Rye-on-Rye - Boulevard Brewing Co.

Pahn

New York

3.3/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle into Duvel tulip. 2012 vintage, bottle #16,947.

Appearance: Steady pour yields a 2 inch fluffy bonewhite head that dissipates slowly and leaves no lacing. Pours a semi-translucent dark ruby and leaves spots of lacing and liquor-like legs (alliteration).

Smell: Oaky whiskey with cola like effervescence. Some faintly citrusy hop aroma and sweet malty tang. Pretty boozy.

With warmth, all other aroma besides rubbing alcohol is obliterated. It was fun while it lasted, oak / cola / hops.

Taste: Up front, mild oaky vanilla, whiskey, and prune, with a long oaky finish. Finish is interesting... it's dry and light in feel, but heavy on the oak notes (usually experience those with sticky, full feels).

Each sip is sort of prune-y up front with orange/lime hop flavor, segueing to assertive American oak and booze. Doesn't really mix too well... they don't clash, per se, but the dark fruit esters combined with the vanilla oak kind of remind me of cheap whiskey.

Actually, this tastes like putting some Jack Daniels into virgin American oak barrels and aging it for 5 years (then lightly dry hopping it). Plus some placebo-strength malted rye influence.

It's not a bad flavor at all, but it has more perceived alcohol heat than Dogfish Head World Wide Stout or any other ridiculously high ABV beer, but without any of the deep malty complexity. Hard to really find the point of this beer, but it tastes alright.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and light. Not quite creamy. Dry finish. Memorably good mouthfeel.

Overall: The thing is, *I'd like* drinking cheap whiskey aged in virgin American oak barrels for a few years. I'm not very impressed with the beer, but I'll enjoy finishing this bottle over the course of a few hours.

At $14 for a 750ml bottle of barrel aged beer, it's not a terrible value, but I think your money would be better spent on any of the numerous superior barrel aged beers on the market today. I wouldn't buy this again, but I'd happily accept it as a gift.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 03:37:47 | More by Pahn

ATXboozer

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%

05-23-2013 23:48:31 | More by ATXboozer

jroberts8811

Missouri

4/5  rDev -5.7%

05-23-2013 20:59:14 | More by jroberts8811

kustard

Illinois

4/5  rDev -5.7%

05-23-2013 15:07:07 | More by kustard

scottyu27

Virginia

4.75/5  rDev +12%

05-22-2013 13:13:20 | More by scottyu27

ipas-for-life

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%

05-20-2013 20:47:21 | More by ipas-for-life

st9647v3

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%

05-19-2013 05:09:28 | More by st9647v3

cosmonick

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +6.1%

05-19-2013 01:36:26 | More by cosmonick

jakeox

Illinois

4/5  rDev -5.7%

05-18-2013 23:35:37 | More by jakeox

jono0101

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%

05-18-2013 22:16:05 | More by jono0101

Davihaw

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -17.5%

05-18-2013 02:29:05 | More by Davihaw

Jsmick

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +12%

05-17-2013 05:07:37 | More by Jsmick

chippo33

Vermont

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%

05-17-2013 03:13:40 | More by chippo33

HawkeyeJosh

Arkansas

4.75/5  rDev +12%

05-16-2013 21:41:09 | More by HawkeyeJosh

acc88

Illinois

4/5  rDev -5.7%

05-16-2013 07:12:18 | More by acc88

ShanePB

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -11.6%

05-15-2013 19:56:57 | More by ShanePB

midnitesun11

Illinois

4/5  rDev -5.7%

05-15-2013 01:29:18 | More by midnitesun11

ThePorterSorter

New York

4.11/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

thanks merc for cracking out this vintage 2012 brew

The beer pours a dull, hazy orange/red amber with a thin halo of tan head, loose lacing, and plentiful sediment. The nose is buttery whiskey barrel aged caramel sweetness, slightly boozy, with a touch of rye. The taste is definitely whiskey barrel forward with a generous amount of rye spice in the finish. It's medium bodied, barleywine-esque, slightly spice, heavily barrel aged and boozy (but not as much as the BBQ). Wow, what a good beer that presents huge barrel aged sweetness along with excellent rye spice. It's more of an evening sipper at 11% and with huge rye spice, but very tasty and impressive. I'd certainly try this beer again.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 20:06:07 | More by ThePorterSorter

merc7186

New York

4.35/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2012 Bomber poured into snifter glass.

A: Reddish/Mild Orangish Hue, Passes Some Light, Off White Head Ring, Some Lacing

S: Rye Bourbon Barrel Sweetness, Honey, Rye

T: Rye Bourbon, Honey, Rye, Mild Sweet Bread

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Mildly Sweet, Mildly Boozy

Overall, you really get the rye barrel taste and the rye grains seperately but they mesh well together too. Solid.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 20:00:17 | More by merc7186

AngusOg

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%

05-13-2013 14:18:47 | More by AngusOg

ToddHolder

Illinois

4/5  rDev -5.7%

05-11-2013 01:18:35 | More by ToddHolder

Massbmx

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%

05-11-2013 00:23:20 | More by Massbmx

mikeburd1128

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%

05-10-2013 21:47:56 | More by mikeburd1128

rbmjr1

Indiana

4.75/5  rDev +12%

05-08-2013 22:10:49 | More by rbmjr1

dcloeren

Texas

4.75/5  rDev +12%

05-08-2013 20:20:20 | More by dcloeren