Dark Truth Stout - Boulevard Brewing Co.

emerge077

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

New Beer Sunday...

In a Duvel tulip this has a gargantuan head of latte foam. Sticky meringue foam adheres a puffy ring of lacing to the glass. It seems to deflate in slow motion.

Aroma of dark fruits like fig, plum, and raisin. A little dry and roasty also. Coffee grinds.

Flavors of charred black malts, robust dark roast coffee, trace bitterness of bakers chocolate. Some green hops in there buried under the roast. Chocolate note becomes more noticeable as it warms. Medium bodied, a trace of alcohol, sort of astringent. I'll do my best to finish the 750, but it's probably best shared, and served on the warmer side of cool.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2010 19:33:27 | More by emerge077

tedpeer

Iowa

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

75cl bottle, batch 2010-1.

A - Pours medium brown with a huge tan head (4 inches of head for each inch of beer) that took a while to settle down to a half inch layer. Some lacing.

S - Roasty, dark fruits, smoke. Nice aroma.

T - Hops, dark fruits, slightly sweet. Lingering hop flavor.

M - Silky, medium, nice tight carbonation.

D - Yeah.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2010 21:20:23 | More by tedpeer

Beaver13

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

750ml bottle, batch 2010-1 best by 01/13. Pours a dark brown-black with a huge creamy tan head that retains well and laces the glass.

The aroma is roasted chocolate, dark fruits, some smoke, some wood and some sherry like alcohol with a bit of a cardboardy finish.

The flavor is roasted chocolate, sweet sugary dark fruits, and vinous alcohol, with a cardboardy bitter finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with smooth carbonation.

Overall, an interesting beer with lots going on. I didn't really care for the blend of everything though and there were some off notes.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2010 06:58:19 | More by Beaver13

riored4v

Colorado

4.13/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Reviewed on 3/19/10

Poured into a goblet. 3 finger, dense, tan head. Good lacing. Pitch black body.

Smell was molasses, coffee, burnt malt and no real standout sweetness. Good aroma although not real strong.

Flavor had some rasoted flavor with a subtle bitter finish that seems to come more from the malt than the hops. Some mild sweetness, molasses and coffee flavors. Some fruitness is present from the belgian yeast.

Mouthfeel had a medium body. Fairly high carbonation (seems a little high), somewhat dry finish. Silky mouthfeel.

Drinkability was good. No signs of ABV. Flavor is mellow enough to drink easily.

Overall this was a tasty stout. Nice complexity of flavors and the belgian yeast lends an interesting character.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2010 01:58:51 | More by riored4v

jsh420

Illinois

2.23/5  rDev -43.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

batch 2010-1

pours dark dark ruby brown with a huge 4+ finger head that has good retention and left lacing all over the glass

smell - almost none - watery some fruity malt?

taste just slightly better then the nose - some roasted and chocolate malts along the tangy fruity malts - but overall a complete watery mess

mouthfeel is way over carbonated - it feels like i am swallowing all foam

drinkability is bad - i will never drink this again and i think they should stop making it

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2010 02:11:07 | More by jsh420

rudylaw

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours next to black with a creamy, 2 finger head.

Not a lot jumps out you in the nose. Roast, dark chocolate and a twinge of sweet, dark fruit.

The taste is even sweeter. Rum raisin cake, chocolate, roasty, bordering on burnt, coffee. Pretty standard RIS... nothing more, nothing less. The lack of complexity is a little disappointing for a Smokestack beer. Nothing more coming out as it warms.

Medium bodied, but very, very drinkable for a stout. This is good, and for $9, I'd buy again if I'm looking for a sessionable RIS. Everything is good, not great.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2010 12:00:46 | More by rudylaw

coldmeat23

Oklahoma

4.05/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

GLASS: Smokestack Series Tulip (Similar to the glass on the label)
TEMP: Cellared @ approx 55 degrees
BATCH NUMBER: 2010-1 BEST BY DATE: 01/13
(A corkscrew had to be used to get the tight cork out. Wow.)

