Boulevard Brewing Company's Single-Wide IPA

To me Boulevard is another brewery that distributes beyond its means. Beyond its abilities, certainly, given that their beers generally seem off. Like a small Sam Adams.


This one pours more orange than amber, with a huge tan head that may be because there was some water in my glass, but then again it stuck pretty well so maybe it's legitimate.

Smells OK too. Moderately hoppy for the style, with floral hops that are a bit... soapy.

I like the taste, there's just not enough of it. It's has a slight punch and a good twang to the hops but in a good way. Loses the twang as it warms, and gets a bit harsh.

Not bad, just drink it fast.

Boulevard Brewing Company's Collaboration No. 1 Imperial Pilsner

What do you get when you combine an over-ambitious brewery in Kansas City, with an odd and difficult to pull off beer style and a Belgian brew master?

The worst of three worlds.

It pours like a standard pilsner. Doesn't look any maltier, and in no way looks like more of anything. It's a clear yellow and although the carbonation may rise fractionally slower, that's about it. Moderate white head that thins fairly quickly.

Smells like any macro. No trace of the pilsner funk I love in the style.

Tastes the same. Except here's where the Belgian comes in, because it has a residual chemical/plastic taste that many Belgians have, especially the lighter styles like wits. Light bitterness that comes out primarily in the aftertaste when the malt fades. The chemical taste gets worse as the beer gets warmer, and I mean much worse, and it tastes nothing like a pilsner by then.

After reading I Love Beer's post about this beer I decided I had to try it, despite having avoided all of the smokestack beers as over-priced and from a mediocre brewery. So it's him I'm really pissed at about this.

Alright, I guess 'pissed' is a bit strong, but I still think he owes me $10.00. Rogue makes an excellent imperial pilsner, which, like I Love Beer, I believe is an odd imperial to make. But they do it the way it should be. If you have a choice, and you do, buy Rogue's instead. Every time.

Boulevard Brewing Company's Unfiltered Wheat

Found this stray at the back of the cellar, in an aluminum bottle, of all things. I bought it out of state as a single just because I'd never had it, and I guess I may as well start out this pizza with a wheat.

Pours clear yellow, with a zippy white head that stays at a sheet with good carbonation. The label says it's unfiltered and that it has a distinctive cloudy appearance. Wait a minute, it pours out in chunks in the dregs. Not cloudy.

It has a mellow wheat smell. Not like a wit, although hints of the yeast peek through.

Nice enough taste. Mellow for a wheat, mildly zippy. Not bad, but not great, either.

Boulevard Brewing Company's Nut Cracker Ale

I'm not too wild about another Boulevard beer, but it's one of many winter warmers I picked up on my latest beer haul, and I was able to buy it by the single, so no harm no foul if it isn't the best.

An unfiltered warmer. Interesting. Pours the appropriate reddish amber, with a nice tan head that gets pillowy before receding. The unfiltered appearance is nice.

Initially, the pour threw off a bit of a sharp hoppy smell, but it's much more tame once it's all in the glass. After the smell settles it's just straight=up malty. You have to really get in the glass to smell any specifics, and it is a bit bready when you do, but otherwise it just smells like many beers of the type. Nothing fancy, just beer.

Pretty zippy feel to it. The body is bigger than usual because it's unfiltered, but it has pretty good carbonation that makes it feel a little faster. It's also on the slightly high side of bitter for the style. Not overpowering, and not really unbalanced, but just tipping toward bitter. Not sure at what stage they stopped filtering, but it almost tastes wet hopped.

Pretty good beer, and one of the best, if not the best, Boulevard beer I've had.

Boulevard Brewing Company's Boulevard Pilsner

Uhhhhhh, the label says "genuine American lager," but it's a pilsner. Clearly not an American beer. It doesn't say what style pils it is, but by smell alone I'm going with Czech. And the label is clearly a rip off of Budvar and Czechvar, with the Boulevard being a match of the low hanging fruit variety.

I haven't been terribly impressed by Boulevard beers to date, but like stouts, I have to buy every pils I see.

Pours a deep yellow with an amber tinge, and strong carbonation that keeps the fizzy white head alive.

Skunky smell, like a pils should have, and a Czech pils especially. That's a good thing, the way it's supposed to be.

Fairly malty for a Czech, but only in the feel. Still has that light, bitter, and skunky taste to it that this style needs. Like all pilsners, it's best cold. It gets a little oily as it warms, and the sharpness dulls a bit.

Best Boulevard beer I've ever had. Still not an American style though, and not near as good as Urquell, Czechvar or Budvar. I even like Czech Rebel better. But still, it's a decent one. I'm sure the BS label affected me more than it should have.