Collaboration No. 3 - Stingo - Boulevard Brewing Co.

Hopprof

Georgia

3.93/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Served on tap at the Five Seasons Prado in Sandy Springs in a tulip glass. This was one of the brewery's guest draughts. At first sip I detect copious toffee, caramel, and candied flavours. There is somewhat of a peat and herbal feel to it. There could be a bit more of a hop profile, but no complaints. I would liken this to a Scotch ale. It is very easy drinking and not a hint of booziness, which is great. I am quickly discovering Boulevard is like the little girl with the curl: when they are good, they are very, very good, but when they are bad, well....People's Exhibit A, Single Wide.

Serving type: on-tap

06-06-2013 00:12:14 | More by Hopprof

Hefty_Boss

Indiana

4.61/5  rDev +19.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Appearance: Cloudy deep-brown, with a thick tan head.

Smell: Caramel and roasted malts on the nose, hops don't really come through

Taste: Beautiful. Rich and complex with caramel, nuts, leather, all that good stuff. It was slightly sweet but well balanced.

Mouthfeel: Very rich, low carbonation made it stick around awhile with a bit of alcoholic warmth.

Overall: A rare style wonderfully executed. I love this beer, and want to attempt a clone. Great for winter. Would go great with a rich stew.

Serving type: on-tap

03-28-2013 03:08:05 | More by Hefty_Boss

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.13/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from tap into pint at bridge in stl. Pours a deep ruby brown with a finger of off white head. Nice bitter hop and sweet toffee aromas. Taste is really nice. Dark fruit, fig, raison, then finishes with a coffee! Really great. A bit boozey but thats ok with me.
Really good brew. Highly recommend this one. I bet this would age amazingly.

Serving type: on-tap

11-13-2012 00:35:34 | More by DrinkSlurm

rwhitmore

Kansas

4.38/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served on tap in a tulip glass. The beer has an attractive dark brown, dense appearance that still lets some light through, with a frothy tan head. There's not a lot of lacing, this isn't a sticky brew.

Aroma is light roast, with some essence of warming spice. There wasn't a lot of fruit or hop in the nose.

The medium roast is the first taste note, semi-sweet chocolate and dark caramel. Then a very nice dark fruit comes up, dark cherries with some sour tartness. The fruit builds with each sip, and enhances the roast very well. There's some warm spice on the finish that, for me, really tied it together.

The mouthfeel is rather lighter than one might expect, but as the fruit fades, there's a nice caramel feel, with that warm spice lingering to the end.

I really enjoyed this one. I think this is a really nice beer to end the evening.

Serving type: on-tap

10-23-2012 00:29:29 | More by rwhitmore

cofeeguru

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Over at Pracna's in Minneapolis.

I really like British style ales, and the husband is late picking me up, so I felt I deserved a glass. It pours deep and bourbon-colored, like dried figs. Low on the head, with light lacing on the glass. The smell is high on the alcohol, but that maltiness is behind it. The tast follows the smell, with an acidity not unlike a mild sour. I think aging would bring this to another level. Overall, a good beer, but I think I'll coke back to it after it has some miles on it to see how it compares.

Serving type: on-tap

10-11-2012 23:17:28 | More by cofeeguru

Hopswagger

Oklahoma

4.25/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

P:  Pitch black abyss crowned with a full finger of creamy cappuccino froth. Beautiful lacing on the sides that cling and won't let go.  

S:  Roasted malts, bourbon and coke, dark bread yeast, bubblegum, and banana taffy. 

T/M:  Sweet dark fruits, aged oak, roasted toffee, candied malt, bubblegum, brown sugar, flat coke and bournon, luke warm bitter breakfast coffee, and banana with clove. Finish is creamy and lingers smoldered grains,aged oak and subtle souring yeast at the end.  The overall palate has an aged tone to it which works well. 

O:  So excited to see this on tap.  I have a bottle at the house but jumped on the opportunity to review on tap. As expected this is a huge winner in my book. Excellent complex flavors, roasty, bready, great alcohol flavor and a surprising sour kick at the end. Be sure to try this you won't be let down. Cheers! 

