Boulevard Nutcracker Ale

Brewed by Boulevard Brewing Company
Style: English Strong Ale
Kansas City, Missouri USA

It’s alright, but not some of my fav characteristics blended together. Poured with a nice off white to light tan head and some lace. Color is an attractive medium amber with some copper highlights. Aroma is malty, molasses, a little toffee, and bit of vanilla/caramel. Flavor’s about the same. Good body and carbonation. Kind of a sweet finish. A hint of alcohol at the end of the finish. Not bad.

Bottle. Poured an amber orange with a thick, fluffy off-white head that took a good long while to fall. The aroma is sweet and fruity. It has a bit of caramel and is very fruity, with juicy orange and pear notes. There’s also a touch of a floral scent. The flavor doesn’t have as much punch as I expected from the aroma. It is lightly fruity, with more pear coming through, and has a little bit of a spicy, floral hop bite. Feels a little too watery, but does go down very easily.

Pours a cloudy mahogany with a small white head. The aroma is quite refreshing, it has a fruity, apple smell, with light citrus, and some caramel malt. The Flavor is more complex, sweet and malty at first, with some apple notes, it quickly fades into a hint of apricot/peach, with some light spices and bold bitterness. Medium bodied with faint carbonation. This is one of the best winter seasonals I’ve ever had.

On tap at Ginger Man Dallas. Hazy orange to amber hue. Smells of sweet hops with a red ale fix. Full hop taste with a dry finish. Sweet flavors round the palate. Not bad an very drinkable.

Bottle: Pours a dark brown with a minimal white head...nose is full of dried, red apples and spruce. Some dark roasted malt compliments...much more highly carbonated than I expected. Flavor is red apple, some subtle spice and and earthy/spruce hop finish. Good brew, nice change of pace from the over-spiced majority of Christmas brews.

Tap. Pours a deep slightly hazy orange color. Flavor is crisp and clean, caramelized malts that are slightly sweet followed by a floral and pine like finish. Somewhat thin on the palate but OK. Pretty solid session beer here.

(bottle) Pours a hazy amber/orange with a large off-white head that eventually settles to a thin ring around the pint glass. Aroma is solid, with scents of sweet roll glazed with orange marmalade, cinnamon, barley, and shades of pineapple. The flavor follows with some caramel and dough initially, which transitions towards pineapple and bitter grapefruit peel coupled with toasty barley in the finish. Mouthfeel is medium and carbonation is appropriate. "A solid 3.5, right in the meaty part of the curve. It’s not showing off, it’s not falling behind."

Dark amber pour with an off-white head. Aroma of malt and hops. Nice tasting- little sweetness to it, some caramel. Hoppy at the end. Nice lacing.