Bourbon Barrel Quad (BBQ) - Boulevard Brewing Co.

flabbygums

California

1.35/5  rDev -68.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

It tastes an awful lot like Bourbon which you might like, however I did not find it appealing or palatable.

I don't see the connection to making beer taste like Bourbon. If you want to try this beer without buying it.. Take a glass of wine, and toss in a shot of bourbon.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 02:57:32 | More by flabbygums

BobZ

Massachusetts

1.55/5  rDev -63.4%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 4 | overall: 1

25.4oz. Bottle of the 2011 vintage poured into my Duvel tulip.

Appearance: Reddish brown with a nice frothy tan 1” head. Nice lacing

Smell: Some dark fruit, definitely some bourbon/booze, and a light sour funk.

Taste: Sour funk muted by bourbon, very little flavor development beyond that. This beer is definitely more “Flemish Red” than Quad. No real development of what I love in a quad, the deep dark fruit flavors, some hints of coffee and chocolate, balanced Belgian candy sugar to provide a light sweetness without becoming cloying, NONE of that. Sour cherry and bourbon comprise 99% of the flavor profile.

Mouthfeel: Clean and well carbonated on the Palate.

Overall: I had tried to determine whether this beer had any sour characteristics prior to purchase and the feedback was more along the lines of “maybe / maybe not”. Let me remove all doubt, it DOES. I will review this beer as a quad and as such it is a major failure. I love Belgian quads and strong dark ales, they are my favorite styles of beer (by-far). I loathe sour beers. All I can say if you make a sour beer call it a sour beer, if I didn’t know better I’d call this an infected quad.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 18:13:02 | More by BobZ

JAXSON

Pennsylvania

2.15/5  rDev -49.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

This was an extra in a trade, thanks Jim. Pours cherry red with a bunch of large bubbles rising up, then receding to a collar around the edges. Nose is heavy oak, sour cherries, a light and sweet vinegar touch. Really comes across like some weird American sour. Mouth is super sharp carbonation with a palate of butter, oak, sour cherry, brett. I don't know if wild yeast was actually used with this but it has the wet sock aspect of brett. Alcohol heat and some caramel type malts bring up the back. I have to say, this is completely disgusting. Just way too much of everything, and the buttery, brett like elements clash horribly with the base beer. Could be a Cigar City sour, probably.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2011 00:12:56 | More by JAXSON

PlinytheFarter

Illinois

2.17/5  rDev -48.7%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

I don't like Boulevard beers at all. I think it's the yeast strains they use but they all have that same taste on the back end that makes me unhappy. With that said I figured based on reviews and the style I had to give them one more chance. My bad. This was supposedly barrel aged and Quad. I'm not saying Boulevard are liars but they are liars. I did however taste some very faint cherry tartness at the end. This actually faded away after a few more sips.

Pours a boring color that could be confused with a Leinies Red perhaps?

This beer smells fantastic if you enjoy the smell of wet socks.

The taste was like a watered down anything Unibroue with a lame attempt at putting cherries in it somehow. The cherry taste like an extract unlike lets say the fantastic New Glarus Cherry Tart. I don't see the point of spending the money on this when you could snag a Three Philosophers much easier. That is a Quad that looks, tastes, and feels like a Quad with cherry. Boulevard is not for me for I enjoy flavor instead of wet socks. I do love their design though and many many many people love their beers. Sorry guys, but cheers to Boulevard for brewing anyways!!

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 19:24:09 | More by PlinytheFarter

iabeerbaron

Iowa

2.18/5  rDev -48.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

"Purchased at John's Grocery in Iowa City. This beer pours a dark brown/reddish color with a thick head. Aroma of sugar, cherries, oak, and alcohol. Flavor of cherries, sugar, and a whiskey flavor. A little too much for me. " It's been a while since I've had it so I wouldn't mind going back and revisiting a bottle to see if my tastes of changed.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 17:37:20 | More by iabeerbaron

oakbluff

Manitoba (Canada)

2.25/5  rDev -46.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Bottle # 6629 from 2009 vintage. Pours a thick cloudy caramel with a two finger head and thin lacing. Nose- plums, plastic notes, light cherry/brett, dusty. Taste- hot and thin with an unpleasant sourness to it. Really little depth to this except for the wood and malt sweetness. Finish has an unpleasant burn and abrasiveness to it. This is some bad hootch.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2011 21:11:47 | More by oakbluff

EgadBananas

Louisiana

2.28/5  rDev -46.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Hazy, muddy, dark orange in color. To be honest, the look's a bit light and off. A 2 finger head forms easily, light tan in color.

