Earlier today, I wrote that Boulevard brewmaster Steven Pauwels introduced two soon-to-be Boulevard offerings at Flying Saucer last night. Here's what some of us thought of the offerings.
The second beer we tasted is currently nicknamed Tank 7. When it's released it will have a different name ("It takes much longer to think of the name than to think of the beer," Pauwels said only half-jokingly), but the recipe should be the same. It's based on the Saison-Brett with some notable differences.
When I originally wrote about Saison-Brett, I said it's very cloudy like a Boulevard Wheat and I could smell the strong yeast aroma from far away.
The color in the Tank 7 has the same cloudy golden-straw look with a
medium head but the strong yeast smell has been toned down and
partially replaced with hops.
As Pauwels put it, Boulevard has
"dry-hopped" the Tank 7 and taken its IBU (bitterness scale) levels to
45, which is on the extreme end for saisons and more along the lines of
pale ale. It's "a base beer with a little bit more
steroids," Pauwels said.
What we really noticed is something odd for a saison:
cream. Lots of it. "This is really creamy," said one of my tablemates.
"Much sweeter too," added another. The sweetness is because
Tank 7 isn't as alcoholic as Saison-Brett (7.5 versus 8.5 ABV) but
I couldn't explain the creaminess. Not that it was bad -- it balanced out
the hops with the yeast so that neither dominated, allowing for strong clove flavors and esthers that left a dry-sweet
taste -- the sign of a saison.
By the end of the night, Tank 7 was by most accounts the best. It promises to be a huge hit when it comes out in April, no matter the name
change.
Wheat wine, on the other hand, promises to be divisive.
It's brewed like barley wine, which is to say it's technically a beer. It will eventually be carbonated but the samples Pauwels
served were uncarbonated and warm, so there's a big chance the final
product will taste very different from the one served last night.
That
said, a lot of people didn't like it and the ones who did at my
table found it mediocre. Admittednly, none of us had any experience
with wheat wine. Pauwels had said the wheat wine is
aged in oak barrels that used to age the grape varietal viognier. One
of the problems people have with oak-bomb wines like California chardonnays
is that the oak can easily overpower the grape. That's partially what appears to have
happened here. I detected a lot of oak on the nose and only a slight wheat
flavor. The largest component of this wine, though, is sweetness. It was
even sweeter than a Reisling but without the complicated flavors (which carbonation could easily bring out). Everyone agreed that a full bottle of it would be too much. As a
sipping beer, the wheat wine could be a winner but as an everyday beer,
it will never match the Tank 7.
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I was waiting around for a meeting and stopped by my favorite tea joint in town, House of Cha. A friend of mine suggested we swing by The Burger Stand at Dempsey�s, my first time at this Lawrence, KS hangout. I�ll be returning. Often. I was completely blown away on two counts. It was past lunch and I had just had a Bubble Tea (Boba Tea) but Gary said we should split a Kobe Beef Burger (Texas Kobe � didn�t know there was such a creature). Anyway, both Gary and I have spent time in the Far East, Gary mostly in Taiwan and I in Japan, Korea etc... as a Marine no less.
Anyway, The Kobe Burger was over the top with a relish that was unique and not overbearing. The sweet potato fries and what I presume to be homemade ketchup were exquisite. I had order a Pepsi though traditionally I�m a Coke man, but then set it aside when I noticed that they had bottled Leffe, one of my all time favorite beers. Then I noticed they had Kansas City Boulevard Smokestack Series, originally introduced to me by the COO of Boulevard and fellow jarhead Steve Mills. I guess I haven�t been keeping up with the times� when I told the bartender I enjoyed Leffe he asked if I had ever tried KC Boulevard Tank 7, which they had on tap at Dempsey�s. I was completely blown away. Tank 7 was everything he described and almost a celestial event for yours truly. Now I�m on the hunt for Tank 7.
Semper Fi,
Hank
Owner/Founder Devil Dog Brew (for you coffee lovers out there)
Thank you Jason. I enjoyed it. Now at the next tasting I have somebody to drink with and compare.
Woah woah woah... Boulevard is making a Flanders style sour ale??!?? This is the happiest news I've heard in awhile. The Duchesse du Bourgogne is my absolute favorite beer... can't wait.
I assume by "sour beer" you're referring to the upcoming Flanders style ale? I didn't realize its release was so far away. Last we were there it was aging in some barrels (marked with a familiar "Lynchburg TN" branding).
Thanks for posting this - it's too bad about the oakiness of the wheat wine, as I quite enjoy that style. Not so fond of the Saison style, but you've piqued my interest with the addition of dry hopping. (Did they say what kind of hops they used?) Going perhaps for something akin to Dupont Saison or Hennepin?
No problem. What I can't wait for is the sour beer they're going to release in a couple years. Pauwels was particularly excited about that one!
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