Boulevard Saison-Brett

I owe this one to serendipity. Had no idea it was even out, and there it was, beseeching me to grab it off the shelf. All the smokestack series have been exceptional brews. I expect this one to be no different. Very limited, as I'm reviewing bottle # 9825/11950. Let me say it once again, there's something deeply satisfying about uncorking a beer bottle. That "pop" that once only the wine snobs got to enjoy, can now be enjoyed by the common man.

As with the Doublewide IPA, this one has a prolific head that just doesn't stop. I slow poured this one into a snifter, and it still overflowed the rim. Retention is excellent, and big chunks of lacing are haphazardly left around the glass. Color is a subdued, somewhat hazy orange.

The nose is complex and filled with the robust, interesting and much welcomed brett funk. There's some citrus and some spice as well. Overall expectations just rose a bit. On to the palate. I taste yeasts, hay, some lemon tartness, orange peel, an essence of sweet bread in the background and some malts. There's a slight bitterness in the aftertaste, and some estery and phenolic essences also involve themselves. The taste and aroma are both complex and exceptional.

As mentioned before, this one's highly carbonated. Mouth-feel is crisp and medium to full-bodied, but is damn drinkable despite it's 8.5% abv.

Unique, tasty, well balanced, well crafted, and I good go on and on. If you are lucky enough to have Boulevard distributed to your area, I would seriously try and seek this one out before it's all gone.