Long Strange Tripel-Boulevard Brewing
I have to admit, I have not had a Boulevard brew for probably a decade or more as they are not available in the Triangle and my travels have not taken me to KC or St. Louis recently so I had a bit of hesitation purchasing three of the Boulevard Smokestack Series last week but my favorite specialty brew store pretty much stopped carrying mixed 12 packs so I made my own with four of these, four Double Wide IPA and four of The Sixth Glass. Good choices.
This is an excellent reproduction of a classic Belgian triple with a golden hue, aromas of flowers and tastes of banana, orange and black pepper. Poured into an Ommegang tulip with a large, fizzy head which was retained fairly well. The slight bite comes from the Belgian yeast which imparts its typical peppery palate but bitterness is actually pretty low with an IBU of 23 and the ABV is a pretty standard for a tripel at 9%. This would be fine with a fruit plate pre-dinner or with a fruity salsa and fish. I think I like this better than the Victory Golden Monkey and would love to taste test it with a Duvel.
Interesting story behind the brew from the web site:
"Lately it occurs to us that if, back in 1989, you planned on starting a brewery in the back of your carpentry shop, you'd been wise to seek out someone like Harold “Trip” Hogue. A collector of ancient Volvos, Trip was well qualified for the make-do engineering required to coax recalcitrant equipment out of retirement and into making the first Boulevard beers. Today, he is our longest-tenured employee. We offer this rich, golden Tripel in grateful tribute to dedication, everywhere."
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I actually had this as a 12 ounce single from my 4 pack.