Collaboration No. 3 - Stingo - Boulevard Brewing Co.

RuckusDu

Colorado

3/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - a larger two fingers of interesting light mocha colored head. Body is cloudy and a deep amber with some purple.

S - Pretty standard. Dark, dried fruits of prunes and raisins. Some lightness to it like an earthy-greeness. Some malts and caramel.

T - Not my style. Weird dried fruits again and some cranberry. A noticeable hop on the finish. Some Indian spices.

M - Nice carbonation and the body holds up well. The downside is a taste/feel on the back of my mouth that just says, yuck.

O - It's a beer. Not something I really enjoy, but maybe others do. I'm a big fan of Boulevard, but this one is too out there.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 19:08:10 | More by RuckusDu

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Big fluffy, light khaki head. Massive retention. Creamy. Lively carbonation. Beer is. Nice deep copper. Slight haze. Nice burnt orange hues when held to the light.

Smell: Hyper malty. Big caramel, roasted malts in abundance. Toffee, some phenolic astringency. Aspirin bitterness. Biscuity. Bite of alcohol on the back. Cooked malts. Extremely caramelized. Minerals and rocks. Toasted rocks.

Taste: Burnt sugar, caramel, toffee, and hyper cooked malts. Caramelized into oblivion. Big hit of minerality on the finish. Almost vegetal. Earthy and herbal. Musty. Big sugary, earthy sweetness. Huge toasted edge. As it warms the phenols go in to overdrive. It's not infected, but oxidation is real kids.

Mouthfeel: Carbonation is over high. Nice medium body. Clean.

Overall: I expected more from this beer. It's amazingly British which is nice, but the flavors fall apart in the long run. Big malts.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 18:08:35 | More by Goblinmunkey7

Ilafan

Minnesota

3.1/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer has a light lattice and head that lasts an okay amount of time. As for smell, it is faint. But I detect an almost cheap brandy kind of smell. That probably says more about me than the actual beer. As for taste, it is sour. There is a distinct lack of bitte beer hops, and it could use some. It is pretty sour in the aftertaste, but it does have a touch of some burnt coffee to it. Overall, it is okay.

Serving type: on-tap

08-19-2012 23:15:52 | More by Ilafan

chugalug06

Colorado

3.15/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Five-finger, off white, soapy head rises and falls fast. Brew is hazy redish copper with lots of brown. Not overly impressive.

No hop profile. Very malty and lots of caramel. Nothing complex or intriguing.

Very papery and wet feeling. Smooth and not sugary. No roughness or feel of heat. Bitterness brings along some dryness too. Hops are nonexistent.. Pretty bland.

Very underwhelming. Not impressive. Not recommended.

I expected A LOT more from this collaboration..

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 21:24:17 | More by chugalug06

oline73

Maryland

3.15/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I had this on-tap at Devil's Advocate in Minneapolis. Served in a tulip glass.

Appearance: Pours a dark mahogany color with a layer of off white head that fades to a ring around the pour.

Smell: Lots of caramel malt with a slight red berry like tartness. There is a ton of dark fruit going on along with the malt.

Taste: More tartness here than there was in the smell. Brown sugar and dark fruit with a slight red berry tartness. Fairly similar to the smell. The finish is rather bitter, along with the sweetness from the malt.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with foamy carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: I thought the tartness in this one was a bit weird. The sweet and tart didn't really get along in my opinion. I don't need any more.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 21:05:49 | More by oline73

trxxpaxxs

New York

3.25/5  rDev -16%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Big thanks to FTowne for this bottle...

A: Pours a deep mahogany, deeps brown and red hues abound. There is about two full fingers of a light khaki colored head. The foam takes quite awhile to settle, and there is good lacing as it drinks.

S: The nose is malt heavy with a bit of funk. I get a lot of soaked pumpernickel bread, raisin, caramel, and sour cherry. It's a weird one.

T: This beer starts out with a mix of sweet and tart. The are notes of caramel and raisin right up front with a definite tart funk to it. The middle is really bready and malty. As it progresses to the middle, I get a bunch of funk. It's tart, sour, and bitter.

M: Medium bodied beer. It's wet to start and coats the palate in caramel, malt, and funk. The flavors oscillate from between sweet and sour all the way through the beer. There is a lingering sour/bitter note in the finish.

O: This is definitely not one of my favorites from Boulevard and/or Pretty Things. It's just all over the place and the flavors seem to clash more then blend. I'm happy to have tried it, but I'll pass on any future bottles.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 18:00:56 | More by trxxpaxxs

csiewert

Oregon

3.43/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - hazy nut brown color with a finger of solid tan head that retains extrememly well an leaves a good bit of lacing. When I think 'English ale' this is exactly what I imagine it looks like.