A very easy pour produces a more than four-finger head of chocolate brown foam. This sits on top of some very black liquid. The retention is great and the lacing is abundant and very sticky.

The nose is very mild, especially for such an impressive looking stout. Light notes of dark chocolate and coffee. Very light traces of molasses and caramel. Mild hints of roasted malts.

Nice roasted presence of maltiness, along with a good, prominent, showing of dark roasted coffee beans. Hints of bittersweet chocolates. Light smokiness. Light hints of charred wood. A mild level of dark fruit sweetness. Hints of toasted caramels with a touch of brown sugar.

The body lies right on the line between medium and full. I'd love to say that it's full-bodied, but it's just not quite there. The carbonation level is high, which helps give it a bubbly sharpness. Nice, but I prefer my stouts to be way more on the creamy side of the scale.

I just had to check the bottle, to make sure that this claims to be 9.70%abv. It is very well-hidden. I think that I could drink enough of this to pass out, because I wouldn't realize how close I was getting until it was too late.
Very tasty and easy to drink.
It's not my absolute favorite of the Smokestack releases, but it's not my least favorite either. All of the Smokestacks are great though. For my palate, Boulevard is finally making some truly great beers. Please keep it up!

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2010 17:25:39 | More by coldmeat23

maltlikker

Colorado

4.08/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle with a cork that was a royal pain in the ass to extricate. Pours a very dark, rich brown with a substantial tan head that shows great retention. Foam leaves thick lacing.

Aroma seems a bit soft for such a rich looking beer with hints of molasses, chocolate, and coffee.

Complex roasted flavor with cocoa, espresso and a touch of licorice and dark fruit, finishing with sort of a citric smokiness.

Very creamy with more carbonation than I was expecting - very smooth going down. Really, really enjoyed this beer - makes me sad that the weather is getting warmer and the heavier beers will be nothing but great memories....

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2010 05:12:16 | More by maltlikker

stephens101

Oklahoma

3.5/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This is a dark brown beer that has a big, thick rolling head off a slow pour. Retention is excellent. After it slowly breaks apart a thick web of sticky lace is left. Smells oddly tangy at first with an undercurrent of malts. A little shake opens things up a bit and some dark chocolates reveal themselves. Otherwise not a lot going on at the nose. Tastes sweet and malty up front and soon followed by a quick hop bite and some alcohol heat. There's also a bit of a sweet candy middle with a very faint woodiness. Goes down mostly creamy with a lingering alcohol heat in the back of the throat. Kind of a nondescript outing for Boulevard here, but you can't knock a home run every time at bat.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2010 23:35:50 | More by stephens101

WWWade

Kansas

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I decided, since I moved here to Kansas, that I should try some of the 'local' beer. Even though Kansas City is about a 4 hour drive from here, and in a different state, Boulevard is one of the few breweries in the area. They mostly taste bland compared to micro-brews. It is almost like they want to have the image of a local micro-brew while having the taste of a major, commercial brewery.
Their beers are everywhere around here, grocery stores, bars, restaurants, and even gas stations. But this beer is only found at select liquor stores with large selections. I found it in a 750mL bottle that had a cork so tight that I used a wine cork screw to open. After pouring it into my chalice I realized that it was going to be worth the investment.

A - Deep black/brown with a four finger tan head that never fully receded. Exactly what a stout should have.

S - Light carmel and hops. Not as full.

T - burnt coffee and malts with a faint aftertaste of fruit. Not sweet, but not bitter. It is well balanced and complex enough to make you continue to explore.

M - Thick and smooth. Not as creamy as most stouts.

