and with a minimal amount of head retention. Bubbles rise to the top slowly, but nothing too showy overall. Lacing is pretty decent. Holds a viscosity and thickness that enhances the dull color, but in my view this is not the type of representative eye candy that this style tends to provide.

The aroma, on the other hand, is quite good, combining a good dose of dried fruits, as well as a sweetened caramel malt texture. Raisins, dried apricots, dates, and maybe a bit of figs permeate, and the finish is slightly sweetened and rife with brown sugar and caramel notes. Yeasty phenols are fairly present, often resembling a full bodied apple aroma. There's a dry hoppy flavor that lurks at the back, almost to the point of being too subtle, but it works well. Not very boozy, especially considering the ABV, but I know it's there, waiting to take me by surprise underneath the sweetness. Definitely a quad meets American ale hybrid, if anything.

This beer is definitely full of surprises, as indicated by the flavor. Rather than pelt the mouth with caramelized sweetness and dried fruits, as anticipated, it comes off in a subtle, pleasant character. There's some raisins at the front, as well as dabs of honey and caramel soon after. A dried fruity character melds with a bready, succulent yeastiness but does so without being too heavy. In fact, I'm perplexed how this manages to hide the alcohol well, showcase a subtlety of flavors, and retain a light feel overall rather than do just the opposite, or what the norm of what quads tend to do. The flavors are relatively spot-on, but the body is bready without dragging down the gut. It's not complex by any means, but it is definitely refreshing.

What an interesting twist on the style! As indicated by their saison, it seems these guys get traditional recipes and provide their own Americanized rendition of them. This is not the greatest quad I've ever had, but it is not a chore to drink at all, and the raisin/caramel profile is quite good here, if only lacking complexity. I would love to revisit this one for sure. Definitely looking forward to trying more of their Belgian-style beers.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2013 23:21:11 | More by magictacosinus

ThePorterSorter

New York

4.2/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Date on bottle is 06/13 (not the bottled on date).

The beer pours a murky brown with a fluffy tan head that laces with a residual thin blanketing. The nose is fruity, malty, molasses-y, a little boozy, and has a touch of yeast/bread. This drinks with stone fruit upfront, big malty sweetness, followed by a spicy, boozy, effervescent finish, and lingering plumb fruitiness. This is a heavy-medium bodied, strong flavored, fruity quad with masked booze and great yeast. Definitely a good beer that has aged well with 1-2 years on it. Highly recommended if your in the quad mood.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 19:45:16 | More by ThePorterSorter

beergoot

Colorado

4.63/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Wonderful cloves, apricot and pear-like aromas waft up from a deep, orange-copper body and through a creamy, thickly sculptured head. Sweetbread flavors tame a robust alcohol warmth; excellent soft malt backbone. Silky smooth, medium-bodied feel with a fine carbonation.

An all-around delicious quadrupel. Varied malt sweetness dance with intriguing boozy and bitter notes, all combined in a well-balanced, nicely complex form. A real pleasure to the visual, smell, and taste senses.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2013 19:03:42 | More by beergoot

humulus

Sweden

4.4/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: pours a brownish red, it's cloudy without yeast particles. Foam is one finger high, beige and leaves no lacings on the glass.

S: raisins, figs, dates, loads of banana, alcohol and belgian yeast.

T: banana, honey, malt sweetness, dark fruits, rum and condensed milk. The aftertaste is metallic and the alcohol is there, for sure, but it isn't aggressive.

M: it's very light, small bubbles, carbonation is medium high.

O: it's a great beer. Could have been more taste, but it's complex, the flavors are all there, as is the belgian feel. I enjoyed it very much, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. Will have again for sure though.

Drank from a goblet.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2013 19:18:35 | More by humulus

metter98

New York

4/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A: The beer is hazy brownish yellow in color. It poured with a finger high beige head that died down rather quickly, leaving a collar around the edge and some lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of sweet fruits are present in the smell along with notes of Belgian yeast.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has lots sweetness intermingled with the fruity flavors.
M: It feels more than medium-bodied and sticky on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The strong amount of malty sweetness in this beer makes it somewhat difficult to drink, but this is something that really needs to be sipped given its strength. It definitely tastes strong, but any flavors of alcohol are very well hidden.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2013 02:18:06 | More by metter98

maketheheartglad

North Carolina

4.85/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This beer was amber colored with a nice lingering head but too long.

It smelled like fig, raisin, and (I hate to it say it because this beer tasted so good) rubbing alcohol. I've never picked that up in a beer before.

