Quiet Saturday

Had all my fun Friday night..time to spend a quiet Saturday night in, with some beer of course!  So I invited a fellow beer geek over and we got down on some of these brews!!

Boulevard - Smokestack Series - Double-Wide IPA.  For those of ya still not in the know, Boulevard is HUGE in the Midwest and they've been taking the Northeast by storm in recent months!  Had some at a fest over the summer and was sold, finally cracking into a few.  A technical double/imperial IPA at 8.5% ABV and 71 IBUs.. nice rich pour with a huge head.  Strong caramel malts, sticky sweet with citrus/piney hops, hints of lemongrass, orange and some spice.  A really solid dIPA with no flavors overpowering another.  Nice citrus hop start with lighter, sweet caramel and some toasted bready malts.  Sticky bitterness lingers with slight lemongrass/peel finish.  Everything about this beer just worked together, nothing too strong, everything complimenting one another.  Hmm.. so this is why people like Boulevard beers??

Liked the Double-Wide so much, I had the stout!  Boulevard - Dark Truth Stout..  9.7% ABV and 60 IBUs. A stout with 60 IBUs...  sure!!  A super dark pour..not much head, but the aromas pop right out!  Hugelly dark chocolate and dark roasted malts with hints dark fruits and strong espresso.  Perhaps made in a slightly Belgian style?  Slightly sweeter fruit and malts come through on the taste, not prominently, but it's sure there.  Hints of clove and other spice poke through, all but obscured by velvety smooth rich malts.  Tons of French roast coffee and espresso with deep plum, cherry and even more chocolate.  A smoky finish barely gives the indication of the almost 10% ABV.  Seriously diggin these Boulevards.. good thing I got more!!!

I was treated to the Dogfish Head - Chicory Stout.  Hooray beer friends!  5.2% ABV and 21 IBUs  Can't believe the color and rich tan head on this one, straight-up damn!  And the aroma..  this bad boy kicks you in the nostrils the second the cap is cracked.  The coffee is unbelievable, it smells like a coffee shop!  Bits of smoke and the faintest of faint hops in the background.  Taste matched up so well with the ridiculously smooth  feel to this.  Hints of spice and a nice earthy wood taste from the chicory.  Typical Dogfish taste through and through with great coffee tastes, slightly creamy sweet vanilla and again, the faintest of a grassy hop.  The aroma was more of the winner here, but the taste can hold it's own in the sea of stouts.  If you're a fan of the coffee-forward stouts, seek this one out as a solid winter session.