Imperial Stout - Boulevard Brewing Co.

yeastsipper

California

4.43/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Beer received in trade with sry23. Scott rules. Part of a blind stout tasting in which the Boulevard finished 3/11, behind Rasputin XI and Darklord. Fantastic beer.

Beer pours a huge, frothy head over a pure black body. How does Boulevard get this kind of carbonation? The saison-brett was the same way. Fantastic!

Smell is super interesting. This was confirmed with others, but there are notes of celery and bell pepper (noticed the smell immediately as I use celery often to make juice). It wasn't bad, just odd, and very different. It gave the beer a very earthlike quality. Taste is much the same. Very earthy with a hint of vegetable and big chocolate tones. Nice carbonation and goes down easy. 11% hidden very well.

Superb, superb beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2009 21:57:25 | More by yeastsipper

jono0101

Missouri

4.75/5  rDev +13.1%

05-18-2013 22:14:46 | More by jono0101

leftstagebrew

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

05-13-2013 15:33:57 | More by leftstagebrew

StPaulSuds

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

05-07-2013 16:39:09 | More by StPaulSuds

Birdlegs

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

04-29-2013 16:03:53 | More by Birdlegs

mjgardner

Kansas

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

04-26-2013 03:01:42 | More by mjgardner

riored4v

Colorado

4.48/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2011 release enjoyed on 4/16/13. 3 months past the "Best By" date.

Poured in a tulip with a pitch black body and a tan, 1.5 finger colored head. Good alcohol leggings on the glass.

Aroma had huge amount of chocolate, raisin, vanilla and bourbon. Good amount of alcohol in the aroma, but very inviting.

Taste was excellent. Super smooth. Roasty, burnt and chocolatey. A bit earthy with some raisin flavors. Vanilla and oak barrels were very present along with the whiskey notes. Very low bitterness in the finish. Some nice mellow alcohol warmth.

Medium body, medium carb and a slightly chewy finish that ends up crisp.

Overall.. fantastic beer for the style. Loads of barrel and whiskey goodness along with good amounts of chocolate.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 01:17:50 | More by riored4v

DelMontiac

Oklahoma

4/5  rDev -4.8%

04-08-2013 00:13:14 | More by DelMontiac

flyingPharmacist

New York

4/5  rDev -4.8%

04-05-2013 12:31:03 | More by flyingPharmacist

drummermattie02

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -16.7%

03-25-2013 15:46:25 | More by drummermattie02

Sparky44

Illinois

4/5  rDev -4.8%

03-24-2013 02:52:42 | More by Sparky44

Magery

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

03-23-2013 22:46:33 | More by Magery

rfbenavi80

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

03-20-2013 05:08:21 | More by rfbenavi80

muchloveforhops3

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

03-07-2013 08:51:22 | More by muchloveforhops3

CaptainNomihodai

Illinois

4/5  rDev -4.8%

02-26-2013 06:35:22 | More by CaptainNomihodai

doughanson78

Washington

4/5  rDev -4.8%

02-12-2013 05:57:49 | More by doughanson78

Dope

Massachusetts

3.41/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

2011 batch.

A: Pours a pitch black with a medium sized but very dense medium-brown head. Great head retention, however. Abundant solid swaths of lacing as wel.

S: Hmph. Wet grass. Unpleasant. Some mild roasted malt is hiding in there but apparently this is one of those infected batches. Man, I think 3 of my last 4 beers have been bad (random breweries). What are the chances of that?

T: There is some really nice creamy chocolate up front and in the middle, but it's covered in this very strange off-flavor. Kinda spicy in places and other times tastes like old, wet hay.

M: Heavy, creamy, great.

O: Ugh, you can tell this beer is awesome. It's nice and thick and creamy. Great chocolate and roasted malt character. But it's covered in this terrible flavor and aroma that just detracts terribly. It's a shame but it's still not horrible even with a really bad off-flavor. Uninfected this must be great! Will have to seek this out again...non 2011 batch that is.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 05:01:56 | More by Dope

tbone1384

Wyoming

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

02-01-2013 05:49:48 | More by tbone1384

wisrarebeer

Wisconsin

3.83/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

2011
A: jet black with deep brown head, poured with good rocky head that dissipated to thin veil
S: deep roasted malt, slightly burnt with undertones of vanilla and toffee, mild nose
T: deep roasted malt, burnt undertones with well-balanced hop finish, nice barrel aging that's well-balanced
m: extremely rounded, well-balanced with some heat

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 00:35:39 | More by wisrarebeer

phishbone23

New York

3.25/5  rDev -22.6%

01-23-2013 12:58:03 | More by phishbone23

twiggamortis420

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Batch 2008-1 pours a rich black color with a large cap of brown head. Nice retention and even better lace...more like a sheet of foam on the glass.

Nose is rich blackberry juice with cocoa powder. Little bit of black licorice and wet grass. Interesting and complex, smells just about perfect for a 5-year old impy stout.

Wow! Dusty chocolate with a perfect amount of bruised fruit. It pretty much has it all, very complex. It’s not all that sweet, but nor is it dry. The alcohol is there, but in a nice "I’m here to caress your lower back big boy!" kind of way. Mouthfeel is great, I wouldn’t mid a bit more creaminess/finer carbonation but that is a very minor complaint. I had this beer fresh(er) about 4 years ago and it was too overbearing and hoppy. Now, it is a perfect example of a beer aging wonderfully and gracefully. It’s like a Rabbit Duck mixed with a Black Tuesday mixed with a Sexual Chocolate. Awesome beer drinking experience.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 23:13:06 | More by twiggamortis420

thewimperoo

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -10.7%

01-19-2013 22:12:56 | More by thewimperoo

MordorMongo

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

01-14-2013 14:19:53 | More by MordorMongo

spycow

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

01-13-2013 22:03:49 | More by spycow

lawlerj

Nebraska

4.28/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a snifter. Bottle # 7306 from 2011.

A - Pours motor oil black, with a little brown around the edges. No head/carbonation to speak of. Appears to be viscous and thick. Absolutely opaque. No light's getting through this sucker. Looks about right after sitting for a year and a half.

S - The aroma is strong and sweet. Bourbon is definitely there, as is some oakiness and vanilla notes.

T - The bourbon is noticeable up front, as is the oak and vanilla. There is a light astrigent flavor on the back end before the alcohol kick (which is actually farely tame, much more so than I thought it would be). I'm not a big fan of that astringent flavor in the middle, but the rest is very nice.

M - Surprisingly, not as full bodied as some other beers. More medium bodied, whcih was actually kind of nice.

O - Overall, this is a nice beer, and one that I'm glad I waited for. Merry Christmas to me.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 23:36:41 | More by lawlerj