Tastes much like it smells minus the rubbing alcohol which isn't so common for me. It was delicious.

Not so chewy, but not splashy either.

Overall, I like this beer!

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2013 03:54:06 | More by maketheheartglad

fdig23

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From the bottle

Appearance: Light, cloudy amber with a big tan head.

Nose: Sweet caramel, sugary fruits: peaches, bananas, strawberries. There's plenty of clove and a hint of pepper. It's classic Quad with the sweetness dialed up a bit.

Taste: Caramel forward malts up front, intense fruitiness in the middle with tons of banana. The finish is a bit flat, the banana lingers and a bit of clove comes through. This is far less complex than what I'd expect from a Quad.

Mouthfeel: Light and easy-drinking. Surprising for the style.

Overall: Not at all a typical Quad. It's lighter, simpler, and far easier to drink. It doesn't have the same complex contemplative nature that define the classic Belgian Quads, but if you think of it as a a fresh and original take on the classic style, it's a very nice brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 02:36:31 | More by fdig23

MistahBeah

Massachusetts

3.99/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a wine goblet

Appearance: Looks awesome. Hazy amber brown. Thick foamy cream colored head. A little more than a finger's worth with great retention. Lots of carbonation. Tons of lacing. I wish all beers looked like this

Smell: Dried dark fruits. Sweet raisins. Sugary caramel. Maybe some figs. Yeast and booze (and lots of it)

Taste: Follows the nose for the most part. Lots of Belgian yeast character. Slightly tart plums. Caramel malts. As it warms it gets notes of apples. Warming booziness

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied and rich. Lots of character. Crisp carbonation

Overall: A nice quad for sure. Not an all the time beer or an all the time style but worth trying

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 01:31:13 | More by MistahBeah

weonfire

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A - Amber, one + inch of fluffy head, excellent lacing, lots of yeast, very hazy, semi translucent

S - Aged fruits and carmel

T - initial: Real sweet, aged fruit, figs, cherry, toffee. finish: candied fruit, bitter (3/10), somewhat boozy

M - Full body. moderately frothy, creamy

O - Very good version. sweet, but not the overly dominating sweet. aged fruit is blended perfectly, booze does comes thru in the end. has the full body taste but wished there was that velvet mouth feel. wish the nose was stronger.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 01:16:12 | More by weonfire

PEBKAC

New York

3.96/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Wine bottle. Thin Gouden Carolus goblet. Batch 68100. 08-09ish? Had one a bit older than this, that tasted significantly stale, but this one was quite tasty. Never had one perfectly fresh, so please don't beermail me about it unless you're offering to buy me a round. :P

Muddled orange brown body. Off-white, glassy, thin, agitated head.

Rich brown bread scent. Toasted corn tortillas, or something like it. A bitter leafyness. Orange zest. Cheap brandy. Mild anise.

Taste is lots of caramelized sugars upfront, along with a slight, pithy citrus bitterness. Oxidation is low & complimenting. Bready malt flavor dries up halfway through & the body gets really tight & dry. The older bottle in comparison was almost syrupy. Aging is such a toss-up. Never intentional, don't be silly. The bitterness picks up a bit near the finish, & some clove starts to come though. Finish is faded leafy hops, Euro malt, & charcoal.

Carbonation is strong & keeps this older beer interesting. Alcohol is there, but it's kept in check.

Not a fan of quads really, but this is one of the best American renditions I've tried. Cheers. :)

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 03:26:27 | More by PEBKAC

BeerManDan

California

4.45/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Absolutely one of the best Quad's I've ever drank! Nice deep yellow color with an orange hue. The aroma was like heaven, with all though components (spices, fruit, hop's and malts) and you can't believe your drink an ale that's 10% alcohol. So mellow, but be careful, it can jump up and bite you! Great brew, can't wait to buy a case of four packs!

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 19:45:47 | More by BeerManDan

BrausBeforeHaus

Virginia

4.43/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Extraordinary. That is my initial impression. Cant believe this Is above 10% abv...

I could go on for a 19th-century novel's-worth of characters about this brew.

Appearance is intriguing, with an inch of white head subsiding to a fine lace with a dark auburn hue to the brew.

Smell is satisfying, with banana up front with some date and darker fruits mixed in after

Taste leaves me wanting more, with a light effervescence and carbonation. Fruity & sweet with plenty of malty goodness to remind me I'm not drinking an alcoholic V8.