Aroma is big bourbon, yeasty, funky, and actually overpowering-ly tart and off-putting even with the planned cherries.

Taste is much of the same: bourbon, yeast, sweetness, noticeable tartness, and yeasty, acidic and stringent. Not ruling out the possibility of a bum bottle.

Feel is medium in body, slightly creamy, low carbonation.

Maybe it was a bum bottle...the tart characters definitely didn't seem right... shared the bottle and we both ended up pouring some out in the end.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 04:58:09 | More by EgadBananas

harrymel

Washington

2.6/5  rDev -38.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Batch 2010-1, Bb 11/2012

A: Pours an apricot ale with excellent clarity. Little to no head formation. Empty surface. Rare and transient lacing.

S: Not what I had expected. Cherries smell tart and at the forefront of the beer. As I readjust my nose, the grain starts to come through. This smells more like a Flanders Oud Bruin than a Quad. Interesting.

T: ABV is way to naked here. Jesus, it's difficult to get past the Alcohol in here. Brutal. Once I get past here, there are sweet grains, oak tones, sweetness. Edit: as I have allowed the beer to breath a bit more and warm, the bourbon becomes more welcoming, balances a little better with the cherries.

M: Medium to full body with high carb for the genre. Slicks the tongue and resonates as such. Syrupy.

D: This beer is a far shy from the Sixth Glass I do so enjoy. The barrels and cherries overwhelm this beer. Maybe time does this beer justice, but right now - I can't handle it.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2011 08:05:50 | More by harrymel

Crosling

Colorado

2.65/5  rDev -37.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Dark brown color with a smooth, silky, creamy, long lasting head of white foam. Aromatics are very simple, a touch of cherry. Not much quad left in here, as the flavor is dominated by whiskey and sour fruits. Too sour, with no malt depth. The oak contribution didnt provide much nuance of coconut and vanilla, just funk. Not a beer I enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2009 15:46:09 | More by Crosling

CaptainTripps

Oregon

2.73/5  rDev -35.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

reviewing from notes, 750ml corked and caged bottle poured into a Duvel Tulip.

*Cork was a PAIN to get off

A: Upon opening, the beer poured a hazy reddish brown color; beer sort of resembles a hazy flemish red. 2 fingers worth of head came with the pour that disappeared quickly, little to no lacing left on glass.

S: Cherries, cherries, cherries. Cherries are the main aroma coming off this beer followed by a tart/sour funkiness. Bourbon with a small amount of vanilla character are present as well as some alcohol heat. I can't tell where the quad is in this beer.

T: There is some what of a quad base in this beer (you will find small, SMALL amounts of dark fruits and spices), but for the most part this beer taste like a bourbon barrel aged flemish red. On that note, it is a very interesting beer on how the cherry tartness is playing with the vanilla bourbon qualities. There is quiet the amount of booze coming from this beer as well, could use some more time in the cellar.
I am going to only give this a 3/5 because while i find the beer interesting for what it is, the beer is no where near a quad.

M: Medium bodied beer that is slightly creamy. Carbonatin is good throughout. Pretty boozy with some heat coming off the tail end of the beer.

D: Pretty poor on the scale of drinkability, the boozyness is really hurting it. Has some bite on that finish that is a little much to consume alot of. Also the tartness really wears down the palate.

When i opened this beer i thought they had bottled a flemish red into a bottle that said "quad." Was not what i was expecting what so ever.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2011 12:25:45 | More by CaptainTripps

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

2.8/5  rDev -33.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Cherrywood reddish brown color. Fluffy beige head elapses into a thin skim in the shape of a gorilla skull. Few lacey speckles but nothing to brag about.

Smells like cherry syrup and American oak. Steely, light toffee more akin to well bourbon than something I'd want to age beer on.

Tastes discordant. I can pick out vanilla bean yogurt, grenadine, light toffee and citrus bourbon-y fade. Some dark bread in there. Messy and all over the place. Thin, unsexy body.

