Boulevard Smokestack Series: Grainstorm Black Rye IPA
Just when you thought it was safe to come out of the root cellar, along comes Grainstorm, a big, wet wallop to the senses. Dark clouds gather on the horizon of your glass. A high-pressure system of pungent hops collides with a stationary front of barley, oats, wheat, and rye. The forecast: a monsoon of flavor with surges of roasty malt, microbursts of fruity notes, and a chance of golfball-sized hail. The extended outlook calls for unseasonably pleasant enjoyment.
3.7
332 reviews
Kansas City, United States
Community reviews
Black pour white head. Barley, wheat, and rye aroma. Sweet sugary aroma and taste similar. Almost creamy.
750 ml from Whole Foods. Pours a very dark reddish black brown color with a large tan head. A nice nose of toast, rye, citrus. A light spicy rye bite, citrus, pine, fairly dry toasted malts. The spicy rye lingers with oranges. A bit thin. Oddly enough, it seems thin to me. Hmm. Very nice overall.
sample from bottle at 2014 houston big brew fest. Near black with small head. Slightly aboverage black IPA. Malty and hoppy, light rye, mild bitterness.
it pours with a larger than normal head, which is a lot for IPA’s. It pours black, but not so much that light doesn’t come through. The head is full with lacing on the sides. It has aromas of malt, molasses, grains, and a hint of citrus. It has a lively punch to it with coffee and rye flavors, a little citrus, and floral touches. It’s low on the bitterness scale for an IPA.
Bottle from City Beer San Fran. Pours a dark red, almost brown like colour with medium firm off white head. Nose shows toasty malts, rye, some citrus and a little chocolate. Taste has slight citrus hops, leading to a roasty and chocolate finish with nice rye spice.
Tap at 20/7 on MV. Pours a dark reddish brown, thin off white head. Aroma is fresh grass hop, roasted malt, pine, rye. Flavor is light sweet roasty malt into med bitter pine hop. Quite nice
Bottle shared by Tony. Pours clear reddish brown color with tan head. Malty aroma with some citrus. Spicy rye flavor with moderate roast, some citrus, and a touch of chocolate and slight bitterness. Medium body with average carbonation.
Bomber shared. Poured a dark brown but translucent enough. Off white long lasting head. Medium lacing. Aroma is roasted mslts with a solid hop base and rye spiciness. The flavor is straight up is hop forward. Very nice bitterness. Love the underlying rye spiciness gives it a whole new dimension. Overall another solid offering from boulevard.
Bottle 750ml.
[ As Boulevard Smokestack Series - Grainstorm Black Rye IPA ].
Clear dark red brown color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, roasted, chocolate, moderate oat - rye, moderate to heavy hoppy, citrus, grapefruit. Flavour is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a long duration, hoppy, licorice, roasted, rye, dry. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20140812]
Bottle @ Danish Ratebeer Summer Gathering, 2014. Pours dark unclear amber with a large creamy head. Roast, rye and peach. A bit of citrus and caramel. Also a bit thin body. Short bitter finish. Harmless to say the least.
Bottle 750ml @ fonfan
Pours clear dark brown with a off-white head. Aroma has notes of malt, caramel, chocolate, citrus, grape and pine. Taste is medium sweet and medium bitter with a long chocolate, caramel, citrus and grape finish. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.
Bottle, 7.7%. Very dark brown with big beige head. Aroma is roasted malts, chocolate, hop, pine, caramel and grapefruit. Flavour is roasted malts, chocolate, pine, grapefruit, little sweet, little rye, coffee and medium bitter.
Bottle @ fonefan tasting. Clear very dark brown with a lasting beige head. Aroma is sweet, malty and moderate hoppy - citrus. Flavor is quite sweet and moderate bitter. Dry and moderate bitter finish. 300814
Bottle, 75cl corked. A clear, dark brown beer with a dense, two-finger beige head that lasts. Curtains. It’s lightly piney and resiny on the nose, with roasted malts and some coffee hints. The flavor has a nice hoppy bitterness, with pine cones, resins and a nice roasted touch. Spiced notes too. Full body, semi-sweet and lightly effervescent. Lasting bitter and rosted finish with some bonfire notes. Quite nice this one, but too much on the dark malty side for my likings. 140830
Bottle @ fonefan tasting. Nice head with excellent duration. Color is close to black. Aroma and taste are rich hops, flowers, roast malt, chocolate and has a nice bitter finish.
