Boulevard Brewing Collaboration #3 Stingo
I think the only other product from Boulevard Brewing’s Smokestack Series I’ve had so far was their Dark Truth Stout and that was a great beer. I also know that I’ve never had anything from Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project out of Somerville, Massachusetts — their products just done make it down to Virginia. So, grabbing this bottle of Boulevard’s Collaboration #3 Stingo was a great opportunity to keep with the limited series of beers the company makes as well as try something out that Pretty Things had a hand in.
The only other “stingo” I’ve had was Samuel Smith’s Yorkshire Stingo, a beer I absolutely loved. Having only had the one example, you could say that this is a style of brew I am not at all familiar with. Essentially an English Strong Ale, the Sam Smith’s version and this collaborative offering are both wood aged, but there’s more to this one. From Boulevard’s website at the time of this review:
The beer was brewed in batches; some was fermented on oak, some was fermented normally, and some was allowed to sour in the mash tun before being transferred to a fermenter. Boulevard’s brewers, along with Dann and Martha Paquette of Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project, then blended the batches until desired levels of wood and tartness were achieved for the final product.
Sounds intriguing, but how does it taste?
Appearance
Stingo pours a murky/muddy brown with a hint of red undertones while the decent sized light tan head dropped smoothly to a thin collar.
Aroma
This brew smells rich and malty with plenty of toffee, caramel, a light roast, grain and subtle chocolate notes. I didn’t pick up much in the way of wood until the beer had warmed some and it still was only a faint impression.
Taste
There is a good amount of malt complexity going on here as waves of caramel, toffee, a light roast, hints of coffee and subtle chocolate all arrive in varying degrees for a rich character. There’s a latent bit of hop bitterness that arrives toward the finish. The brew has a great earthy quality. I didn’t really pick up on any sort of tartness, but then again, maybe I mistook it for hop bitterness. There’s a light bit of alcohol warmth that lingers nicely after the medium bodied brew has been swallowed.
Overall
This was a very tasty and smooth drinking beer. It wasn’t quite as woody as Sam Smith’s Stingo, but it was equally as complex. I sort of wish I had picked up on the tartness a bit more, as well as the wood aging, but as it stands Collaboration #3 Stingo is a full flavored and richly malty brew. As long as I can find it on shelves again in the next week or so, I will be having more of this one.
Rating: 4.25/5
