Boulevard Smokestack White IPA, Sam Adams Imperial Stout

Another Friday night of shenanigans, another couple of beers.

I bought two bottles, a 12 oz of Sam Adams Imperial Stout and a 750 mL bottle of Boulevard Smokestack series Collarboration No. 2: White IPA (yup, that's the name). First the Stout.

Sam Adams Imperial stout is the first of their Imperial series that I actually enjoyed. This is a fantastic Imperial stout with all the right flavors, and body. The pour is perfect, pitch black, slightly viscous (they pack 308 cals in a single 12 oz bottle) with a small yet thick dark colored head (insert inappropriate joke here). Flavor is spot on as well, full of roasted coffee and dark chocolate notes (and it uses neither coffee nor chocolate). Smooth, easy going beer. Not a session beer at 300 cals and 9.2%.

Now for the White IPA. This is a style which McLuckey ale Mk. II bordered on. This is a Belgian Witbier (tastes like it was and excellent one) which was abused with hops into an IPA. It is a collaboration between Boulevard and Dushetes brewing. The brewers are geniuses (which is why they're doing this as a profession and I'm not), they were able to fix the big problem I had with McLuck Mk. II....losing the spice of the wit. They obviously amped up the coriander, and orange peel, because these flavors still came through. To keep the belgian finish from losing out to the hops they actually added lemongrass and, not joking here, sage. The sage was brilliant. This beer was SPICY, and good. Excellent hop character, nice and citrusy. My only complaint was that the beer seemed to be over-carbed. This beer was impossible to pour properly without slowing the process to a dribble.

Finishing my passport on Wednesday. It'll end with the dreaded cave creek chili beer :(
-James