Session # 198
Boulevard | Imperial Stout
Imperial Stout | Kansas City, MO | 11% ABV

One year ago: Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout

Today is the first time on The Hopry I will have reviewed the same beer twice. I have generally stayed away from this because I want to get to as many different beers as possible. However, I enjoyed the 2008 release of the Boulevard Imperial Stout so much, that I actually gave it a perfect score (one of only three beers). So I just had to revisit it in the form of this 2011 release. More specifically, though, I wanted to revisit the “un-infected” batch # 1. I missed this in the review, but 46% of this one was aged in barrels, while the 2008 was only 10%. The color was near pitch black with touches of ruby red coming through when held up to the light. A chocolaty head formed on top before a nice bourbon aroma filled the air. Immediately this beer smelled great with dark fruits up front followed soon by oak and vanilla. It smelled very Belgian for sure. On the palate, not quite as big as you’d think for an 11% ABV beer, but there was definitely enough barrel and bite to make you happy. It finished with burnt caramel and dark fruits and that signature Belgian stamp that Pauwels is so good at doing. Not as good as the 2008 for sure, but definitely better than the infected batch # 2 from 2011.

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
Listening To: Wilco “I Might”



Let us know your thoughts by rating and commenting on this video.

Session # 185
Boulevard | Collaboration No. 2 (with Deschutes)
White IPA | Kansas City, MO | 7.4% ABV

One year ago: Boulevard Collaboration No. 1

Last year when Boulevard Brewing Company teamed up with Jean-Marie Rock of Brasserie d’Orval, none of us here could believe it. I mean I have to believe that even for brewmaster Steven Pauwels, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to brew with one of the best Trappist monasteries in the world. The result of that experiment, an Imperial Pilsner, was truly amazing (as can be seen here). Well here Tim and I are back nearly one year later (to the day) with the second collaboration, aptly titled Collaboration No. 2. This time Boulevard teams up with Deschutes Brewery out of Oregon. Pouring this very effervescent and beautiful yellow beer from the bottle, we knew this would be a great Belgian-inspired beer. The aromas of lemongrass, banana bubblegum, floral grass, and cotton candy began to fill the room. The first sip unveiled a very easy drinking beer with loads of Belgian yeast, banana, lemongrass, and a very faint amount of sage. It was unbelievably drinkable to say the least, and a very successful collaboration, too. Rating: 90/100

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
Click Below to Hear: Okkervil River “Kansas City”



Let us know your thoughts by rating and commenting on this video.

Session # 143 | Boulevard | Chocolate Ale | 9.1% ABV
Herbed / Spiced Beer | Kansas City, Missouri | Rating: 80/100
One year ago: Russian River Pliny the Younger

Well I guess hell must have finally frozen over because I was finally lucky enough to get my wife on the show. After months of begging and pleading, my wife Kristen finally helped me with a review. And what better time for her to come on board than on Valentine’s Day? On this wonderful lover’s day (albeit a Monday) we are sharing Boulevard Brewing’s latest creation called Chocolate Ale. It is a collaboration with local chocolate superstar Christopher Elbow. If you seriously want to impress someone, go to his website right now and order some of his chocolate truffles. They’re phenomenal!!! This beer, however, was not quite as phenomenal as those chocolates. It appeared a much different (and lighter) color than we had thought it might. Though we had read months before its release that it wouldn’t be a stout, we were still hoping for something darker and chocolaty. What we got was more like a chocolate dusted caramel with hints of vanilla and hazelnut toffee. I personally still believe that if this is to be called a chocolate ale the chocolate should dominate the taste. Though not a disappointment by any stretch, I will stick to Elbow’s chocolates by themselves. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
Listening To: My Blood Valentine “Sometimes”



Let us know your thoughts by rating and commenting on this video.

Session # 138 | Boulevard | Pilsner | 4.8% ABV
Pilsner | Kansas City, Missouri | Rating: 88/100
One year ago: Harviestoun Ola Dubh 16

Not long ago I shared my “Top Five Beers to Always Have in the Fridge.” At the top of that list was this beer: Boulevard Pilsner. My review today will mirror what I said then, which is “A lot of people these days are afraid of the BMCs. While that may sound like some sort of disorder, it really just means that the Bud, Miller, and Coors beers of the world are off limits to most craft beer drinkers. However, the style that these beers fall into is not something that should just be overlooked so easily. When properly made, the American Lager can be a very enjoyable experience. Take the Boulevard Pilsner for instance — it’s extremely clean tasting with a nice soft maltiness and lightly floral hop character. It goes down about as easy as any beer I’ve ever had in my life, and it’s local so I can always find it fresh. Not to mention, at 4.8% ABV I can drink a few of these and not be tempted to call it a night at 9PM. Ultimately, when I want to just come home from work and mindlessly drink a beer this is one I tend to reach for a lot.”