Sampled from bottle @ GBBF. Dark brown to black color, medium sized beige head. Aroma is lightly malts, lots of hops. Taste malts, very hoppy, but just a slight roastyness. It’s a lovely beer, but there’s not enough roast to make it a top Black IPA imo. Medium body and carbonation.
Bottle at GBBF ’14, day 1, 12/08/14.
Extremely dark mahogany brown wuth a big old light khaki tan covering.
Nose carries big roasty tones, light spice, red berry fruit, earthy hops.
Taste comprises red berry jam, pine bite, spice, light charr, cocoa rub, liqourice.
Medium bodied, fine carbonation, semi drying close coated with earthy hop bitterness.
Decent enough CDA.
Bottle at GBBF thanks to Colin. Pours a dark reddy brown with an off white head. Aroma has grass, lemon, toffee, treacle. Fairly dry with light woody resin, lemon, pine, light choc, caramel, light coffee. Lovely balance and really tasty.
At GBBF 2014. Dark brown beer lasting tan head. Lime roasted malt. Some chocolate. Good sherbert on finish. Good.
Bottle at GBBF thanks to Colin. It pours hazy dark with a small tan head. The nose is rich roast, toast, dried fruits, peppery grapefruit, pine, varnish and cocoa. The taste is bitter, resin, varnish, cocoa, pine needles, grapefruit, lemon peel, earth and light alcohol with a lingering bitter finish. Medium body and fine carbonation. Decent black IPA.
Bottle at GBbf thanks to Colin. Murky mahogany brown with a massive cream coloured head. That lasts. Earthy pine and fruits, tropical. Flavour is big grapefruit bitterness, burnt toast, caramel and touch of ashy roast. Really good. Some warming alcohol.
Bottle, caged and corked. Fight up front, I’ll admit I’m not a fan of this "style" ... nor its sudden prevalence. This one pours a meaty dark brown color with a big, sticky head of tan foam. This doesn’t have much of a distinctive nose. But the drink is pretty flavorful, delivering the newly expected blend of roasty porter-like grit. That alone would’ve made this a great beer. But then we get the aggressive burst of fruity hops that to me just doesn’t go with the base. Of course, I still lapped it up happily, so who am I to complain? (#5607, 8/6/2014)
Tap. Pours dark opaque brown with a thick layer of beige head. Aroma and taste of malts, hoppiness, and coffee.
On tap. Black colour. Roasted malt aroma, chocolate, lots of citrus hops, finishes bitter
Bottle. Dark brown beer with a big tan head. Grapefruit and pine aroma. Grapefruit and pine flavor with chocolate. Medium bodied. Good bitterness. Grapefruit and pine lingers with light chocolate and light earthiness.
Bottle - 750mL corked and caged. Black pour with a tall, dense, fluffy brown head. Strong pine, floral hops and citrus amongst roasted malt, coffee and dark bread. Taste is pine and floral hops, chocolate oranges, spicy rye, dark bread, coffee and roasted malt.Body is medium with lots of bubbly carbonation. Ends with more citrus, pine, floral hops, spicy rye notes, burnt caramel, roasted malt, dark bread and chocolate notes.
A decent black ipa. Really strong alcohol flavor and not super hoppy. Pours dark re almost brown. Had a tulip glass at local option
Tap. Pours deep, dark brown with frothy beige head. Aroma is roasted and chocolate malts, earthy notes, light ash, and faint raisins. Flavor is dry, roast malts, dark chocolate bitterness, light coffee, light ash, and some earthy bitterness; dry finish. Medium body and carbonation.
Pours black with a tall tan head. Aroma is roast and cascade hops. Flavor follows and is very bitter. Some wheat evident. I'm bit a fan of black IPAs but this one is good.
Dark brown with a medium tan head. Malty and hoppy tones. Malt, coffee, fruit and hops. Medium to full body with a nice dry finish.