Watery, wimpy, and sloppy compared to better bourbon beers such as GI or Backwoods Bastard. I'm off the bandwagon on this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2012 02:20:43 | More by donkeyrunner

Wadsey

Indiana

2.93/5  rDev -30.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad, 2010

Served in New Belgium globe glass

A: Pours hazy amber-brown with a two-finger, eggshell-white head that has little retention but some sporadic lacing. Nice effervesce for such a big beer. 

 S: Tart cherries, light bourbon, caramel, and alcohol. There is a relatively strong note of barn funk, too. Keeping my nose in the glass reveals additional aromas of vanilla, coconut, and mint.

T: Tart cherries and alcohol vie for domination in this beer. Light bourbon, caramel, barn funk and musty basement bring up rear. The other elements are more or less lost. Alcohol notes gain strength on palate as beer warms up. 

M: Medium-heavy body and medium carbonation. Still, BBQ manages to be a little thin. Definitely warming. 

O: The beer smells great, but pales in other categories, especially taste, which is a terrible place to have the weakest link. Unfortunately, BBQ wears its abv on its sleeve and the alcohol approximates the rubbing variety. 

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2011 09:45:02 | More by Wadsey

billab914

Virginia

3.13/5  rDev -26%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Vintage 2009, batch 1. Poured from a 750ml bottle into my Dogfish snifter. It poured a murky, dark caramel color with a thin white lacing scattered across the top of the beer.

The aroma shows some tart, slightly funky fruit notes to it. I get some sweet malt notes mixed with a cherry like fruitiness. The vanilla seems to be the strongest character to the barrel aging, but the oak and bourbon are there too. The funky, tart fruity notes were unexpected, but actually pretty good.

The taste starts off with some sweeter malty flavors with some of the vanilla barrel character as well. It starts to turn kind of funky and fruity pretty quickly with a lot of cherry flavors coming out. Towards the finish some of the oak and bourbon come out. It's pretty sweet overall, but still has some funky, sour undertones.

The mouthfeel is thin and very light for the style. Carbonation is below average, and would have probably fit with the quad flavors but it doesn't with the sour ones.

Overall it didn't seem to be anything like it was supposed to be, but actually seemed like a halfway decent American Wild. I liked the cherry and bourbon flavors it had as well as the funky, sour undertones in it. What hurt it was it became too sweet and the mouthfeel was just off for either style. Not a good quad, but not a bad American Wild at this point for this particular bottle. Had I held it to a quad standard my rating would be a lot lower, but I'm going to cut it some slack since I somewhat liked what it turned into.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2011 00:56:14 | More by billab914

ChrisPro

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Tasted blind as part of top 10 quad tasting with callmemickey and sideshowe. NOTE: Attempted to review this beer to style so my scores are reflective of this.

A - Murky amber brown with very little head.

S - The first thing that hits is a blast of tart cherry. There are also lots of notes of oak and vanilla as weel as straight up alcohol.

T - Sweet caramel, but then a really funky sour that overpowers everything. Some roastiness and a dry oaky finish with lots of yeast. This does not taste like a quad.

M - A bit of heat, slightly tannic and good carbonation.

O - A great beer, but this really doesn't taste to style. We had a long debate on whether this was infected (http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/3643968#3644056) and this was a great beer, but it just didn't fit with the others. This was #10 of 10 for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2011 14:33:10 | More by ChrisPro

Jeffo

Netherlands

3.23/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

The Dooper shared this one with me a week back. We had The Sixth Glass Quad and this one back to back. Cheers for the cool beer night man!

From a 75cl bottle into a snifter
Bottle 1,192 of 11,248. Why bother?
Best by November 2012
Brewed with cherries

Note: We had an infected bottle of this a while ago, so the suspense for this one was massive...

APPEARANCE: Pours out dark auburn and yields a one finger, medium looking, cream white head with only decent retention this time. Cloudy with piles of carbonation evident. A good foam cap remains leaving some nice lacing down the sides of the glass. Same as the base beer, but the head vanished much quicker here.

SMELL: Medium strength nose of cherries, bourbon notes and roasted malts. The oak and bourbon aromas are outplayed by the cherries. Interesting, but a little too cherry dominant.

TASTE: Cherries up front for sure, with some bourbon barrel notes in there as well. Some oak, vanilla and alcohol from the barrel at the finish. A big and lingering aftertaste of brett cherries, caramel sweetness, light bourbon barrel flavors and some alcohol. Definitely cherry heavy, though the barrel and base beer play a better roll here than they did in the nose.