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
Listening To: Jane’s Addiction “Three Days”



Let us know your thoughts by rating and commenting on this video.

Special # 12 | Ripple Glass Glassware Recycling Program

Please read more about Ripple Glass here.

This video may seem a bit out of place in the middle of Christmas season. In fact, you can tell I recorded this back in the early part of autumn. I never found the right time to post it, so today will be where it lands. It’s for a project I feel very happy to be able to participate in. It’s called Ripple Glass, and it’s a project that Boulevard Brewing worked on with Owens Corning in order to recycle all the glass Kansas City citizens were usingand turning it into insulation. I won’t go into too much detail since I’ve provided a link above for you to read more. The only thing I’d like to add is that I hope you’ll talk to your breweries in your area to see if they can do something like this. Every bit helps and this is proof it can be done.

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
On the iPod: Horace Andy “Give It To Me”



Thank you for your continued support. Please rate this review below…

The last time I had Boulevard’s Imperial Stout (BIS) was about two years ago. I would say my palate at that time, while still quite astute, was not fully capable of enjoying all the intricacies that some craft beers have to offer. I had only liked imperial stouts for a short time but not on the level I do now. So I was really excited to pop the cork on this big boy to see how it measured up to my memory from two years ago. Keep in mind I’ve had a zillion beers since then and it’s hard to remember every little detail of them all. However, it only takes a quick sniff of this beauty to know that you’ve got a beer that hangs with the best of them. Personally I couldn’t help but just let out a flabbergasted laugh when I smelled it because it was just pure happiness. That joy didn’t stop until the end of the bottle. BIS pours exactly like you’d hope from a beer of this caliber – BLACK! Its head is a touch lighter than most I’ve seen in this style and is surprisingly large for an 11% ABV beer. It’s the first drop of this beer, however, that just dominates all other stouts I’ve had to date. Its simultaneous subtlety and intensity are far beyond what I could have hoped, and the alcohol burn was in just the right amount. Now…I know I’m going to catch flack from some people for giving this beer a perfect score, but I don’t care. As Tim and I worked through the rest of this beer off camera it just became more and more obvious that this is a transcendent beer. Two years has done some very amazing things to it, and I was blown away like I haven’t been in a very long time. What’s even more interesting and ironic is that I have one of the world’s best imperial stouts lined up next for my celebratory 100th session on The Hopry, and I’m anxious as hell to see how it lives up to this beer. I hope it brings its big boy pants because this stout could very well be the best beer I’ve ever had. Yes folks… in my book this is up there with Pliny the Younger and Hopslam. Up next: The Hopry’s 100th Session Cigar City Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Tame Impala “Solitude Is Bliss”



Brewery: Boulevard
Beer: Imperial Stout
Style: Imperial Stout
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
ABV: 11%
Rating: 100/100

Thank you for your continued support. Please tell a friend…

Continuing on with Boulevard week, we now come to the second session with the Bourbon Barrel Quad (BBQ). This is a Quadrupel that has been aged in oak bourbon barrels for at least a year with tart cherry added along the way. Before bottling it is blended to create what some people here call the best high-gravity beer Boulevard makes. It is part of the brewery’s Smokestack Series limited release lineup and literally flies off the shelves as soon as it’s released. If you sleep for even a week you can miss your chance to get one of these bottles. When Tim and I poured this one into our Boulevard tulips it became pretty apparent that there was a cherry element based solely on the color. It has a very nice rich ruby caramel color with a healthy amount of light tan soapy head that dissipates somewhat quickly. The aroma is of figs, prunes, dates, tart cherries, and caramel. It is only subtly met with a faint amount astringency and booziness that rounds it out quite nicely. The taste lives up to the aroma and highlights the cherries first but then follows everything up with the deep sticky fruits and caramel afterwards. At 11.8%, it’s certainly one that is good to share with one or two other people, but ultimately the goal should be to let this beer sit for at least six to eight months if you buy them fresh. Time is of the essence here and this beer is miles ahead of where it was when I bought them. Now Kansas City has the best BBQ (food) and BBQ (beer). How can you be unhappy with that combination? Up next: Boulevard Imperial Stout