Serving type: on-tap

09-16-2012 18:45:41 | More by Hopswagger

Reaper16

Alabama

4.4/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750mL bottle served into a tulip glass

Pours a ruddy looking reddish brown color, like ruby red splashed with mud. It's not so dark that you can't see through it. Two fingers of tight, light tan head (with a hint of pink in it). It dissipates to 1/4 of a finger after a few minutes, but the lacing is real nice. As most Smokestack Series beers are, this looks fantastic.

The aroma, however, is not. There's a dominant note of cardboard or wood shavings. It's like paper treated with plastic or something. Underneath that you can tell there's some interesting malt dynamics going on. Deep toasted breadcrust aromas meet a sort of light butterscotch component. There's some rose hips in here (a floral note for sure; rose hips is just what my mind associated). A healthy degree of coffee bean aroma opens up as the beer warms. Too bad for that heavy cardboardy note.

That cardboard/wood shavings note is entirely absent on the palate, thankfully. The dynamics of the malt flavors and English yeast here are quite complex. Breadcrusts and toffee and banana bread and stewed pear and rosewater and coffee beans and alcohol heat and underneath it all is some TART pear/apple. Man, that subtle tartness is refreshing. Part of the blend of this beer was allowed to sour, so this tart note is here as a result. It helps to break up the heavy coffee-and-dark-bread malt flavors. Another review here intimated that this beer, while complex, is somewhat disjointed. I must disagree. This tastes like an English Strong Ale for sure. It's coherent at every step; the tart note makes so much sense in this beer.

This bottle is perhaps a touch overcarbonated. This isn't very "stingy" with alcohol, not really, but that feeling is amplified because of the active carbonation. But I'm nitpicking. The body itself has a great feel and carries the flavors well; any thicker and this could get to be a bit much.

Overall, I find this to be a tremendous English Strong Ale. It's deeply complex and delicious. This is a smashing success.

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2012 01:35:15 | More by Reaper16

mdfb79

New York

3.95/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From 08/17/12 notes. Had on tap at Stoddard's in Boston, MA. Served in a pint glass.

a - Pours a very dark brown color with one inch of light tan head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of roasted malts, toasted malts, caramel malts, bananas, and burnt malts, and some like brett. Pretty nice malty nose.

t - Tastes or burnt malts, toasted malts, roasted malts, nuts, light fruits, caramel malts, toffee, light funk/brett.

m - Medium body and moderate to high carbonation. A little bit overcarbonated but nice.

o - Overall a pretty good beer. Tons of dark malts and some light brett, another nice beer from Boulevard I'd have again.

Serving type: on-tap

08-22-2012 20:37:00 | More by mdfb79

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

inandon

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pour - Dark chestnut brown. Lacey white head that leaves a thin rim about the glass.

Smell - heavy caramel, coffee, with a hint of chocolate reminds me of almost a stout.

Taste - GOOD! Light on the tongue, notes of coffee. The description on the bottom "a hint of tartness against a rich, malty background"

Another win for boulevard. Seems like a great mix with Pretty Things. Definitely something to pick up unless you hate coffee beers.

Serving type: on-tap

08-19-2012 20:35:02 | More by inandon

TheCondor

Missouri

4.35/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed on tap at Hats off to Homebrewers at the Amigoni Urban Winery as well as in a bottle. For the purposes of this review, I will go with the on tap review.

Appearance - Nice and black, with a two finger beige head that dominates the presentation. Cool labeling, awesome concept behind the brew.

Smell - Subdued but excellent. A lot like a porter but much more complex. Dark fruits, big Brady and biscuity malts, Caramel, toffee, And awesomeness. Excellent smell.

Taste - Follows the nose in complexity and quality. Toasty dark breads, malts, hints of dark fruit, and finally a touch of hops. Outstanding layered taste

Mouthfeel - Finishes smooth like a porter with a rich, creamy body, smooth finish, medium carbonation.