S - nutty, bready malts, with some coffee and dark chocolate. A touch of dark fruit and yeasty notes thrown in there as well.

T - this is where it falls short for me... You get the strong malty character with the roasted and bready malts up front and some dark fruit, but it is quickly taken over by strong harsh phenolic and sometimes metallic flavors... These stick around for quite some time on the tongue.

M - slightly overcarbed, burning sensation in the mouth... Residual sweetness also coats the tounge a bit

O - I'm beginning to wonder if maybe mine was mishandled pretty bad by the store... Otherwise some off flavors from the yeast really got through on this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 01:00:55 | More by csiewert

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

3.43/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml served in a snifter.
Batch 2012-2 Best by 03-2013

A - Pours a very dark and clear garnet with 3 fingers of beige head that creates a solid ceiling of bubbles. Some pretty nice lacing as well.

S - Roasted chocolate malt, espresso beans, raisins, roasted dates, light woodiness

T - Starts of with espresso, cocoa, roasted malts, toasted brown bread, a grape skin tartness clings to the top of the mouth and sides of the tongue. Some muted raisins, charred dates, and unripe cherries, some pine hops create a bitterness toward the dry finish.

M - Medium body, moderate stingy carbonation.

This drinks good but doesn't have the deep layers of malt and that I was hoping for. It does have a stingy effect on the palate from the carbonation and the tartness. I think this needs to sit for a couple of years. I would drink this again but wouldn't seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 01:55:55 | More by StaveHooks

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a deep amber to brown in color with a light tan head. In the aroma, a small roast, and a small earthiness. In the taste, quite mellow, a sweet roast, and a small presence of alcohol. A small bite and a medium bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry roast, and a note of hop in the aftertaste. Nice presence of hop and earth, with a pleasant roast.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 18:06:27 | More by OWSLEY069

beergoot

Colorado

3.45/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Hazelnut, cloudy brown body with a decent light tan, thin head. Mid-grade malt aroma; slightly nutty. Rather strong alcohol taste with a mild bitterness and mild malt character; some caramel notes; somewhat tart; green apple. Medium-light body; fairly fizzy, dry finish.

An okay but, to me, disappointing example of this style. Boozy flavor and relatively thin body overtook any solid malt characteristic. The flavors improved somewhat as the beer warmed up, but still didn't make any significant difference in my view of things. Hits the style profile (as listed in BA beer styles), but I wouldn't pick this one for a top example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 01:15:51 | More by beergoot

homebrew311

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into Chimay glass. Appearance is murky and purple in hue, thin head settles into a layer. Aroma is fruity at the start with some Belgiany esters. This is quickly countered by a more robust malt presence with notes of coffee, light roast. Taste starts sweet with notes of grape and berry. This is followed with a touch of lactic tartness and a bit of bitter coffee. The flavors are mending very nicely, the tartness throws off the robust qualities. The mouthfeel is medium with medium carbonation. Overall, interesting and unique, but not my favorite.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 21:14:26 | More by homebrew311

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Solid two finger, beige, head after the pour. Great head retention for all 750 mls. Deep ruddy, rusty garnet and cola color. It's a little difficult, but when you get the right angle of light, the bubbling is very nice for an English style beer in my opinion. This beer looks great!

Robust, yet subtle malt aroma. Heavily toasted biscuits add some caramelized plums and apricots. Smells savory and like a good sipper.

Starts yeasty and toasty. Lots of plums. But the blood and band-aid flavor starts to dominate from the middle through the finish. There's a little alcoholic heat, that I think would blend well with the flavors at the front of the palate. But in this case it just adds to the bitter blood and band-aid flavors.

Dry, chalky palate with some blood and tin. Maybe I let it sit too long, but this beer is not something I would buy again if it was available.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 20:15:45 | More by scruffwhor

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

3.53/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Cheers to Goblinmunkey7 for sharing this

Review adapted from notes taken 9/7/12

Appearance: Hazy, dark amber/brown - pours with a nice, beige, creamy head - leaves some sticky, chunky lacing

Smell: Loads of caramel malts - grainy bread and some lighter malts - dry English hops, grassy/weedy - very British, with minerality (smells of rocks), and a musty sour/tart character - some dark fruits

Taste: Caramel malts and caramelized grains - cooked sugar, with some dried, dark fruits - grassy, with some herbal notes, earthy, some musty, vaguely sour and tart rocks - tastes more English than some beers actually brewed in England

Mouthfeel: Medium, nicely smooth, with a sticky/tart aftertaste

Overall: Good for what it is, but not something to write home about

If the goal was to make a beer that tastes genuinely British, that goal has been accomplished. Otherwise, this is not particularly good. Dark fruits and grass, with a distinctive sour/tartness that I have previously complained about in regard to some Samuel Smith beers. But that's just my opinion, I understand this is an intended aspect of the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2012 04:33:36 | More by angrybabboon

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.53/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked this one up in the last week... Can't remember where... Probably the COOP. Poured into my slim tulip... khaki head... short retention but still nice lacing... the brew is fairly clear deeep amber...

