Mike's Beer of the ....Month

Beer Information

Brewery: Boulevard Brewing Company

Beer Name: Love Child #1/Love Child #2

Beer Style: American Wild Ale

Abv.: 12.5% / 9.6%

Serving Glassware: Flute, Tulip

Serving Temp.: 45-50 deg. F.(BeerAdvocate)

Packaging: 750 mL bottle

Price: ~$20

Availability: N/A



LC #1



Mike's Ratings: LC #1 (1-5)

Overall Grade: A-

Appearance: 4

Aroma: 4

Taste: 4.5

Mouthfeel: 4.5

BeerAdvocate Avg.: A-

Appearance - Fire-like darker orange/amber colored beer with minimal head that fades quickly. Completely translucent with no sediment or particles floating around.

Aroma - Not as sour as expected (much less sour than LC #2) with some noticeable bourbon flavor and a stronger malt presence (than LC #2). Minor fig/grape nuances play in the background.

Taste - Much more bourbon flavor, as suggested by the aroma, that provides some heat to this sour brew. Sourness is there, but not overpowering, and fails to conceal the alcohol although it unexpectedly works nicely with it (12.5% is tough to hide regardless). The darker fruits are more dominant here as well: fig, grape, and maybe some plum.

Mouthfeel - The lingering bourbon character meshes well with the slight sourness and malty backbone. These three elements are what carry over into the aftertaste.

Overall - This is a very impressive and unique beer. I don't know of any other brews that attempt to coordinate bourbon and sourness and I'm happy to say that Boulevard has done it well. Neither aspect is dominant, and although this beer isn't as sour as most wild ales, it provides the perfect amount of sourness to augment the levels of bourbon present. I wish this beer wasn't only made once.



LC #2

 Mike's Ratings: LC #2 (1-5)

Overall Grade: A

Appearance: 3

Aroma: 4.5

Taste: 4.5

Mouthfeel: 4.5

BeerAdvocate Avg.: B+

Appearance - Dark orange/brownish appearance with about a 1/2" of head that remains for most of the session. Unlike LC #1, this beer is opaque with a good amount of sediment preventing light from shining through.

Aroma - Sourness is upfront and dominant with a wave of fresh fruit (mainly cherries). These two aromas compliment each other well. 

Taste - Foreshadowed by the aroma, extremely sour/bitter with cherries and maybe some green apple. This is much more sour than LC #1 and there is no bourbon or alcohol detectable here. Some vinegar is present as well.

Mouthfeel - As with most wild ales, the sourness is the only aspect that remains in the aftertaste.

Overall - This is a fantastic wild ale (definitely one of the best I've had). This is a true staple for the style and I wish it were more easily obtained!