(review comes from notes taken earlier in the evening)
750ml caged and corked bottle. 9.7%abv. Poured it into a thinner chalice. I was thinking tulip, but I wanted this to get a bit more air, maybe mellow out. This is a supposedly typical imperial stout. Boulevard did make a limited edition version of an imperial stout a while back, but I believe that was 11%abv and had a different label (tell me if I'm wrong), and this is by all accounts part of their normal smokestack series.
So this cork was a HUGE bitch to get off. Had to resort to a cork screw. All that fuss with the bottle effed it up a bit and there was a massive head with the pour. Although I didn't think it was all my fault as a good half-finger or so head remained with most of the first glass. It's a dark-brown almost black and opaque color. Head is a typical tan head that you'd see on a stout. Pretty good lacing as well during the first glass, very sticky.
Smell is the roasted malt (duh), a nice bitter sweet chocolate, a bit of soy (yeah, I said soy, so what?), and a touch of coffee and hops.
Taste is the bitter sweetness that was apparent in the nose. Bitter sweet chocolate malt, followed by a nice roasted coffee bean, then a good clean hop-bitterness in the finish. The finish is really like that of a good, pale ale. Not overwhelming like some huge, lame IPA, but just a good bitterness to battle the sweetness. I also must say that the whole time this is a very smooth beer. The initial hit of it on the tongue is extremely smooth, and it goes in and out of tastes very nicely. While there is that noticeable hop-bitter finish, it is at no point harsh. I only say this because there are some impy stouts....even good ones, that can be a bit harsh with the malt, the roast, or even the hops. Some alcohol makes it's presence known as the big bottle warms up, but not consistently enough to really make it part of the flavor profile. For nearly 10%abv, this is pretty easy to drink. It's certainly thick on the tongue, but in a smooth, coating sense, not in an "overly heavy" sense.
As a side note, I had the second half of this with a big steak I cooked myself for my birthday. I've read of pairing big stouts with steak but I usually shied away. In this case I was wrong, and it was a good choice. This big, but not overly bold stout paired quite nicely with a medium rare NY strip with sauteed mushrooms.
Overall, for a stout that gets near 10% abv, this is very very easy to drink. There's not really any harsh aspects to it and it stays very smooth, even while it warms up. I think that's why it went well with a meal, it's extremely good, but not so "big" that's it's dominating what you're eating. Definitely a good compliment to some good, red meat. Not mind-blowing, but a very good version of an imperial stout. Once again, Boulevard understand how to make a "balanced" high-end brew.
Verdict: 8.5/10
I am surprised with your like of balance in beers (I agree with this sentiment) and this tasting note, that this beer didn't garner higher ratings.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I agree that Boulevard doesn't get the praise it does. It consistently produces very good beer (with the exception of the Zon) at very good prices. And their Smokestack series is also very good.
Congrats on the b-day, BTW!
I can see that....although 8.5/10 is awfully good. Usually 8 is my "pretty dang good" standard, and anything above that really needs to blow my skirt up.
ReplyDeleteI do struggle as how much credence to give to "balance". On one hand, it doesn't specifically add anything to the profile of the beer, but on the other it really can separate a good beer from a really great beer.
The taste on this beer was definitely pretty dang good, the extra .5 I guess is for doing an outstanding job of blending it together. Like I said in the tasting, even some of the good impy stouts have a harshness that you just can't get past. This one found a way to cut that out without losing much.
Only reason it wasn't a touch higher in that there maybe could have been a bit more. Maybe like a port quality like you find in some impy stouts, or something to play around with the booziness. I don't like being dominated with alcohol, but I really do enjoy when a brewer finds a way to work it in, instead of just masking it. I wouldn't say it was "missing much", as there is very minimal room for improvement here.