Boulevard Bully! Porter

There are very few styles of beer this blogger has come across that he hasn’t enjoyed. Strong and flavorful, robust and hoppy, they’re all good in my eyes for the most part. One style that has never really hit home however, is Porters.

It’s actually quite the conundrum as this brew hound is a big fan of stouts, which are essentially, porters on steroids. To me, the former has always been a little too roasted for my liking. Extremely acidic and bitter, it’s the absence of any kind of sweetness to help offset the robust flavor of this style that I find most off putting.

Boulevard’s Bully! Porter is a rare exception to this standard. The ironic thing about that last statement is that Bully! Porter tastes like straight espresso to me, the very thing that I typically take problem with. But where the flavor of this brew pays homage to the style, it carries with it a subdued after taste that makes this craft bearable.

Although I’d find it very difficult to drink a large quantity of this beer in a single sitting, I feel comfortable saying that this Boulevard brew is a great bridge for anyone that is less than a fanatic of the porter style.

Boulevard Bully! Porter comes in at 7 mugs out of 10.

Ommegang Witte

When most people think of Cooperstown, NY, they think of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Double Day Field, and Pete Rose signing autographs just down the street on Induction Day. But did you know that a fine purveyor of craft beers also calls this cozy up-state New York town home?

Since 1997, Brewery Ommegang has shared a home with the birthplace of baseball. Which brings to mind one question, how does this Belgian style brewery rate in a town known for excellence? We‘ll figure out the answer to this question one beer at a time starting with Ommegang Witte.

Witte, Ommegang’s take on the Belgian-White, is a beer that is light, crisp, and heavy on spice. While most witbier’s provide a soft easy drink enhanced by a slice of fruit, Witte slaps your palate right across the face with a bold mix of coriander and citrus.

Like biting into a lemon, Witte gives you a tart rush that leaves your mouth tingling after every drink. This is actually a very refreshing sensation as your first drink will have your taste buds primed to enjoy the spice in every sip.

While I wouldn’t vote this brew into my hall of fame, I’ll always have an open roster spot for this Cooperstown craft on my team.

Ommegang Witte comes in at 8 mugs out of 10.

Boulevard Amber Ale

When I first came across Boulevard Beer a month ago, I fell in love. This Kansas City Brewery offers a number of delicious beers to be enjoyed on any occasion. Unfortunately the subject of this review, Amber Ale, is not one of them.

This Midwest craft brewery has created an expectation of bold flavorful beers but Amber Ale fails to live up to this standard. Now, this isn’t to say that Amber Ale is a bad beer, but it also doesn’t offer anything to truly get behind.

In fact, it’s difficult to come up with any way to describe this beer other than calling it very generic. On a scale of craft beers, Amber Ale comes dangerously close to bud light. That being said, I do believe that this is just a rare miss for one of the Midwest’s finest breweries.

Boulevard Amber Ale comes in at 5.5 mugs out of 10.

Southern Tier Crème Brulee

If you’ve been paying attention to the beer blogosphere over the last month or so, you’ve no doubt noticed a massive influx of reviews on Southern Tier’s Crème Brulee. I’m no better than the rest of them, so without further ado, here’s my humble take.

Although I’ve enjoyed countless upon countless stouts in my days, this Southern Tier seasonal is my first experience with a Milk Stout. I was familiar enough with the style to know I’d be more than likely tasting one of the sweetest strongest beers out there, and I was right.

As soon as I cracked open the bottle I couldn’t help but notice how closely this brews aroma resembled a milk shake. It was like sitting in an old school ice cream parlor only instead of being served a deliciously creamy ice cream treat; I was pouring an ice cold beer into a frozen mug.

The taste even reminded me of the handmade malt shakes my mom used to make me as a child. Equally enjoyable was how well the espresso complimented the vanilla. Perhaps the best way to sum up this excellent craft beer from Southern Tier is by putting it in the simplest terms I can think of. Imagine taking a milkshake, dropping in a shot of espresso and a healthy serving of 9.8% ABV and you’ve got Crème Brulee.

With as good as this milk stout is I do feel it necessary to offer a bit of warning for those trying this beer. It may actually be too sweet. When I was enjoying this tasty concoction I was enjoying it from a 22 oz. bomber, which for a beer as tasty and creamy as this, was about 4 ounces too many. When enjoyed in moderation, ounce for ounce, this is the best dessert beer I have ever tried.

Southern Tier Crème Brulee comes in at 9 mugs out of 10.

Bell's Third Coast Lager

I’ve always been intrigued by trying beers that refuse to identify themselves as a particular style. It’s kind of like opening a present Christmas morning; you’re not quite sure what it is until you actually taste it. This is the case with Bell’s Third Coast Beer, neither label nor brewery website informs drinkers of the style of beer they are about to enjoy.

The mystery ends there, however. Drinkers will need only one taste to know that they are enjoying a pale ale. Although not as strong as most traditional pales, the taste of an assertively hopped brew cannot be mistaken and Third Coast definitely exhibits these tendencies.

The hops go extremely well with the mixture of floral and fruit used by this Michigan brewery. I wish I could give a much more detailed description on the taste of this beer, but the flavors were blended perfectly creating a very complex taste. I will however stake the lives of my non-existent children on the fact that Third Coast beer will provide you with an experience you will not regret.

This pale ale is also one of the smoothest and easiest brews I’ve had the privilege of drinking. If you aren’t paying attention, your bottle will disappear within a matter of minutes. It took less than ten minutes to polish off my first bottle and I wasn’t even remotely trying to drink at a quick pace. Luckily, a 4.8% ABV allows you to drink this beer like any of big beers generic water downed lagers, without any heavy after effect.

Bell’s Third Coast Beer comes in at 8 mugs out of 10.