Boulevard Single Wide IPA

[mikebiewer]

At the suggestion of one of my blog readers, I decided to try the Boulevard Single Wide IPA. I've been drinking a lot of different IPA's as of late and I thought this one was more my style than some of the previous. I'm still not 100% sold on it, but I thought it was pretty good. Here are some thoughts.

Also, if you'd like to see the beer in action, you can check out my Review of Boulevard Single Wide IPA over on my blog!

Review of Boulevard Single Wide IPA

Packaging

The package has a nice retro look to it. The fonts are thick and the colors are somewhat muted, giving this look a bit of a classic 1970’s style to it. The image on the front reminds me of those old Airstream bullets that people used to haul behind their trucks. There isn’t a lot of info on the label. It discusses bottle conditioning, which I think is cool and somewhat expected from Boulevard now, and the style category. I get a bit of info, but not as much I as I normally like. Luckily this one came with a suggestion from a reader and from Boulevard, which I’ve liked in the past.

Appearance

Bright golden in color with a nice, big, fluffy head. There is some nice lacing on the glass. This beer is also bottle conditioned so it has a yeasty haze to it.

Smell

A very subtle hop character that actually reminds me of a mowed yard or some kind of earthy foliage aroma. It is paired with a bit of citrus that didn’t hit me at first, and a bit more fruity smell than I was expecting.

Taste

I don’t get much sweetness in this IPA, which is good, but I really don’t get any sweetness at all. The hop bitterness attacks my tounge from front to back and the bitterness sticks to the back, but there doesn’t seem to be a malty sweetness to balance. In all honesty, it seems to be lacking a little bit on the front end of the tasting and explodes at the end. I get a little bit of pine and believe it or not, bread like, when I look deep into the flavor. It could be the yeast in the bottle.

Mouthfeel

Very zippy on the tounge, but I kind of expect that from IPA’s now. A medium bodied brew that goes down easy.

Drinkability

The bitterness does remind me of the Ranger IPA that I tried last week. It just seems to linger a bit longer than I’d like. However, I do think this beer has a decent drink-ability to it. I would prefer a bit of sweetness to counter balance the hop flavor. Not having made a night out of it, I’d say I’d be able to go 3 or 4 deep without a problem, but again, the bitterness could prevent me from going deeper.


Have you tried Boulevard Single Wide IPA? I’d love to hear your take on it. Also, it seems I’m working a lot on IPA’s so I’d appreciate any suggestions. Keep in mind, I live in Fargo, ND so selection is limited.

 

[bh10]

IMO, its a pretty bland IPA. Its been a couple months since I had one, but what I remember of it, was it wasnt to hoppy or bitter, IMO a good entry-level IPA.

 

[smakudwn]

I also had that sharp taste on the back of my tongue from this. i did not like it. But then again i didn't think the bitterness was like Ranger.

 

[mikebiewer]

I'm trying to figure out what that extra little zing is in this beer. Is it possible it comes from the yeast in the bottle?

 

[user 30639]

I had the Single Wide IPA last year when I was in KC and really enjoyed it, as I do all of Boulevard's beers. Unfortunately, I haven't seen it here in Texas.

For me, someone who enjoys hops but doesn't consider themselves a hophead, it was a very good IPA. Enough hops that you get the bitterness and you know you're drinking an IPA, but not enough that it's too bitter or you're just completely overwhelmed. If I could find it in town, it would probably be my go-to IPA.

 

[mikebiewer]

Good call.

I don't consider myself and hop head, but I enjoy hops. I find that an EPA fits the bill for me most of the time if I'm going for a little hoppy. It is always a consistent brew to drink. Love Summit's EPA.

Thanks for the comment!

 

[jiggs_casey]

Their 'Smokestack Series' Double-Wide is pretty f'in good...

 

[jmo88]

I'm trying to figure out what that extra little zing is in this beer. Is it possible it comes from the yeast in the bottle?

I'd say it's the wheat malt. Many Boulevard beers contain wheat and provide a zippy, zingy sensation.

 

[mikebiewer]

I'd say it's the wheat malt. Many Boulevard beers contain wheat and provide a zippy, zingy sensation.

Cool! Thanks.

That is good information to know. I'd love to know more about what grains and hops make certain profiles. I suppose it just comes with experience, but it would be cool if there was some kind of chart that said something more than just "flavor" and actually said something more distinct. Alas, its taste though and you can't really measure taste?

Thanks again!