Overall - This is a highly recommended, superb beer. Never had a stingo or an English strong ale, but I love this beer. I have drank a unusually high volume of it, oh well. Get with a friend from Kansas City and have them get you this beer ASAP. You won't regret it.

Serving type: on-tap

08-12-2012 04:07:16 | More by TheCondor

BEERMILER12

Maine

3.99/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a ruby red color with 2+ fingers of bubbly tan head that fizzles down to nothing after a few minutes

S: Quite complex. Starts off with some roasted malts and peppery, earthy hops and goes into a good bit of woodiness, toffee, and fruits. Also get a light tartness throughout

T: Starts off a little spicy with a hint of banana and other lighter fruits. Slowly transitions into toffee, roasted malts, cocoa, and wood while maintaining a bit of tartness. Lightly acidic, but the alcohol is very well hidden under the multiple layers

M: Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation

O: I've definitely never had anything quite like this before. There is a nice woodiness to go along with an underlying tartness that really balances everything out. A good mix of spiciness, fruitiness, and maltiness really ups the complexity. Pick some up if you can

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2013 01:18:15 | More by BEERMILER12

superspak

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle int tulip glass, bottled in 3/2012. Pours slightly hazy very dark reddish brown color with a 1 finger dense khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big raisin, apple, pear, caramel, toast, toffee, floral, pepper, oak, brown sugar, clove, light roast, light nuttiness, and toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of malt and fruity yeast notes; with good strength. Taste of caramel, raisin, apple, pear, fig, toast, molasses, toffee, biscuit, floral, nuttiness, oak, light chocolate, light roast, and toasted earthiness. Lingering notes of light and dark fruits, caramel, toast, molasses, toffee, biscuit, light roast, light chocolate, nuttiness, and toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice balance and complexity of toasted malt and fruity ester flavors; with zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a slick and creamy mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is an excellent English strong ale. All around nice balance and complexity of malt and fruity ester flavors; and very smooth to sip on. A very enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2013 04:39:08 | More by superspak

Knuckles_Nuclear

Missouri

3.4/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

750ml corked bottle poured into a pint glass. Poured an opaque brown with a firm head that disappeared quickly. It smelled sour and boozy, with earthy rye and coffee notes.

This one tasted exactly as it smelled. I caught a heavy boozy flavor amongst coffee, rye bread crust, and perhaps some dark chocolate. Very complex. I could enjoy one of these every once and awhile.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2013 01:05:43 | More by Knuckles_Nuclear

hardy008

Minnesota

3.23/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Opened the bottle and had a gusher to clean up. Luckily I didn't lose too much.

Pours dark brown with ruby highlights, and a tan 2 finger head, which quickly fades to a small collar, and leaves nice lacing. the aroma has cherries, figs, plums, raisins, brown sugar, and toffee.

The taste is both sweet and bitter with roasted malt, bread crust, alcohol, cherries, figs, plums, raisins, brown sugar, and toffe. The roasted malt, which I could not smell, took over the majority of the taste. I don't think it should have been added, and am of the opinion that the dark roasted malt negatively affects the taste of the beer.

Medium bodied with average carbonation. Finishes dry, and has a roasted malt aftertaste. This beer has too much going on and is a bit of a mess, in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2013 01:43:06 | More by hardy008

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.83/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750 mL bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Murky reddish brown. Not much of a head. Some wisps remain. Some clinging to the glass occurs.

Smell - Big fruity nose. Dark fruits, plums and such. Caramel. A little bit yeasty, maybe? Some esters coming off.

Taste - Similar to the nose initially. Lots of plums and cherry. Some faint acidity. Caramel in the middle, but gives way to a bunch of oak in the back. Some darker malts prevail as well, lending a bit of chocolate.

Mouthfeel - Low carbonation. Dry oaky finish. Medium body, maybe pushing medium heavy.

