Boulevard Nutcracker Ale
Nutcracker Ale is Boulevard's holiday offering for real beer lovers. This hearty, warming brew is a classic winter ale, deep amber in color, with hints of molasses balanced by the "spiciness" of Chinook hops.
3.4
592 reviews
Kansas City, United States
Community reviews
Clear amber.
Medium body, flavorful, well carbonated but low heat, lingering aftertaste, austere finish.
Very bitter, crisp, dry.
Hoppy, caramel.
Big beer, excellent if you are a hophead.
Pours a nice copper with white head. Crisp malt aroma. Spiced malty flavor.
Notes: on tap at the brewery, Nov '17
Mild hop flavor, a little bitter, cookie like taste after a few minutes.
Dark amber pour into a snifter glass. Taste is hard to describe. Reminds me of something barrel aged even though it isnt. Also notice some hops which surprised me. Have to sip on this one as it burns going down like a stronger drink would.
From Nov 2006
Poured from 12oz bottle(room temp-best by 02/01/2007) a hazy medium amber with a small head of foam that shrank to a fine broken layer with some lacing.
The smell has some sweet malt nose to it but it's on the delicate side.
The taste has semi sweet malt up front and nice spice like nutmeg that is followed immediately by a solid back bone of hop bitterness that actually becomes the dominant feature in the taste. I wasn't expecting that at all and find it to be a nice alternative to the many malt dominant Winter Warmers out there. Oh, and there's a nice warming from the abv that will work well for the upcoming Casper winter. ;^)
Bottom line: A pleasant sample of the style..I recommend it.
Edit: After a few more samples, I find that the hops and malt are more balanced than what I said in my review so, I've altered my score to reflect that. :^) This is *good* stuff!
12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, best before 2/15/2017. Pours slightly hazy/cloudy deep orange/amber/light copper color with a 1-2 finger dense light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big grapefruit, orange peel, caramel, brown sugar, toasted biscuit, cherry, plum, apple, pepper, pine, light nuttiness/toffee, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of citrus/pine hops, fruity yeast, brown sugar, and moderate dark/bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big grapefruit, orange peel, caramel, brown sugar, toasted biscuit, cherry, plum, apple, pepper, pine, light nuttiness/toffee, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate pine/grassy/spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of grapefruit, orange peel, caramel, brown sugar, toasted biscuit, cherry, plum, apple, pepper, pine, light nuttiness, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/pine hops, fruity yeast, brown sugar, and moderate dark/bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light dryness from lingering bitterness, increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, and moderately bready/grainy/creamy/sticky balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 7.8%. Overall this is a great English strong ale. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/pine hops, fruity yeast, brown sugar, and moderate dark/bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink for the ABV. Really well balanced and not overly bitter for being fresh. A very enjoyable offering.
Not much head. Interesting aroma---pine, champagne, grapefruit. Medium body. Good, but I’m having a hard time thinking of this as a Christmas beer.
21 Dec 2016, tap at Boulevard. Gold, clear, no bubbles. nose is delicate, sweet malt. thin/med body and moderately fizzy. sweet malt and spicy hops. nice.
bottle @ Whitey’s / Lawrenceburg IN --- 15FEB2017 --- Aroma of malt and spice. Clear amber brown color, beige head that stays at 1", bands of lace. Taste is malt with light spice, medium fizz, and medium hops in a finish that grows more bitter as it lingers. An interesting brew that finally centers on bittering..
Nothing special. Expect more from my limited exposure to Boulevard. Clear dark amber pour with thin head. Aroma is mild roast malt and sweet molassus. Taste follows nose, just add a little mulling spice.
Lacks a strong aroma, almost tastes watery. Some winter spices present but has a somewhat stinky aftertaste.
Bottle sample at a tasting at our place. Thanks DSG. Clear amber with a beige head. Sweet aroma of caramelized peanuts, bitter, slightly alcoholic and candy taste. Light body, slightly fizzy.
At a tasting, thanks, small creamy off white head, cloudy deep orange color, aroma of nuts, almond and caramel, strong caramel flavor with metalic notes and a hint of sourbread. Drinkable but not too good.
Bottle shared at a tasting at kerenmk’s place. 2015 bottle. Slightly hazy amber with a beige head. Aroma of malt, caramel, a bit of toast, some rather stale hops. Sweetish flavor with malt, some caramel, toast, nutty note, and a bitterish hops finish. Medium-bodied.