Figgy.. caramel notes.. and some hefty fruity esters make me think of sweet cherries and underripe black plums.

Flavor mirrors the nose with some dark malty astringency that plays interestingly with the underripe fruitiness.. a slightly tart undertone... fun...

Body is a solid medium... carbonation is a bit light... nicely done... Not sure if I like this much as the "other" Stingo, but I would buy this again and maybe even put a couple in the cellar to check things out in a year or so.

4/3.5/3.5/3.5/3.5

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 05:28:02 | More by JohnGalt1

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The liquid is brown and a bit cloudy. Huge head that dissipates slowly, leaving plenty of lacey foam on the glass.

Smells like toasted bread. There's a little bit of semi-sweet chocolate in the nose as well.

A little more semi-sweet cocoa to the flavor than in the smell. There's a bit of sourness. Good hop finish which makes the aftertaste reminiscent of a Brown Ale. Neutral body and carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 00:10:19 | More by smcolw

UCLABrewN84

California

3.55/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to jmgrub for sharing this one at his tasting.

Pours a clear copper with a foamy khaki head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, caramel, toffee, and some fruity aromas. Taste is much the same with a slight tartness and a mild roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is drinkable but nothing all that special.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 03:57:49 | More by UCLABrewN84

billab914

Virginia

3.58/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle poured into my Bruery snifter. Dark brown in color with a frothy, dense head to it. Pretty decent head retention to it.

The aroma has a rich maltiness to it with caramel, toffee and a little dark fruit. It's got a bit of a toasty, roasted malt quality to it with a some coffee and dark chocolate to it. I'm getting some sweeter, banana like flavors coming out as it warmed.

The taste shows a little more of the darker, roasted malts to it with some stronger notes of coffee and dark chocolate. The finish is where I get a little more of the sweeter caramel and dark fruits. It's got some tartness lingering into the finish as well.

The mouthfeel is on the heavier side of the style with carbonation being moderate. Overall, it was a good beer. It had some bold flavors to it, and they come together well. Pretty enjoyable beer overall.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 21:05:39 | More by billab914

brentk56

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a cloudy ice tea color with a rocky head that leaves a few shards behind

Smell: Rather fruity, with a range of overripe stone fruit buttressed by caramel and a hint of figs

Taste: Overripe, and almost rotting stone fruit, up front, with an earthy hop character developing by mid-palate; somewhat harsh and metallic, after the swallow, though the fruit flavors linger in the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Full body with moderate carbonation

Overall: I like many of the beers from both of these breweries but I wasn't crazy about the metallic and rotting fruit flavors in this beer; then again, I am not the biggest fan of Yorkshire Stingo, either

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2012 02:34:39 | More by brentk56

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

3.6/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a tulip glass from a 750ml bottle.

Pours a very nice dark mahogany with some caramel and amber edges. There is a nice light tan head that forms and is about 1.5 inches tall. Quite small bubbles are present but the head is light and fluffy. Retention is pretty nice with some slight lacing.

Aromas of some figs and some nice sweet yet mild caramel. A bit of barrel in there? Nice rich malt nose is present. The sweetness in the nose is pretty nice with some good rich caramel notes and some darker fruits. There are some yeasty esters to it almost like it could be a wild ale. Very nice nose.

Flavor starts off with some interesting rich and slightly roasty notes. Then there is some sweetness that pops up. Malty grain notes with some underlying caramel. There is some bready notes mixed in with the sweetness and some slight tart notes that pop up here an there. There is some yeasty chalky flavors to the brew as well. Mouthfeel is a bit lighter than expected.

Not my favorite from the series but still an interesting brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2012 22:49:12 | More by JoEBoBpr

RickS95

Indiana

3.6/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a rich, dark brown. Almost thick looking. There's some lighter red notes to keep it from getting too dark, but no light is making its way through. The head is relatively thin and lacks much retention.

The bottle talks about complexity and it starts with the smell. It's got the malty backbone that allows brewers to do a lot with it, and they've done plenty with this. In addition to some darker, malty scents, there's the fruity esters of dark, ripe fruits. From time to time, it seemed I could pick up a faint smokiness. On top of all that, there's the alcohol. It's not overpowering, just enough to let you know it's there.

