Reviews of Craft Beer
Boulevard Double-Wide IPA
Hop lovers rejoice! Boulevard Brewing Company (Kansas City, MO) has brewed a beer just for you. The Double-Wide IPA, from Boulevard's limited production "Smoke Stack Series", is an aggressively hopped beer. Boulevard uses five varietals of hops, over several hopping regimens throughout Double-Wide's brewing process.
Double-Wide pours a hazy amber and caramel color with a hearty three finger head. The head has large bubbles and leaves clumps of lacing behind. Double-Wide's aroma is very fruity with citrus scents of orange, lemon, and grapefruit. The taste is heavy with the citrus hop flavors, but there is a nice base of toasted caramel malts. The beer feels creamier and smoother than most IPAs, especially among those with 8.5% abv. It finishes crisp, dry, and quite drinkable.
Double-Wide is sold in 750ml champagne style bottles with cork and wire. While $8 retail for a little more than a pint and a half of beer is a bit pricey, Double-Wide IPA is worth every penny! We've rated this hops monster at 5 pints and recommend enjoying a bottle along with spicy food, such as Kansas City BBQ. Boulevard has released a full production Single-Wide IPA. For a review of the Single-Wide IPA, click here.
Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale
Named after the character who was Scrooge's first boss in the "Christmas Past" portion of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale was brewed in the festive spirit of the season that jolly Old Fezziwig, and his legendary Holiday galas embodied.
This beer pours a clear, deep mahogany color with a creamy tan head that stands about a finger and a half, and retains well. The aroma immediately provides you with scents of nutmeg, cinnamon and orange, followed by sweet caramel and roasted chocolate malts. The taste echoes the aroma with spiciness being the first thing you notice, followed by the malts in a well-balanced fashion. The beer is nice on the palate with a medium body, good carbonation, and the 5.9% abv is a bit warming.
Samuel Adams calls their Old Fezziwig seasonal beer "the Christmas cookie of beer". After tasting the beer, I can agree. This is an enjoyable beer that makes me wish I could buy a 6 pack, rather than just getting two bottles in my Holiday 12 pack. Overall, we rate Old Fezziwig 4 pints.
Goose Island IPA
Goose Island India Pale Ale (IPA) from the Goose Island Beer Company (Chicago, IL) is brewed to reflect a time when ales shipped from England to India were highly hopped to preserve the beer during its long journey. Goose Island suggests serving this beer in a tulip glass, but a good old pint, or your favorite beer glass, will work just fine.
Goose Island's IPA pours a dark golden brown (almost the color of Bourbon) with a large, bubble-filled head. It has a fruity aroma with a pine background and a hint of the 5.9% abv. The spicy floral notes of the hops are there, as well. The taste is a nice balance of typical IPA hops along with a malt background. It has a light body with heavy carbonation that really work well together. This is a very drinkable beer that doesn't bite you with bitterness, the way many India Pales Ales are prone to do.
Goose Island's IPA is a very solid beer, and a good example of a well-made IPA. There's nothing flashy, or overwhelming with this beer. We've rated the beer 4 pints, and recommend pairing it with spicy foods, such as Indian cuisine.
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