Review: Boulevard The Sixth Glass

In Beer Reviews by Ryan

Boulevard says:

“Do you know what dwells in a glass?” asks Ole, in Hans Christian Andersen’s The Watchman of the Tower. Better known for stories such as The Little Mermaid, Andersen wrote this short, cautionary tale for a somewhat older audience. Our quadrupel ale, also meant for the mature connoisseur… “

Boulevard The Sixth Glass
Quad, 10.5% ABV

The first time I sampled this beer was at one of my favorite bars, Floyd’s Thirst Parlor,  in my hometown of Springfield, IL.  The bar is home to a great staff, a solid tap list and an even better bottle list.  And on that bottle list is a handful of Boulevard’s Smokestack Series.  You don’t have to be a detective to figure out that, yes, I got a bottle of The Sixth Glass…at a bar…just for myself.  And it was awesome.

More From GDB:  Review: Stone Double Bastard Ale 2005

Poured in to a snifter glass (thanks for the proper glassware Graham) The Sixth Glass poured a dark brown in color with red hues along the edges.  A pale, almost buttery in color head stood three fingers high and caked the side of the glass.  A big nose of dark fruits hits you right away along with the scent of…cinnamon?  Maybe?  The dark fruits are very pronounced on the palate; cherries and raisins dominate.  There’s also a touch of brown sugar sweetness and a little bit of the cinnamon that I picked up on in the nose. There’s some lively carbonation with this beer and while you can’t taste the 10.5% ABV, per se, you do get an alcohol burn with each sip.

More From GDB:  From The Cellar: Boulevard Rye-On-Rye

Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t advocate sitting down with a 750 ml bottle of a double-digit ABV Quad and drinking it all by yourself.  But, in this instance, I had the benefit of staying next door to the bar and friends reluctant to partake in this somewhat ominous looking beer.  Their loss.  We have quite a history (see links below) with Boulevard’s big bottle offerings.  And almost every one we’ve tried has been a knockout, The Sixth Glass included.

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About the Author

Ryan

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Equal parts beer nerd and policy geek, Ryan is now the curator of the Guys Drinking Beer cellar. The skills he once used to dig through the annals of state government as a political reporter are now put to use offering unique takes on barrel-aged stouts, years-old barleywines and 10 + year verticals.

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