Prairie Artisan Ales - Standard Hoppy Farmhouse Ale

A refresher on the style: a Farmhouse Ale is a variety that is similar to saisons and Belgian ales. The taste has been described as "funky", "earthy", "spicy" and similar. To me, it's difficult to compare it to anything else, and I tend to use the term "typical Belgian yeast taste" to describe it to fellow beer geeks.

Standard, by Prairie Artisan Ales is billed as a hoppy farmhouse ale. It pours a pale, pale, gold, with a tremendous four-finger, fluffy pure white head. It definitely has the belgian-y yeast character, but there are hints or lemon zest and coriander. There's also some ripe pineapple and apricot sneaking in as it warms up. The hoppiness is obvious but not overwhelming. A nice addition to your summer session selections.

Boulevard Grand Cru - Barrel-Aged Ale

It's been quite a while since Ill-Gotten Booty has graced this blog with a new beer review. It's not that he hasn't been trying new and exciting beers, it's just that it's not always convenient to write a review while sitting in a restaurant or a bar, where I have tried new craft beers in the last six months. I'm going to lift the embargo by reviewing Boulevard's Grand Cru Barrel-Aged Ale.

Grand Cru is a a 60-40% blending of

1. Whiskey barrel double mashed imperial stout, aged for 18 months, this component has an ABV of 15.6% and 50 IBU's. 
2. Bourbon Barrel Quad - loosely based on Sixth Glass, part of the Smokestack Series - an abbey style quadrupel with cherries added to make up for the 'angel's share' - the portion lost by absorption by the barrel. This component is 11.2% ABV and 26 IBU's. 

The combined blend is 13.7% ABV and 27 IBU's.

Grand Cru is a deep mahogany,  with a thick, rich tan head. The aroma of vanilla, whiskey and oak immediately tickles the nose, along with some vanilla as it heats up. There's a subtle alcohol-whiskey heat, and a smooth velvety chocolate-coffee aftertaste.

Quite the sippin' brew.