Mouthfeel is never too sharp, with all flavors being represented equally. 10.5% abv? Would not have imagined until consuming 3 or more of these puppies...

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 06:25:46 | More by BrausBeforeHaus

JimTeal

Nevada

4.75/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Anyone who doesn't appreciate this beer is a communist! What an excellent American quad, near perfect balance, fine finish, ABC hidden in a splendid background of the highest quality ingredients. It's so obvious when a brewer does it right, no reason to nit pick. It starts off with the typical caramel quad sweetness, then evolves to a welcome finish of noticeably forward malt. As the glass mellows and the esters release the smell only gets better and beckons another sip. I can go on forever, but this is an everyday excellent brew.

I forgot to mention, COME ON NEVADA, talk to Boulevard, bring it in!

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 02:15:17 | More by JimTeal

BEERMILER12

Maine

4.11/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

BEST BY 11/09/14

A: Pours a lightly hazy mahogany color with 2+ fingers of head that retains for a while

S: Dark fruits, Belgian yeast, caramel malts, and estery alcohol dominate the nose

T: Follows the nose. Sweet caramel malts, Belgian yeast, dark fruits, estery alcohol, and a hint of earthy hops. Opens up a bit more as it warms up

M: Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation

O: A nice slow sipper, this American Quad is a good example of the style. Could use a little more complexity, but again, it does open up quite a bit as it warms. Good value and easy to find

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 03:46:53 | More by BEERMILER12

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.45/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a St. Bernardus goblet glass. Best by date of 11/09/14.

Appearance: Pours a deep brownish mahogany amber orange with a moderate amount of bubbles. About two fingers of off white head which slowly fade into a thin patchy layer. Leaves a decent amount of lacing.

Smell: A big, rich, and sweet aroma of spicy yeast, dark fruits, and toasty caramel malts. Belgian yeast with hints of funk, clove, cinnamon, and peppers. Big fruit esters with hints of bananas, pear, apple, and grape. Big dark fruit esters of raisin, fig, dates, plum, prune, and dark cherry. Sweet Belgian candied sugars and brown sugar. Big toasty sweet malt presence with hints of caramel, toffee, biscuit, and grain. Some alcohol hints come through as well. A very good Quad aroma.

Taste: Follows the nose with a big taste of yeast, spices, fruits, and caramel malt. Spicy Belgian yeast with notes of clove, funk, pepper, and cinnamon. Big mix of fruit taste with notes of bananas, apple, pear, and grape with dark fruit esters of raisins, fig, plum, dates, prune, and dark cherry. Sweet mix of Belgian candied sugars and brown sugar. Deep toasted malt taste with notes of sweet caramel, toffee, toast, biscuit, and grains. Light background presence of earthy hops. A really rich and good all around Quad taste with a little alcoholic kick.

Mouthfeel: Thick and full bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Creamy, juicy, and somewhat slick. Moderate alcohol presence.

Overall: A very good American version of a Belgian Quad. Great yeast and fruit esters with a good sweet malt base.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 06:33:50 | More by MattyG85

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.59/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

a deep amber with some slight hazy sediment mixed in. finger of off-white head and great retention. smells of sour grapes, raisins, cloves, banana, booze. the flavor is very boozy, lots of banana, brown sugar, pears, a slight bitterness takes place in the aftertaste. a medium-full body beer with medium carbonation.. a sipper, but the high carbonation makes you want to drink faster.

i gotta say i'm not a huge fan of this one. i like the boozy warmth in the chest, and it's not a bad beer, but i am just not sold on it. i'm not mad i tried it at all, it's just the style i can't really get into.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 00:40:08 | More by facundoCNB

seand

California

4.19/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Pours a clear medium dark reddish amber, with a fair amount of tan head. A layer retains, which leaves large splotches of lacing.

S:
Almost pungently sweet, with a lightly sour note. Notes of fruit and Belgian spices as well.

T: Sweet and complex, with notes of spice and raisin.

M: Full body, medium carbonation.

Overall, a pretty good quad. It's a slightly smoother, thicker, but boozy take on the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 05:21:42 | More by seand

Flounder57

Massachusetts

4.24/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12 oz bottle was poured into a stemless wine glass.

Appearance: This beer poured a crazy two finger off white head that has reduced to a thin layer. It is an amber color with some clarity and bubbles coming up through the glass.

Smell: Bananas, plums, cloves, spiciness, bready malts, Belgian Candi, some alcohol, raisins, yeasty esters, and caramel. Smells awesome.