Overall - I was expecting a bit more of the oak tang, but the flavors are nice. I'm enjoying it.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 03:07:30 | More by Alieniloquium

tronester

Oklahoma

4.03/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours a dark mahogany, with a velvety smooth tan head. Smell is of dark cherries, and a bit of oak. The flavor begins with some tart cherry, then a hint of vinegar, then a little chocolate, and a slightly sour, woody finish. Mouthfeel is good. Overall an excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 00:07:31 | More by tronester

facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.01/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

a nice looking brown pour with 3 fingers of creme colored head which dissipated slowly. scents of nuts, toffee, caramel, prunes, brown sugar. the flavor feels a bit rusty/copper-like. nuts, caramel, lots of sugar, dark roasted malts, slight hint of grassy hops. light to medium body with a creamy mouthfeel, high carbonation. really refreshing tasty beer, and a new style for me. a great arrangement from these two excellent breweries.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 00:24:19 | More by facundoCNB

dbossman

Nebraska

3.89/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Dark brown with a huge frothy tan head; lacing is okay

S: Grainy and nutty; sweet malts, brown sugar and toffee; this is sweet and malty and grainy with some booziness but is a bit subdued in the finish

T: Much more going on in the flavors--robust malts, nutty with some booziness in the finish with some vanilla and whiskey in the finish

F: Medium body with a creamy finish

O: This is a malty, slightly boozy beer; not my favorite sting that I've had but it's solid

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 02:25:16 | More by dbossman

SHODriver

California

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: pours a deep brown with a three finger off white head that slowly fades into a tulip pint glass
S: smells like an english brown with notes of light chocolate, some toasted malt and a bit nutty
T: toasted malt profile with a bit of caramel, slight tartness, a bit of chocolate and some nuttyness, hint of fig like fruit flavor as well. swallow brings some alcohol, a slight caramel flavor, some nuttyness and a bit more toasted malt
M: carbonation starts off sharp on the palate but subsides to just slightly tingly creating a mouthfeel on the upper side of medium. slightly drying finish
O: very interesting and complex beer. good flavors and a well rounded profile. a well made beer but I wouldn't expect anything less from Pretty Things or a Smokestack Beer from Boulevard.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 02:47:41 | More by SHODriver

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

94Sip

Texas

4.03/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - pours a nice dark brown and has a nice creamy tan head which dissipated over time. Not as dark as a stout but darker than a brown ale.

Smell - poured into a tulip glass and it has a very unique smell - smells tart. Very much unlike any other dark beer. Doesn't smell like a brown ale and doesn't smell like a stout. More like a dark bread - perhaps somewhere near a rye or pumpernickel.

Taste - I really liked this beer as it warmed up. Uniquely complex tastes that stick around in your mouth for awhile. As it warms up it gets nice and malty, which I prefer. Not quite as roasted as a stout or porter, but moreso than a brown ale. You don't pick up the coffee or chocolate flavors which dominate a stout.

Overall - I keep referring to this as somewhere between a brown ale and stout across many of the categories. That is the best way I can compare this. I definitely enjoyed it on a cool night when I was not necessarily in the mood for a stout but was wanting something "different". I would buy this again and look forward to it. I kept setting it down thinking I was done with it but kept going back to it for another sip.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 03:05:55 | More by 94Sip

barnzy78

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750mL bott;e, shared with a friend, pours dark brown with a tall, ivory head that holds decent retention. Aromas are very malty and sweet with brown sugar, molasses, bread, caramel, earth. Tastes are malty sweetness, caramel, toffee, molasses, earth, brown bread crust, nice not too bitter finish. Body is medium and creamy. Overall, I have not had much from this style category, but this is what I'd expect - very good!

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 02:31:15 | More by barnzy78

Pencible

Virginia

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: This poured a cloudy mahogany with moderate tan head.
S: It smelled like earthy roasted barley and nutty malt, with some copper and smoke.
T: It tasted like sweet toffee and earthy roasted barley, with some smoky nutty malt and biscuit.
M: It was slightly thick with moderate carbonation. Decent body.
D: This was a nice British ale with good scent and taste. The body was ok, and the alcohol was decently hidden, so it was pretty easy to drink. Curious how it would age. Good fresh, but not exceptional.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 20:35:18 | More by Pencible

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