While there was little in the way of a head, there's plenty of carbonation, so much so that it masks some of the flavors. The alcohol is a bit stronger than the smell. The fruitiness is present. Pretty malty with a cola-like caramel taste.

Like I said earlier, there is an abundance of carbonation. Combined with alcohol and some acid and it really keeps your tongue guessing. Slight tartness. Initially a heavy feel, but the carbonation balances it well. Dry finish.

It's a good beer and a collaboration that neither side should be ashamed of. That said, it's not world class. Maybe a little more aging would give all facets of the beer additional time to meld, but right now, there's a sharpness to it. If the edges could be dulled a bit, it would be even better.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 03:30:18 | More by RickS95

YouSkeete

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a very dark brown/burgundy, almost black. Frothy and bubbly khaki colored head. Pale malts, roasted nuts, molasses, dried yeast, espresso beans and smoke. First sip is oddly sour with big flavors of charred malt and roasted nuts. Coffee bean bite and a dash of spicy hops with sweeter tones of brown sugar. Smooth, rich body with a solid backbone. Nutty, relatively dry finish.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 00:23:01 | More by YouSkeete

DavidST

Texas

3.68/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a tulip glass, batch 2-2012, best before 3-2012. This pours a dark mahogany color wtih a massive tan head, tight bubbles, long retention, which leaves alchohol legs and a lacing. The smells are nice lots of toffee and caramel, a little nutty smells. The feel is medium to barely thick, more high carbonation. The taste is pretty good, a nice little bit of hop bit, the toffee, and caramel and nuts, there is a noticeable alcohol burn and taste.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 04:12:40 | More by DavidST

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.7/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Two great breweries, collabing together to make something interesting, I hope it's good.

Pours a 1.5 finger fluffy head that fades semi slowly with nice lines of lacing, super dark molasses brown colored beer with hints of ruby light.

Nose starts with lots of dark malts, biscuit malts, brown slight toasty, caramel, toffee, molasses, little syrupy sweet candy, and a bit nutty. Then Some herbal hops, earthy and little grassy, typical of English bitter and very typical of Pretty Things. As it warms a hint of mocha comes through, and just a touch of booze.

Taste comes through smoothly, more porter like than expected, with rich brown and dark malts, a little biscuit and toasty brown malts, lots of fluffy caramel and toffee, fairly nutty, and plenty of molasses candy. There is a light candi sugar like sweetness as well with a decent booze kick, light esters and even a slight fusel alcohol. The hops come again with the earthy herbal UK style Pretty Things like hops, with a decent bitterness and herbal grassy flavor. There is also a light fruity taste, part from esters, and parts from the other additions, with hints of fig and raisin, and some tart like flavors. Finish is a bit drier but still fairly sweet, some warming almost fusel booze, lots of candy and syrupy flavors with molasses, caramel, toffee, nutty flavors lingering.

mouth is med to a bit fuller richer bodied, lighter but decent carb, plenty of warming booze.

Overall OK but not great, nice malts very rich and tasty, but the typical UK style hops I don't really like, and quite boozy tasting. The fruits and tartness were another interesting additions.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 02:52:37 | More by jlindros

Arbitrator

California

3.7/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Chilled bottle into a glass. Thanks to JeepCop for this one!

A: Pours a clear, mahogany body that darkens to opaque in larger quantities. The head is a creamy, substantial affair that rises to 1.5 fingers and maintains a thick collar throughout the drink.

S: Earthy and malty; this Stingo has a breakfast coffee aroma with grain, plums, ripe apples, and caramel.

T: This reminds me a little of holiday bread. Grain, caramel, plums, apples. The finish has a little mineral quality to it, along with a burst of astringency near the close. Hops contribute an underlying earthiness.

M: Velvety carbonation. The beer finishes dry; this is probably in line with the style, but I'd like something a little richer for a strong ale.

O: I've only had one other Stingo, so I'm not sure how to judge this one. I found it fairly tasty, but it's not particularly my style. The dryness and mineral finish were off-putting for me.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 02:41:06 | More by Arbitrator

vandemonian

Maryland

3.7/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Boulevard Stingo is an English strong ale that is a bit overcooked. Too much autolosis for my palate.

A: Dark red-brown colour and a good 5 mm head that lasts very well. 4.5

S: Malty with the dark aroma of pumpernickel (i.e. dark fruits and some autolysed yeast). 4

T: Malty with a dry, dark fruit flavour. Strong autolysed yeast flavour (i.e. vegemite). The finish is a little smoky. 3.5

M: Foamy. 4.

O: 3.5

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 04:03:10 | More by vandemonian