Boulevard Bully! Porter

Boulevard Bully! Porter. Robust American. 

6 % ABV. 49 IBU. Boulevard Brewing, Kansas City, MO. 

And here we have a beer that I am not sure has ever been available in our market before, except for in the form that I found it in. I first reviewed it from bottles shipped to me by two different trading partners in April of 2003. Boulevard entered our market in the next year, but I never saw this beer on shelves. Nor did I ever tap it at the Blue Nile or Acadia, which I surely would have, had I the chance. Or, was I just not looking very hard? 

In any case, I am reunited by virtue of a broken sample pack, and the surviving bottles that went to the singles shelf...from over six months ago. Yes, I've sat on this one for too long, and I need to get it out of the fridge and into my belly before I review those new beers from the newest sampler pack that I just bought. 

And I will not use my Boulevard tulip, because that was designed for Belgian beers (though I'll use it for other styles, like IPA or pale ale), but it definitely is not appropriate for a porter. Notes, away....

I like this beer, before cracking the crown, due to the distinguished-looking monocled bulldog, hoisting a pint on the label. It only gets better from there.

Completely black color,but for ruby red edges, with a fantastically fluffy cream/cocoa colored head. Aroma is sweet and creamy, notes of cocoa and spice, with big hits of espresso. Mysterious, beautiful, uplifting.

Great bitterness on the palate, full-bodied with massive malt. Long, lingering finish, which continues to deliver flavors of chocolate, anise, coffee. Lest I forget, an underlying fruitiness emerges in the middle, with tastes of dark cherries and grapes. A complex, tasty, and easily quaffable porter. This would be a regular in my fridge if it existed in my area.

Eighteen years later, I agree with my younger self. I gave it a 4.3/5 back then, nearly 13 % higher than the mean. (Or is it the average?) The flavors are the same, as is the effect. I don't mind the wild discrepancy between my ranking and the others, because I really do like a good robust porter, and dagnabbit, this is one. 

The intense flavors of dark-roasted malt in Boulevard’s rendition of the classic English porter are perfectly balanced by a generous and complex hop character. Bully! Porter’s robust nature makes it the ideal companion to a variety of foods, from seafood to chocolate.