D - medium to low carbonation. But it it is one of the more drinkable stouts that I have tried.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

04-02-2010 02:32:50 | More by WWWade

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.63/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Decanted into my Smokestack chalice, pours an effervescent mahogany/ebpny with 2+ fingers of chumy mocha colored head. Good lacing & head retention

S: Dark fruit & leafy hops

T: Much smokeyness, dark fruit, dryness & dark chocolate up front, along with charred grain Roasty malt & plums take over as this warms, along with oakyness & mesquite smokeyness & coffee. Finishes smokey, dry, fruitty with a hint of mocha; almost pulled a 4.0, but a bit disjointed

MF: Very chewy, low carbonation, & pretty darn sticky

Drinks fairly easy, nice stab at the style but didn't totally pull together for me. I preffer the original imp stout, all things considered

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2010 01:09:04 | More by russpowell

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A-pours an opaque dark brown liquid, a few shades from black. The head is super reactive and piles up with a light brown/tan color and pretty creamy and fluffy looking. The retention is long and the lace is thick and almost completely covers the side of the glass.

S-the nose is a little light; but what does come through would be that of a good stout, dark chocolate and roasted malts. Hints of roasted coffee shifts into dark fruit aroma of prunes, figs, and a little rum soaked raisin. The sweetness really comes through and the roasted notes are sitting in the back seat.

T-This is pretty sweet, tons of dark fruits really seem to dominate. Light notes of roasted coffee lead off with dark chocolate and molasses coming in next. The dark fruits take over, plum, fig, touch of plum, raisins with a little rum on them. The finish seems to have a touch more bitter dark chocolate and burnt coffee that plays together with the sweetness rather than seperate

M-lighter end of full body and extremely smooth. Great texture with the perfect amount of carbonation to make a presence but allow the smooth feel.

D-this is a pretty nice imperial stout. It is very sweet but still has some of the roasted character you like to see. Good body, not huge but a good feel to it.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2010 19:26:01 | More by cpetrone84

Parrotbeak

Minnesota

4.45/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Jet black, with an eighth inch, creamy tan head that slowly thins out but remains full. Thick lacing on the glass as it goes down.
Smell is slightly hoppy, with some chocolatey, roasted malts following along with Belgian yeast. Faint vanilla. Some dark fruits in there--plum, blueberry. Cinnamon and molasses, and some faint smoke. Little bit of alcohol as well. Very complext nose.
The Belgian yeast is also detectable, giving it a nice touch. Chocolate covered raisins and espresso come in as well, with a touch of smoke on the finish. This is an excellent tasting stout.
Mouthfeel is crisp for a stout, with the finish being slightly dry. Medium body.
Great drinkability. While there is some alcohol presence in the nose, in the taste the alcohol is almost non-existent. Excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2010 00:26:54 | More by Parrotbeak

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

4.22/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a oversized wine glass form a 750ml bottle. After a long battle with the cork finally opened it with minimal beer loss. Have had lots of trouble with these Blvd. corks.

A - Pours a nice deep dark black co,or with a short nice .5 inch head that recedes to a thin film with a nice ring around the glass.

S - Mellow roasted hints with nice coffee aroma and some cocoa powder. Mild alcoholic ester as well. Very nice

T - Very attractive and smooth character with a nice roasted and burnt flavor profile. Nice mix of coffee and some chocolate. Coffee is very prevalent in this stout though. Some nice surprisingly oaty and bready flavors.

M & D - Very roasted character but still smooth and very creamy. Nice Co2 and nice full body. Very drinkable for the ABV and the flavor profile. A good gate to the ADS.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2010 00:12:47 | More by JoEBoBpr

kingcrowing

Vermont

4.47/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Sampled at the 2010 Stout tasting in a Orval Chalice.

750ml corked and caged bottle.

Very black, thick dark and a equally a brown head. Nose is very belgian and sweet. Raisins and nuttiness dominate.

Taste is also Belgian for a Stout. It's really crisp and smooth. Mouthfeel is very full and super easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2010 23:06:58 | More by kingcrowing

brownbeer

Missouri

4.43/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I've been waiting a few weeks to try this one. Took it out of the fridge probably thirty minutes prior to opening, poured into a NB snifter.

