Harvest Dance - Boulevard Brewing Co.

Reaper16

Alabama

4.47/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750mL bottle served into a 2009 Boulevard Smokestack Series chalice

Pours a honeyed orange that reminds me of a Halls menthol-lyptus cough drop. You can see clearly the streams of bubbles from the nucleation but the beer isn't really transparent. The head, oh God the head, is enourmous. A gentle pour yielded foam that was initially larger than a full hand. It settles nicely into a two finger expanse that never quite dies from that point. The top is frothy and rock and generally consistent with sea foam. The lacing is understandably spectacular. Steven Pauwels and the Boulevard crew are masters at beer head, as evidenced by every single beer in the Smokestack Series. You will never see a beer of this style that looks better.

The massive quantities of wheat show up in the nose first off. Tangy, zippy smells balanced by the expected banana richness. What is entirely unexpected out of a wheatwine is the abundance of citrus aromas. In addition to the German hallartau hops that give this beer the leafy hop aromas that it has, Boulevard has chosen to use Sierra Nevada's own Citra hops. The mango-pineapple-grapefruit loveliness of those hops are an alluring and effective choice for this beer.

This is pretty fucking good. Its not simply a wheat bomb, there is plenty of malted barley flavor to go around. The malt background is so rich and is a strong background for the yeasty banana tastes and the hop attack. This beer is grounded in earthy, astringent hallaurtau which serves to highlight the bright, papaya, mango fruitsplosion of the citra hops. This is all so GOOD. The citra hops are so amazing in Harvest Dance! It actually reminds me of Ballast Point Sculpin in the aftertaste. The oak aging plays a key component here. There is a lightly smoky, meaty quality that actually accentuates the banana, amazing as that sounds. The oak barrels were specifically used previously to hold French chardonnay if I remember correctly. There is a light grape to the back end that feels brusque from the oaky smoke.

The mouthfeel is solid. There is a lot of carbonation, which makes it very easy for the beer to get foamy in the mouth the same way as Dr. Pepper does. There is a slight issue with the alcohol in this beer. Its tastes a little bit more boozy than the 9% that it is. Its never harsh, so you could say that I am nitpicking. As far as drinkability goes, I imagine that this is drinkable enough for the style. The bottle is disappearing quickly and the ABV is not unreasonable.

Boulevard have proven themselves time and again to be masters of wheat. They just know how to make it do great things. Harvest Dance Wheat Wine is no exception. Its insanely flavored yet very balanced. Easy to drink for the style but also very complex. This is fantastic. You really must obtain some, drink some and age some.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2009 04:03:13 | More by Reaper16

lancecenter

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%

05-19-2013 19:52:11 | More by lancecenter

drgonzo2k2

California

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-19-2013 18:17:56 | More by drgonzo2k2

jono0101

Missouri

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-18-2013 22:14:30 | More by jono0101

MinorThreat

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

05-16-2013 13:16:21 | More by MinorThreat

MSandahl23

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

05-16-2013 13:09:43 | More by MSandahl23

thegodfather2701

North Carolina

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

A-Hazy gold with a fizzy white head that leaves some slight lacing

S-Belgian Yeast, spicy, a hint of hops-smells like a tripel or a saison

T-Yeasty, semi spicy, hint of clove, and some booze. It tastes like a tripel or a very flavor saison.

M-pretty thick and chewy

D-very drinkable, but its high abv will definitely cut into the amount you can drink in a setting

Overall, this was my first wheatwine and I enjoyed it. I would drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 02:59:02 | More by thegodfather2701

JohnnyMc

Ohio

3.99/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

First time trying a Wheatwine.

Pours out an extremely hazy golden/orange with a thick 3 fingers of white, fluffy head.

The aroma is a combination of sweeter tropical fruit hop notes, some bready malt, a big white wine/white grape characteristic and some lemon zest.

The flavor is packed with a huge white grape note that is followed by the tropical fruit notes like mango, peach, pineapple and a nice orange peel too. There is some subtle spice characteristic, but mainly this drinks like white wine with some tropical fruit notes from the hops.

The body is light-medium and the mouthfeel is incredibly smooth and creamy. You can't really smell the alcohol, but there is a definite bite and warmth as it goes down. A tad aggressive.

This is a great beer, but the ABV could be better hidden and there could be more subtleties in it as well. Worth checking out!

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 18:16:23 | More by JohnnyMc

ToddHolder

Illinois

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-11-2013 01:56:28 | More by ToddHolder

lernerlift

Kansas

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-05-2013 22:01:57 | More by lernerlift

capnamerica

Arkansas

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

05-05-2013 01:40:29 | More by capnamerica

harpus

Alabama

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

05-04-2013 06:31:18 | More by harpus

ianjsullivan

Maryland

4.15/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

ST: 750 poured into a snifter.

A: Light amber, almost orange, with a thick white head.

S: Strong wheat, lots of grapefruit, bubblegum, medicinal, stone fruit.

T: Spicy grapefruit, sweet red grapefruit, vanilla from the oak, alcohol ethanol.

M: Very full and creamy from the wheat.

O: Wonderful, complex flavor with a noticeable mouthfeel, Harvest Dance is a winner. I would buy it again, happily.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 18:48:01 | More by ianjsullivan

BigEZ_VZ

Louisiana

3/5  rDev -26.1%

04-27-2013 23:06:29 | More by BigEZ_VZ

dubmax

Kansas

4/5  rDev -1.5%

04-27-2013 04:01:18 | More by dubmax

abex44

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

04-25-2013 04:26:50 | More by abex44

Brob245

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

04-20-2013 21:57:24 | More by Brob245

bcheng

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

04-18-2013 15:24:20 | More by bcheng

vanillacokaine

Indiana

4.75/5  rDev +17%

04-18-2013 05:28:54 | More by vanillacokaine

brian60625

Illinois

3.33/5  rDev -18%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle for $6.99. Aroma is wheat husk, crushed malt grains, lime, banana, and peppermint. Appearance is dark, grey yellow with a lot of foam. Taste is lime, paprika, cornbread and orange zest. There’s a wooden earthiness that adds a complementary dimension. Palate is medium bodied and heavily carbonated. Overall, it’s crisp, filling due to the big carbonation dose, refreshing, sweet. Pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 02:09:07 | More by brian60625

marlinsfan4

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%

04-16-2013 04:35:56 | More by marlinsfan4

Brobiehansen

Nebraska

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%

04-15-2013 04:36:12 | More by Brobiehansen

jspaner

Maryland

4/5  rDev -1.5%

04-14-2013 00:50:16 | More by jspaner

justinm4bama

Alabama

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%

04-13-2013 00:05:48 | More by justinm4bama

Prince_Casual

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: 750ml poured into std issue total wine belgian glass... nice color but Boulevard, ALWAYS with the over carbonation!? I knew going in (from experience) to be careful, but anything less than a 100% attention to pour will give you an overflow. OK, fine, the lacing is actually beautiful :)

S: Smells like sweet wine more than anything else. Apricots and saison'ish bannanas. A little musty and some fat belgian-y yeasts. This is actually my favorite part of the beer so far.

T: Eh coriander and citrus rind. It really is a lot like the peel of a clementine after the zest has been sprayed. There's a bit of unfiltered funk and that's nice.

M: Mango taste and

O: This is my second time trying this beer, I feel the same way as I did the first time: give this as a gift to a lady who loves H-Garden or B-Moon. Tell her to pour it in a champagne flute and party.

She'll love you <-> her bf will hate you

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 05:56:26 | More by Prince_Casual