Beer Review: Boulevard Brewing Harvest Dance

picture courtesy Boulevard Brewing

I've never been a fan of wheatwines. Using mostly wheat malts, wheatwines are similar to barleywines in terms of strength usually hovering around 9% abv or above. I've tried Hvedegoop from Three Floyd's Brewing and wasn't too impressed. They just seem to be too sweet for me. Now my experiences with wheatwines are a bit limited thanks to my past experiences with the style but I am willing to try more. I just really don't want to have to pay for them! I'm not a big fan of paying for styles you know you don't like.

I recently conducted a trade with a buddy of mine from the Show-Me Beer Blog and he sent along Boulevard's Harvest Dance. I was hesitant to try it so brought it along to the Steins Deli beer tasting we had last month to share it with friends. All I can say is WOW! Here is my review:

Brewery: Boulevard Brewing

Beer: Harvest Dance

Style: Wheatwine

ABV: 9.10%

Louisiana Availibility: NONE

Price Range: Unknown

Appearance: Poured into tasting glass. Poured a nice golden amber color with a nice fluffy white head.

Smell: Interesting hints of apples, pineapple, honey, banana and hops.

Taste: Nice tropical fruit taste with hints of pepper, oak and honey. WOW!

Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium carbonation.

Overall: I hate wheatwines. Not anymore. This is a fantastic brew and I will be looking for more!

Score: 4.5 out of 5 Buddhas

Boulevard in Louisiana Rumor Just a Rumor

So I wanted to verify the rumor that Boulevard Brewing was indeed coming into the Louisiana and after a brief phone call I found out some bad news.  They are not coming into the Louisiana market and won't be for the next couple of years.  Very disappointing news.  Anyways I'll keep up on trying to find who is attempting to come into the state and will make sure you are informed!

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Beer Rumors

 

So yesterday I told you about Schmaltz Brewing coming into Louisiana.  Well get ready because it looks like we may have two more coming as well.  Rumor has it that both Magic Hat Brewing and Boulevard Brewing are coming to Louisiana possibly in April.  I really can't express my excitement that these new beers are coming especially Boulevard.  I really enjoy Boulevard brews particularly their special releases.  Saison-Brett is one of my favorites!

Louisiana is definitely getting better in terms of its beer selection.  If we can maintain this steady growth of local breweries and out of town breweries coming I foresee New Orleans becoming a cultural hub for beer nerds everywhere.  We already have the best cuisine the US has to offer so it just makes sense that we have a great beer selection as well.  Get ready cause the times, they are a changing.  I can feel it!

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

PS Be ready for April 22-25 for a Stone Brewing Jazz Fest extravaganza.  It'll be held at Avenue Pub and I hear they will have some cask beers, aged beers and possibly some rare bottles. More details to come!!

30 Days of Craft Beer: Day One

Ok, so today is Day One of 30 Days of Craft Beer. As I said I will review one craft beer a day and will keep everyone updated on my job search.

Job Search


(1) Over the past year I have been in contact with a gentleman named Chan Cox who owns Chan's Wine World in the Panhandle of Florida. There are five locations throughout the Panhandle: Destin, Sandestin, Panama City Beach, Miramar Beach and Ft. Walton Beach. Chan's has a great beer selection and has a beer festival every year as well. My wife and I have talked about relocating to Panama City for about the past year or so. We stayed there for about a week after Hurricane Katrina hit and we absolutely loved it there. The school system there is top notch and would be great for our daughter Evangeline. Much different than here in New Orleans where there are 3 out of the 88 public schools we could possibly send our daughter to and those 3 require a lottery to get your kid in.

If you know me you know I used to be the Assistant Manager and beer guy over at Martin Wine Cellar and enjoyed helping the customers with their beer selections. Chan's would be a great fit for me so I emailed Mr. Cox today and hopefully will receive an email back fairly soon.

(2) I have some brewery contacts in Texas who are asking around. I'm not going to go into details until I hear more info but it's a good one.


Beer Review



Brewery: Boulevard Brewing

Beer: Two Jokers Double Wit

Style: Witbier

Recommended Glassware: Pint Glass

Serving Type: Pint Glass

Appearance - This beer poured a hazy orange color with a huge, fluffy white head which stuck around for a bit. Lacing was very nice.

Smell- Strong hints of yeast, wheat, cloves and lemony citrus.

Taste - Nice tartness upfront with hints of citrus and banana and clove from the yeast. The malt balances this beer well.

Mouthfeel- Very nice crisp and clean with a medium body.

Overall- Another phenomenal brew from the guys over at Boulevard. The Smokestack series are absolutely incredible and this one just adds to it!

Score: 4.5 out of 5 Buddhas