PALATE: Lighter body and higher levels of carbonation. Creamy enough on the palate, goes down smooth and finishes slighly dry. A little too light and carbonated perhaps.

OVERALL: Well, at least it wasn't infected. This was an interesting beer, but it wasn't really as advertised. A little too cherry heavy for me, especially considering it's supposed to be a bourbon barrel aged quad. A nice drink that I am glad to have tried, but not something I'll look for again. Cheers for sharing Doops. Another successful beer night!

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 18:56:47 | More by Jeffo

jrallen34

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I drank this from a bottle into a tasting glass at NoTB.

The color is very light for a quad, a light tan with a hint of amber. The head is light tan and rises several fingers and has amazing retention and lacing. The head lasts at least 5 minutes.

The aroma is super light, only a hint of hint in there to me.

The taste is really bland and not much flavor. There is a lot of alcohol noticeable and at the end only the slightest hint of cherries.

The feel is ok, very warm finish.

Overall, I was expecting some great stuff but disappointed by the blandness and lack of hiding the alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2010 02:38:52 | More by jrallen34

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

2011 vintage. Thanks to angrybabboon for sharing the bottle.

Appearance: Hazed dark garnet. Deep browns at edges. Head is white and creamy. Collar is nice and thick. A small cap.

Smell: Tart cherry flesh. Some tannic skin. Bourbon adds a nice backing complexity. Vanilla, oak, and some nice Belgian spice. Touches of clove. Big malty sweetness pushed caramel, touches of toffee and some biscuit malt. Bigger push of cherries as it warms.

Taste: Bigger hit of bourbon than the nose would indicate. Lots of vanilla and caramel. Some more caramel malt sweetness pushes through. Lingering Belgian spice. Some tart cherry skin. Some missing cherry flesh. As it warms it becomes a bourbon Belgian spice bomb. The cherry drops out almost entirely. Biscuit and toffee. Caramel candy.

Mouthfeel: Thin side of medium body. Minimal carbonation. Some lingering dryness from the alcohol.

Overall: I need me some real BBQ.

Smells interesting, tastes like it's name.This is not a good thing. Lacks a little dimension.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 23:03:23 | More by Goblinmunkey7

claspada

New Jersey

3.28/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Batch 2010-1; best by 11/2012.

Pours a hazy crimson color with a nice ample 1-2 inch head with nice soapy white lacing. I love a nice sticky looking beast.

Aromas are kind of a let down to be honest. All I get is a boat ton of sour cherries and alcohol; not even bourbon but like a vodka or cheap grain alcohol booziness. There is a slight caramel maltiness but the sour fruit and booze overshaddows the base beer.

The tastes are equally dissapointing to be honest. Initially I get the nice dark brown ale sour cherry beer taste like supplication but the alcohol rears its ugly head soon after. The sour cherries flavors almost taste bitter combined with the strong alcohol tastes. There is a slight vanilla taste on the backend which is nice but still can't combat the alcohol heat.

Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied. Coats the palate nicely which would be great if I enjoy the flavors. Carbonation is nice and strong here which is a plus for such a high ABV offering preventing it from being cloying or syrupy.

Overall this was a letdown for me. Maybe it is too young but I cannot forgive a beer for being this hot after a year plus no matter what. I am not a fan of cherry addition beers in general but I enjoyed Supplication because I can appreciate a good, well-made beer, but this is a miss for me. I have loved all the Boulevard Smokestack beers I have had to date but I will not be seeking this one ever again. I cannot say this very often, but I wish there were more bourbon flavors in this beer and less pure alcohol burn. I will give Boulevard a pass here because all the rest of the beers I have sampled from them have been top quality. Not every beer can be a winner...

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2011 01:43:40 | More by claspada

alcstradamus

Illinois

3.3/5  rDev -22%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Received as a very generous extra from Bobbydigi. Thanks!

Pours a very deep amber/copper color with a finger and a half of head that settles down to a nice collar.

Smell is dominated by fusel alcohols at first. Underneath is a bouquet of caramel, toffee, sunflowers, lemon zest, chocolate, dark bread, and mozzarella cheese? Quite rich and complex, but held back a bit by the stinging alcohol and a tad bit of plastic that creeps in every once in a while. After quite a bit of agitation and some warming, the booze seems to be subsiding a bit.

