Boulevard Brut IPA

I misread the bottle when I pulled this out. I thought this was a Bret and not a Brut. Bret, I wouldn't look forward to. That yeast is so overwhelming that the series of beers that I had that were intended to highlight different kinds of hops were positively overwhelmed with the yeast that just would not tone itself down in the presence of anything.

The very hazy pale yellow beer has a full, fluffy head that leaves the scattered clusters of tiny bubbles as a replacement for actual lacing, and it works well enough. The aroma is solid, yeasty bread with citrus and flowers sprinkled over it as an afterthought. The presentation - even though I usually like a lot more lacing - is pretty good.

First sip is bitter crackers, yeast, and light lemon spritz. I don't normally dislike an IPA right off the bat, but this is too bitter with not enough flavor. I'm not sure why there's so much bitterness, unless it's coming from the yeast. There certainly aren't enough hops in here to justify the bitterness.

Tip-in is carbonation sizzle with lemon and crackers forward without the yeast I got in the sip; it's a subtle entrance, but it's nice enough. The middle is all carbonation burn and very little else. The finish is awash with yeast, bitterness, citrus, and the base crackers in the malt.

Bottom Line: A swig is better than a sip, but it's still not great.

1.5/5