Boulevard Imperial Stout

Brewed by Boulevard Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Kansas City, Missouri USA

750 ml bottle courtesy of a trade with beastiefan2k. Pours a dense black with a large brown head that lasted almost until the end and left a full layer of foam with each sip. Very pleasant aroma of roasted malt, chocolate, some mild wood smokiness, raisins, and a bit of alcohol. The flavor falls back from the aroma just a bit. There is a strong flavor of roasted malt, and the grain flavor remains strong throughout. The chocolate is present but is less noticeable, and the smokiness and the fruit are nowhere to be seen. There is a somewhat strong alcohol burn in the back of the throat towards the finish, which lingers for a few seconds beyond the swallow. Medium bitterness at the finish as well. Full bodied.

Black pour, thick persistent light tan head. Mild smoke on aroma, roast, tobacco, mild alcohol, all blend nicely on the nose. Nice taste – bunch of roast, the alcohol isn’t too aggressive. A nice imperial – doesn’t get too brash.

750 ml bottle. Thanks to Phillybeer for sharing! Pour- nice deep coal-black with a nice almost orange reflective tan head and some lace. Aroma is on the hoppy side for an impy stout, tons of big black roasted barley, good coffee, and chocolate as well with hints of raisin, and plum and licorice. Flavor is licorice, tobacco, green and minty hops, deep dark charred and burnt malts, roast, dark chocolate and a green bitter hoppy finish- slight acrid and burnt character in the end with still a massive body to hold up to this 11%. Big and very well made. nice.

Had at otown throwdown. Really roasted malts and bitter chocolate. Awesome brew. Deep dark flavors.

Had before it was bottled. Lots of roast and chocolate with that typical slightly sour after taste you get from good stouts.

Dense black pour with a dark cocoa-colored head. Soft yeast-centered nose is full of doughy and lactic esters, milk chocolate and soft bitter cocoa waft out of the glass. Dense texture and soft natural carbonation form a lovely play of semi-bitter chocolate, mild roast, slightly peppery Belgian yeast notes and a small nip of alcohol, well-hidden and appreciated in context. Wonderfully frothy, silky and smooth, the malt is well-textured and properly full and smooth. I tend not to like Belgian stouts or Belgian-inspired stouts, the yeast strains typically produce too much of a lactic character that I don’t think work well with the roast and chocolate typically found in good stout. This is a wonderfully nice beer that I’ll have a chance to sample again a few times.

The beer pours very dark with no light showing through and a dark burnt orange head. The aroma has lots of dark and milk chocolate, heavy roastiness, some sweetness and hints of dark fruit and dark toffee. The body is thick and chewy with filling carb that’s quite soft with lots of abv warmth. The flavor has harsh dark bitter chocolate, lots of bitterness (may be hops, may be burnt malt), graininess, some coffee-esque bitterness and a bit of olive flavor. This is a fairly dry version of the style that’s on the harsh side. This has hearty flavor and is a sipper. Quite good, but wouldn’t want too much.

Date: March 28, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party
Appearance: black, fine tan head, bits of drippy lace
Aroma: sweet roasted aroma, roasted malts are balanced by dark caramel sweetness, dark chocolate balances the sweetness
Body: creamy body
Flavor: rich roasted malt flavor, dark chocolate biterness, caramel sweetness
Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4