Opens with a Champagne-like pop to find an opaque, nearly black beer with a huge, frothy, brown head that won't quit, and leaves some nice lacing.

The aroma has a yeasty vibe but doesn't have any typical yeasty notes. It opens up with wood smoke, coffee, spruce, and maybe some dark, wild berry fruit.

The taste has nice roasty, smoky coffee/cigar box, and chocolaty notes that integrate nicely and linger well into the aftertaste. Rich with a very dry finish that could be packing some hop bitterness, and the creamy body beckons you to drink more. Ample carbonation, kind of belchy, but not distracting. The alcohol is sneaky, as it's not very noticeable in any aspect. This falls under the Imperial Belgian Stout category for me, with an American twist, as I would expect

Holds it own quite well, could probably use a fat sirloin steak and potatoes to really treat you right. Sign me up as a fan.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2010 03:59:47 | More by brownbeer

jjanega08

Minnesota

2.93/5  rDev -25.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A= Pours a pitch black color with an enourmous head!!!! Possibly a gusher if I didn't pour right away. The head takes over the glass rising over 4 fingers. The heads color is a nice mocha color. The retention luckily isn't that great but it's still nice. The head dies down a little so I don't have to take a couple swigs of foam.

S= The smell is somewhat neutral. Sort of smell some typical stout smells but that may be just because I expect them. The smell isn't offensive so I can't say it's bad but it isn't really there.

T= Pretty basic taste to it. There is some chocolate roast and coffee flavors. The taste is not as intense as I'm use to. Really quite calm. There is a little bit of a grainy taste that isn't typical of most Impy stouts.

M= Over carbonated. Not the smoothest drink I've had for an Imperial stout.

D= What the hell? I'm pretty dissapointed. This is really a let down for the smokestack series. This was the most average tame stout I've ever tasted. A let down for sure.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2010 03:06:03 | More by jjanega08

Rayek

Colorado

3.98/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter on a cold, sloppy and snowy night.

A: Deep chocolate brown. Almost black. An extremely dense and soapy tan head has great retention and leaves a goodly amount of lace. It's a very nice look.

S: Lots of pine before the beer warms up. As the temperature rises, molasses, licorice and baking chocolate come on to provide balance.

T: A pine bitterness dominates, but isn't over the top. Dark fruit, espresso and baking chocolate flavors are balanced, but muted against the hops. Alcohol adds a touch of warmth. Finishes with a lingering pine bitterness and a bit of espresso.

M: The heavy body is oily and resinous. The carbonation feels a bit high.

D: This is a nice beer that feels like it could stand some aging to balance it out. It's a very nice complement to a cold evening.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2010 05:31:48 | More by Rayek

Lunch

Maryland

3.98/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served from a 750ml bottle (2010 Batch 1, Best by 01/13) acquired from a trade with emmasdad (Thanks!) into my Cigar City snifter at the appropriate temperature (03/12/10)

A: Pours very dark brown that is pretty much black capped with a 2 finger tan head with nice retention and lacing.

S: Roasted malts, dark chocolate and some cocoa. Hints of coffee and espresso.

T: Roasted malts and cocoa hit the palate along with traces of coffee/espresso and some bitterness from a layer of dark chocolate. Not the most complex Imperial Stout out there but quite nice.

M: Medium-bodied with some above average carbonation, that did detract from the overall package.

D: Easy to drink and the 9.7% abv. was masked quite well.

Overall this was a nice Imperial Stout from Boulevard that may benefit from some age. I'll let the other one I have sit for a while and see how it does. I do wish that the carbonation was tones down a bit. Thanks again Dan!

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2010 17:32:18 | More by Lunch

sjccmd

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2010 Batch 1, best by 01/13....I'm happy Boulevard started providing best by dates.