The taste is...well...weird. A highly sweet, grape-like character dominates the front while a watery orange peel finish stays in the mouth after swallow. Beyond that, I really have a tough time describing it. Maybe bourbon soaked leather? Some fingernail polish remover. I'm really not enjoying this one very much.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with low carbonation levels that make it feel a bit heavier than it is. Drinkability is pretty low here for me. There is really not much to make this beer stand out for me. I feel the potential is here, but there are too many off flavors for the good aspects to overcome.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2009 03:25:34 | More by alcstradamus

natasharai

Minnesota

3.38/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Poured into a pint glass with 2cm medium textured head (slightly creamy but still a little bubbly), light tan in color. Beer is hazy brownish red colored. The head retention is great! not really any lacing.

Smell: Strong sour smell, and cherries up front. Also a lot of yeast and oaky smell.

Taste: Sour and cherry flavors at first, and as it warms more the oak flavor is more prevalent.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied, good amount of carbonation consisting of small bubbles.

Overall: this is an ok Quad, quite different the bourbon barrel only provides an oaky smell/taste and not a strong one.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2009 05:43:22 | More by natasharai

mcallister

Ohio

3.4/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Mahagony colored and cloudy opaque. Great looking with a tan head of 2 fingers that fades down to spotty lacing.

Almost smells like a corked wine ufortunately. Very woody with wet cardboard, black cherry, hints of bourbon and vanilla with some fig and date.

Very nice but almost like a flemish red. Black cherry, alcohol, bourbon, funky barnyardy earthy flavors, vanilla, date, fig, plum raisin, sweet finish with moderate complexity. Nice but not what I was expecting.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2011 20:28:48 | More by mcallister

DarthKostrizer

California

3.43/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Look: The beer pours a light brown with a red hue. Has a 1/4 inch off white head that sticks around for awhile and leaves behind some nice lacing

Smell: Upfront is lots of cherries followed up by some bourbon oak and a slight funk

Taste: For me the tart cherries over power the beer. Lots and lots of cherry backed up by some bourbon oak and bready yeast

Mouthfeel: Medium body and ample carbonation

Overall: I had high hopes for this beer but this one just did not agree with my palate.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 17:24:58 | More by DarthKostrizer

seedsofchaos

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Hype. Hype. Hype. Too much hype surrounding this beer. Before popping this bottle I gave the Alstrom review a read... "...with every sip, we heard an angel cry." Really? It's that good?

The cork popped dramatically enough and one was immediately presented with hints of Rauchmalt in the air. Interesting... BBQ pours thick and opaque and seems to absorb light the further down in the glass you look. From tea to a dark earthly brown, this Quad is like a murky abyss. Plenty of carbonation garners up a generous tan head.

The aroma immediately presents a bit of funk followed by sweet malts and caramel aromas. It'd definitely say a barleywine-esque malt character isn't too far off from an apt description. A lot of the taste follows the bouquet. A bit of that funk from the Belgian yeast, I'm sure... Fruity esters come through with a bit of sourness. It reminds me kind of a granny smith apple that you've just bitten in to. Oak from the barrels is definitely there but there is just a touch (and nothing more than a touch) of bourbon. BBQ finishes a tad on the peppery side with noticeable alcohol heat and malt heaviness.

In my humble opinion, the complexities of this beer are a little off-putting. Some flavors play well together but some don't. This Boulevard offering is definitely a sipper, and it's decently enjoyable, but I don't understand the hype one bit. Slightly above average at best.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 13:31:55 | More by seedsofchaos

Glibber

Idaho

3.43/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Minimal light head and minor lacing. Smells of yeast and bourbon. Warming alcohols, not much for hops, pretty strong stuff. I did not like this as much as the triple from Boulevard- perhaps it was just the bourbon barrel and my taste. Thought it was just OK.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 04:48:51 | More by Glibber

vkv822

Oregon

3.48/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

2010 vintage.

Pours a fairly clear amber brown with a foamy beige head that maintains a quarter inch head.

The nose is all bourbon barrel upfront, with tart cherry becoming the focal point as it warms.

The taste follows the nose, but a bit more balanced overall. Bourbon, cherry and Belgian yeast are the main flavors at work here.

The mouthfeel has a pleasant medium body, though the carbonation is a bit high.

A good beer, though I was a bit surprised by the tart cherry presence. I did enjoy it, though I have no real desire to buy any more in the future.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 05:57:05 | More by vkv822