Bottle sample at a tasting at Beer and Beyond shop. Hazy amber with a big head and a lot of floaties. Malty, spicy, floral and caramel in the nose. Sweet, fruity, malt, caramelic and boozy. Medium-bodied, smooth. Too heavy for me.
Bottle sample at a tasting at Beer and Beyond, Tel Aviv. Cloudy brownish-orange with beige head. Sweetish aroma with notes of caramel and some spiciness. Sweetish flavor, bitterish with notes of citrus (grapefruit), a bit nutty, some spiciness and caramel. Medium-bodied.
From a 12 oz bottle. Pours a clear mahogany with an off white head. Aroma of cloves. Flavors of fruitcake. Smooth finish.
12/29/15. On tap at Barrel House, Moline. Amber pour with a small khaki head. Sweet toffee and caramel aroma, light spice. Malty flavor, caramel and toffee, bready, biscuit, light spice. Not bad.
Pours a chestnut color. About two fingers beige head. Medium retention, medium lacing. Also has some white chunks floating around. Slightly hazy
Aroma is burnt sugar. Caramel and dark roasted malts. Smells pretty stout.
Taste is burnt sugar, molasses. Dark fruits like dates or prune. It’s piney hops It’s hard to describe.
Mouthfeel is full. High ABV make this not so drinkable.
Overall, it’s not so bad. I was expecting some sort of spiced ale or something, but it’s not. It’s strong flavored, may not be for everyone. As it warms, I think it gets better. I’m neutral on a recommendation.
Fruity hoppy bitter and malty at the same time. Dark fruit and light spice. I like where this was going, even if it doesn’t quite get there.
Draft pour. The beer is a hazy copper color with a beige head of foam that dissipates quickly. The aroma is nutty, a little musty, and I get some leathey notes as well. Some fruity sweetness lingers in the backgroung. It is more of a subdued sweetness. A moderate bitterness kicks in toward the finish. Bigger body and medium carbonation. Not bad.
Bottle from K&L in Redwood City, CA. Aroma is spiced hops, mild sweet malts. Taste is earthy, spiced teas, hops. The hops have a nutmeg / cinnamon vibe on this one. Great job.
Pours a hazy amber with a medium/large beige head; heavy lacing. Aroma is of carmel with a fruity hop undertone. Taste is medium bitter, with spicy and sweet notes. Medium bodied, light bitter finish. Overall, a good seasonal choice, just enough spice.
Bottle at home. Saturday morning breakfast. Cloudy yeasty pour. Deep amber with a high foamy head. Aroma of resiny hops, nutmeg, orange zest. Sweet and spicy, notes of oxidized fruits, sherry, cinnamon, piney hops. Nicely balanced finish. Warming and a bit boozy.
Reddish amber with a two-finger khaki head, solid retention and thick lacing. Aromas of caramel malt, toast, Grandma’s candy jar, alcohol and medicinal hops. Bready malt sweetness, dark fruit, brown sugar, and grains. Full body, creamy smooth mouthfeel, modest carbonation and a warming finish.
Medium amber pour, 2 fingers of tan head. Nose is malt backdrop, hops over the top. Little more bitter than sweet. Middle is medium roasted malt, spice, hops, alcohol. Finish is dry, spicy, and boozy. OK
Bottle. Poured clear dark amber color with medium white frothy head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Medium sweet malt and hop aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture and soft carbonation. Medium balanced flavor with a medium sweet finish of moderate duration. This is an interesting brew.
12oz bottle, from Dutch’s. Best by 2/16/16. Up front, a musty kind of strange malt. Chestnut, some caramel. Color is a hazy brick orange, with an astonishing amount of small particles hazing up the body. Thin khaki head, leaving very good lace. Big earthiness. Medium to bigger body. Kind of lighter carbonation. Very dry texture. Bigger bitter taste. Light sweet, more dry overall. Mild bite, bit of heat in the finish. Alright to sip on, but overall, a bit muddy and overly dry. Gets a bit better as it goes. Some nicer dark fruit character comes out, more caramel. RB says that this is with wet chinook, is it really still? That’s hard to believe.
Pours a murky auburn with half finger tan head. Weak malty aroma. Initial flavor is of toffee and caramel but finishes with a light hop kick.
Rated based on notes taken 23 Apr 2012 -- An interesting ale. I think the spices didn’t quite do it for me.