Pours rich black with dark amber highlights. Really enormous head, very fine bubbles, varying degrees of tan. Recedes very slowly leaving ribbons of lacing behind. The second pour was more cautious and yielded a more appropriate head, but still pretty large.

I immediately smelled dark fruits as I popped the cork off, but the smell in the glass was pretty mellow until it warmed up. Roasted coffee, dark chocolate, dates and raisins. Charred oak comes out as well. Mild alcohol warmth towards the bottom of the bottle.

The flavor begins with rich dark chocolate and coffee followed by slightly sweet dark fruits finishing with roasty bitterness and that charred oaky flavor. The multi-grain base provides a complex spicy background. Mild citrus flavors from the hops appear briefly. By the end of the beer, smoky and roasty flavors dominate.

Maybe the mouthfeel is slightly thin for the style, but it fits the beer for me. There's a lot of flavor going on so it didn't really bother me. This beer still has a nice body and is not overly carbonated.

Decent drinkability, the hop presence, roasty bitterness, and carbonation clean out the palate even though it's a sweet and sticky beer.

Another exciting beer from Boulevard. This might be my favorite of the seasonal, non limited release, smokestacks. I can't wait to see what Boulevard does next!

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2010 01:53:21 | More by sjccmd

Mora2000

Texas

4.3/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours dark brown to black with a large tan head. The aroma is coffee, chocolate and roasted malt. The flavor is coffee, chocolate, roasted malt and dark fruit. There is some bitterness either from the hops or the malt. Creamy, soft thick mouthfeel and low to medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2010 05:14:07 | More by Mora2000

Blakaeris

Iowa

2.9/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Pours very dark brown, almost black with a massively foamy head. Huge globs of sticky lacing.

Aroma is musty charred dark grain and herbal hop.

Taste is similar to the nose with a burnt malt smokey bitterness. Coffee and sweet dark fruit make an appearance but seem overshadowed burnt quality. Finish holds more of the herbal hop from the nose and a lingering chocolate sweetness that doesn't quite work with the rest of the flavors.

Mouthfeel is light-medium in body. Unusually thin for a stout.

The Smokestack series has been great so far. However this offering was underwhelming. This stout was average, when I was expecting a really full and rich flavor.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2010 22:19:55 | More by Blakaeris

bashiba

Iowa

2.23/5  rDev -43.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Poured super, super, super foamy, took forever to settle enough even to drink. Enormous Head, actually to much.

The smell was thin and one dimensional, just a dark grain quality. Really lacking in the aroma.

The taste is very flat, a big burnt malt base with a dark green fresh hop flavor, just sort of a big burnt hop taste, not balanced, not complex, very underwhelming. The more I drink the more a light underlying sweetness comes through, buts to little to late.

The mouthfeel is very thin and watery.

Very mediocre, especially for the ridiculous price tag.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2010 22:11:24 | More by bashiba

homebrewhawk

Kansas

4.03/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750ml corked and caged bottle. Served in a Tank 7 tulip. Lots of carbonation, a little too much actually. Poured a deep black with a huge head of tan foam. Roasted barley/black patent in the aroma with some dark fruit and some hops. Big, full bodied and smooth. Roasty with lots of malt. More fruit. Complex maltiness. Long lingering finish of roasted/chocolate malt. Another winner in the Smokestack series.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2010 16:02:32 | More by homebrewhawk

zeff80

Missouri

4.28/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a opaque, jet black color with a large, ruby/brown colored head of thick, long-lasting foam. When the head eventually receded it left soapy rings of lace.

S - It had a very strong chocolate aroma with hints of plum, raisin and mild floral notes.

T - A very good blend of sweet chocolate and dried fruit flavors (plum & raisin) with a bitter hop kick. Really great balance.

M - It was crisp and sharp with a smooth finish. A medium bodied stout with a mild alcohol warmth.

D - This is a pretty easy drinking imperial stout. It hides the high ABV very well and it quite delicious.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2010 13:38:50 | More by zeff80