Boulevard Maibock

Brewed by Boulevard Brewing Company
Style: Heller Bock
Kansas City, Missouri USA

Tap at a Buffalo Wild Wings. Medium gold colred body with a bright white head. Grassy and malted smells up front with some light orange peels. The taste is malty grass and light orange peels. There is a lingering bitter finish. Drinkable with a light body, but it is nearly like a low quality pils. Man, this is way below par for a Boulevard effort.

On draft at the KC Biermeisters Homebrew Competition. Like Chris, I first tried this at the Smokestack release party as well. Sweet, honeyish, malty aroma, some mildly herbal hop, medicinal tinges and faint pepper, along with a faint touch of white grape. Clear light-medium golden color with a lasting, fine head. Flavor is primarily sweet but manages to avoid being dominated by it, with a dosage of leafy, herbal hop flavor, faint bubblegum and banana, a very light tropical fruit touch and with a somewhat harshly bitter finish. Acidic and thin on the palate with a medium body and a slight alcoholic fire. Some green apple notes here at the close. Doesn’t really come together all that well, I don’t think...seems pretty disjointed. It’s far from being offensive but it definitely leaves me wanting.

On tap at the 810 Zone. Pours golden with a white head. Aroma of honey, cream corn, and some noble hops. Pretty much the same flavors. Medium body. Lots of carbonation. Balanced finish. I’d drink it again, but expected better.

Shaker pint on tap at the Coyote Grill in Leawood, Kansas. Pour is clear golden, with no head to speak of - what’s there is white. A bunch of fine carbonation bubbles to the top. Aroma of grassy slightly sweet grainy toasted maltiness. Clean, but faint - this was server very cold, so it took awhile for it too warm up and actually display any aroma. Taste of sweet, floral maltiness. Grainy, full flavored, really nice spice clove mild honey notes. Behind the malt and sweetness is a touch of hop bitterness in the finish. Palate is medium, coats a bit then frees up to a drier finish (with hops present). Really flavorful and easy drinking. I wasn’t expecting too much from this, but was really impressed. Though, looking at the ratings I seem to be in the minority.

Had on tap at an Old Chicago. A light version for the style, but not bad. Highly drinkable, just lacking complexity.

Source: On tap at The Medici in Normal, IL.
Glass: Poured into a standard pint glass.
Appearance: Poured a hazy gold/amber color with a one finger off white head.
Aroma: Very grainy with notes of earthy hops.
Flavor: Fairly bland with only grains showing through, and an obnoxious bitter finish.
Palate: Medium body with good carbonation and a clean mouthfeel.
Overall: Not very impressed. A very bland beer.

On tap at The Flying Saucer KC. Pours a dark gold with a creamy white head. The nose is of big, doughy malt; simple but pleasant. Medium-bodied and lightly grainy with a clean finish. The flavor follows the nose, predominantly clean, doughy and yeasty with a kiss of grassy hops at the finish. Overall, it’s a decent enough example of the style, and it’s a style that I enjoy. Frankly, however, I think it falls short of the Maibocks brewed at just about every brewpub in the area.

At least the third time I have had this, maybe the fourth. First time might have been at the smokestack release party, but for sure I tasted it after a brewery tour. On tap, one of the first draws from a bronco pumped keg. Had on draft yesterday at the brewery, I’m sure the taste will be similar (they did). Aroma is malty, toasty, melanoidin-rich, with some nice earthy hops in the background. Golden color with an excellent clarity and a small, off-white head and persistent carbonation. Initial taste is bread, crackers, and light melanoidins followed by some toastiness, earthy hops, and a caramel sweetness that comes across as overly sweet, seemingly from underattenuation. The finish is helped by the strong hop presence which not only balances the beer, but brings an earthy finish to the beer. There also seems to be a soapiness that seems from out of the blue. The thought in my mind every time I drink this is that the strong hops seem to be fighting off the sweetness of the beer rather than the hops accenting a nice maltiness which I would expect in a Maibock. Seems just a bit out of whack to me.