21st Anniversary Fresh Hop Pale Ale - Boulevard Brewing Co.

sjccmd

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a murky ruby red with a creamy off white/tan head. The amount of red is a nice surprise. The head is sticky and leaves a nice lacing.

The aroma is mostly citrusy hops. Sweet and floral. Toasty sweet bread as well. Some earthy/spiciness as well. Nice.

The hop flavor is quite excellent. Low bitterness but amazing citrus and pine flavors. Finishes slightly earthy and with a slightly more pronounced bitterness. Grapefruit, orange, and pine fill the mouth pretty thoroughly. Caramel and toast in the background, but it's mostly about the hops.

The mouthfeel is nice and creamy with medium-high carbonation that enhances the hop flavor even more. Finishes nice and dry with some sticky hop resin lingering.

Drinkability is good. A very nice take on an APA. Maybe not bitter enough to an IPA, but the amount of flavor is quite excellent. It really has the flavor of some of the more extreme IPAs but without the bitterness. It's quite smooth.

Another winner from Boulevard. If I remember correctly I find this much more enjoyable than their the double and single wides. It's been a while though. Sad to say they're probably not going to be brewing this one again.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2010 02:18:00 | More by sjccmd

slavall

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -1.7%

12-29-2012 04:32:23 | More by slavall

jmueller216

Kansas

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

12-18-2012 04:59:20 | More by jmueller216

acelin

Kansas

4.33/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a Boulevard Pint glass.

Pours a light orange hue, crystal clear, yet dark in the middle. Very beautiful. Nice medium sized head that leaves light lacing down the sides.

The smell is out of this world. Fresh hops, when moderately used, are a delight. Delicious floral smells, accompanied by light apple and pear traces. beautiful crystal malt, with it's wonderful biscuit smell isn't hiding either.

This might be the perfect American beer. It's not super bitter like an IPA, however, it does have great hop taste. It's not unpleasant, and is truly fruity. The pale malt is perfectly balanced and really lets the hop flavor shine through and just... resonate with so many tones on your tongue.

I Boulevard comes out with fresh hop ales more frequently.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 21:18:59 | More by acelin

poodog

Kansas

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%

10-24-2012 14:24:15 | More by poodog

t0rin0

California

3.5/5  rDev -14%

08-26-2012 20:15:03 | More by t0rin0

sorvats

California

3/5  rDev -26.3%

08-20-2012 07:33:30 | More by sorvats

bmwats

Louisiana

3.95/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a footed glass.

A: Cloudy, dark golden hue. Pours about a 1 finger, foamy, white head. Settles fairly slowly, but leaves plenty of foam on the surface, and a substantial beer ring. Some nice beer ring lacing.

S: Butterscotch, and buttery malt with a little basil.

T: Flavor is of full flavored and hearty, but subtle malt tones with a dull biting hop.

M: Full body and heavy for the style. A lightly indistinct sweetness in the front finishes with a sharp bite that lingers on the palette throughout.

D: The sharpness dictates a slow and savory experience.

Atmosphere is good. Nice hue with a sizable head and some nice lacing. Nose is buttery and malty with a bit of Mediterranean spice. Flavor is hearty and very hoppy. Overall, this is a really good quaff.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2012 04:54:30 | More by bmwats

trxxpaxxs

New York

3.58/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Massive thanks to SliverX for sharing this bottle with me. It completes my Boulevard Smokestack series reviews (for the time being)...

A: Pours a nice translucent amber with about 2 full fingers of light beige head that takes forever to settle. There is some lacing as it drinks.

S: The nose is packed full of citrus, grapes, and light malt. There is also a good amount of yeasty goodness.

T: The taster pretty much follows the nose. It starts out sweet with grapes and citrus. The bitter show up as it moves to the finish. There is a bit of herbal tea and grapefruit in the back end.

M: Medium bodied beer. It's sweet, followed by bitters, and nothing really lingers. It's nice.

O: This is a solid beer, even for it's age. It's a bit old (2 years) bit it is still really drinkable. I don't think the grape notes were intended when it was fresh, but it's actually pretty pleasant at this point in it's life. I'm glad to have tried it.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 21:11:22 | More by trxxpaxxs

sammo

Kansas

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%

06-28-2012 17:14:59 | More by sammo

BeerHunter76

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%

06-20-2012 18:36:26 | More by BeerHunter76

TonyT013

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%

05-25-2012 01:50:02 | More by TonyT013

abrethanson

California

4/5  rDev -1.7%

04-13-2012 17:55:20 | More by abrethanson

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Ice T for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a orange-yellow-amber color with a white head. The aroma is orange citrus and some bready malt.

The flavor is very nice. I get a lot of juicy orange. papaya, grassy hops and some bready malt. The orange citrus notes are front and center and are very enjoyable.

Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 01:16:17 | More by WoodBrew

bowlerjoe2

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +16.7%

04-01-2012 18:26:40 | More by bowlerjoe2

Johnfitts

4/5  rDev -1.7%

03-21-2012 16:21:54 | More by Johnfitts

theminutemen

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

03-08-2012 16:40:19 | More by theminutemen

Reed

5/5  rDev +22.9%

03-04-2012 02:31:30 | More by Reed

saheider

4/5  rDev -1.7%

03-01-2012 03:23:19 | More by saheider

cdugan

Kansas

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%

02-16-2012 18:25:45 | More by cdugan

poppyjohn

Colorado

4/5  rDev -1.7%

01-21-2012 22:34:45 | More by poppyjohn

bonbini26

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -1.7%

01-13-2012 18:18:56 | More by bonbini26

TippySelenoid

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%

01-07-2012 22:20:00 | More by TippySelenoid

AAxsom

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%

01-05-2012 21:47:04 | More by AAxsom

TexAggie011

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -14%

12-26-2011 04:57:42 | More by TexAggie011