Taste: Same as above with some mild bitterness in the end and some warming alcohol. Pretty tasty quad from KC.

Mouthfeel: Silky and creamy smooth, full bodied, low to medium carbonation and some boozy alcohol. Easy to drink and very enjoyable.

Overall: Awesome stuff. Nice KC version of this Belgian classic.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 07:18:12 | More by Flounder57

BeerlyLegal

California

4.31/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

What else is there to say about such a fun and tasty brew that hasn't already been said.

Perfect dark orange hue and nice foam head.

Scent of apple and caramel.

Tastes so smooth and airy that its hard not to down this too quickly. High ABV that hits you fast.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2013 03:54:47 | More by BeerlyLegal

milliCAN

Indiana

4.1/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

This delicious beer enjoyed out of a pint glass because I wanted to.

The sediment rolling around the red/orange color is amazing to me. Pretty much zero head and great carbonation. My absolute favorite part of this beer is the after taste in the back of your throat on the finish. The plum and caramel smell is favorable and I wish I had saved my bottle for a pairing. I will definitely buy more of these to put on my summertime beer pairing! Schwing Town!

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2013 02:54:53 | More by milliCAN

allinthehead

3.41/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

poured into a Bruery tulip

appearance - short lived white head over caramelly colored haze

smell - sweet, dark fruit notes accented with a sharp alcohol nose

taste - bready, sweet. lacking in complexity for a quad, ATMO

mouthfeel - nice carbonation; one of the tricks of the Trappists. dry finish that reminds me of iron. but a much better finish than Boulevard's Tripel that I had last night

overall - a budget quad. I can't always have a Rocheford 10 and I'm happy enough drinking this one.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 04:22:06 | More by allinthehead

KajII

North Carolina

3.95/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

[Suggested Glassware: Tulip Glass]

The pour was a murky medium brown with a light orange hue and an average (1-2 finger) off white creamy head that was mostly diminishing, down to a thin puddled film and medium collar with fair runny lacing.

The aroma was of a sweet dark bread malt and an earthy doughy yeast with notes of caramel, candi sugar and dark fruit (raisons, figs and plums).

The taste was a smooth malty sweet with a hint of caramel from the beginning, and then become quite a bit yeasty with a strong dark fruit presence and a light alcohol ending. The flavor was short in duration following the swallow, with a lightly sweet fruitiness resting on the taste buds along with a mild alcohol warming sensation.

Mouthfeel was medium in body with a dry and slightly oily texture and a nice lively carbonation.

Overall this is one of the most balanced and tasty Strong Ales I have had in quite a while. So much so that there is hardly any indication of the high ABV this brew possesses. Props to this brewer for another superb beer...

http://www.facebook.com/KAJIIsBeerReviews

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 19:38:31 | More by KajII

acsprouse

South Carolina

4.91/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

A: Pours a two finger bubbly head that doesnt stick around long.

S: maltiness Bready malt sweetness

T: malty like the nose. Some sweetness that hides the 10.5 abv very well. Bread Follows from the nose. Theres some spicyness in there. Very slight hop presence.

M: its very smooth, carbonation, a little thick but very drinkable.

O: Very Good brew. Great great quad. Very enjoyable. Its Very drinkable, but be careful its 10.5% abv. Enjoy!

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 08:43:16 | More by acsprouse

2x10

Pennsylvania

4.86/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Wow! Recommended from the House of 1000 Beers in New Kensington, PA.
Brownish orange foam, and I must say its the best tasting foam ever.
Smooth, creamy, caramel, licorice and hints of spice light up the tongue. Perfect amount of carbonation. Alcohol is well hidden, but u still get that nice warming feel.
Best quad we ever had, slightly better than weyerbacher quad.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 16:21:17 | More by 2x10

MickeyD

Kansas

4.15/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Had this one at home from a 12oz bottle poured into a "beer clean" tulip.
Dark orange red when held to the sunlight with one finger width thick foam. Carbonation bubbles rolling nicely to the top. The head stayed with the beer with moderate lacing.
Slight hop with a wheat overtone.
Very low hops on first taste with a taste of wheat bread and barley.
Not very heavy with slight bitter after taste. The beer was not thick but had a good refreshing taste but sticks with you and leaves a good clean aftertaste.
This beer while substantial, is not overbearing. The earthy taste is great for winter days or for big juicy steaks. This is a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2013 22:20:28 | More by MickeyD