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: M83 “Kim & Jessie”



Brewery: Boulevard
Beer: Bourbon Barrel Quad (BBQ)
Style: Quadrupel (Quad)
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
ABV: 11.8%
Rating: 96/100

Thank you for your continued support. Please tell a friend…

I take a great deal of pride in Boulevard Brewing Company. I’ve been drinking their beers for at least 15 years now; and well before I became a beer snob. But something especially great has been going on at the brewery in the last few years – thanks to the vision of Steven Pauwels they’ve started brewing some insanely good (worldly) beers that speak more to the craft beer lover as opposed to the everyday pale ale drinker. I’ve had my favorites along the way, but now it is their Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale that makes me the happiest. The beer pours a warm summery yellow haze with an enormous amount of tight soapy white head. And the smell! That’s probably the best aspect of this beer. There are loads of over-ripened bananas (like those black bananas used to make banana bread), beautiful esters that remind you of lemongrass and sunshine, and even a faint smell of band-aid (in a good way). For a saison, I can tell you this is the most complex I’ve ever smelled or tasted — even more so than the illustrious Orval (which is not technically a saison, but it should be). Yes the Boulevard Saison Brett is magical, but this one is a touch more successful in my book. And if you’re someone who thinks Allagash is the only American brewery making insanely good Belgian-style beers, you need to start paying attention to Boulevard. They are owning right now.

For a larger HD experience click here.
This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Vetiver

Brewery: Boulevard
Beer: Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale
Style: Saison
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
ABV: 8%
Rating: 97/100

One of my favorite Mexican restaurants in Kansas City has always been Ponak’s down on Southwest Boulevard. For the locals who have been supporting the place for a long time, you will know that it started out a very small restaurant that would later expand to a much larger capacity building. And their margaritas will seriously knock you on your can. Well, there’s a reason for me bringing this up because it’s also the first place Boulevard Brewing Company tapped its beer exactly 20 years ago today – that’s 1989 people!!! That’s practically yesterday in brewery years. So bouncing back to today…WOW! This brewery has accomplished a shitload of great things in 20 years. From the Boulevard Wheat to the Single Wide IPA to the Saison Brett to the most recent Harvest Dance, there’s really not a whole lot one can do to complain about the effort put forth by this brewery. And with the recent push of consistent Smokestack Series beers only coming out in the last few years, Boulevard is showing that they still have a ton of good stuff up their sleeve. And did I mention that they just recently started a bottle recycling program called Ripple Glass? Well…I just wanted to take a moment today to tell you all CONGRATULATIONS! Kansas City is better off for your hard work and dedication to the craft beer movement. Much love and respect…

For a larger HD experience click here.
This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Logan Richardson

Brewery: Boulevard
Beer: Harvest Dance
Style: Wheatwine
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
ABV: 9.1%
Rating: 92/100

Boulevard Brewing Company is near and dear to my heart when it comes to talking about beer. I’ve been drinking their lineup for years – mainly to support my local brewery but also because they’re just so damn tasty. The Boulevard Wheat was a constant in my fridge for quite a while before discovering all the other great styles of beer that are available on the market. I should also mention here that as a 10 year old boy, George Brett was my favorite baseball player – and they’ve used his name on Saison Brett as a play on the Brettanomyces yeast that is used to brew it. If you’ve not tasted Brettanomyces (which is a type of wild yeast), I highly recommend it. It’s a flavor you will not soon forget. And there are tons of beers that use it – mainly Belgian beers. Within the last few years Boulevard began bottling their Smokestack Series, and the Saison Brett is clearly one of the best. Aside from maybe the Bourbon Barrel Quad, Imperial Stout, or Tank 7 (which won’t be bottled until 2010), I can’t think of any beer they make that is better than this one. Rated one of the best Saisons in the world by both Rate Beer and Beer Advocate, I’d say this is something to be enjoyed by any and all beer lovers. If you need help getting a hold of some just contact me offline and I’ll be happy to do a trade, etc…

For a larger HD experience click here.
This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Justin Townes Earle

Brewery: Boulevard
Beer: Saison Brett
Style: Saison (Farmhouse Ale)
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
ABV: 8.5%
Rating: 96/100