Boulevard Brewing Co. Tasting Room IPA; Around The World in 50 Beers

One of the quirky things about craft beers is that pretty much everything they brew will be liked by someone. And I'm sure that this is the case with Boulevard Brewing Co.'s "Tasting Room" Belgian IPA.

Just the facts:

Bottle temp at opening: 40 degrees.

Drinking temp: 44 degrees

Nose: A blast of heavy hops--earthy, not fruity.

Taste:  Bitter like an ex-girlfriend after you get tickets to her favorite band's sold-out show,

Rating: 2 bottles out of 6

Someone probably appreciates the bitter overwhelming hops--but not me. I consider their Pale Ale one of the best smaller-brewery beers on the planet.   But this Belgian IPA was all over the place.  One sip was smooth and warm, the next bitter with a 'rind' texture, like it left the feeling of eating an orange peel on my tongue--but none of the flavor (I'm not looking for fruit here, but the texture and aftertaste were pretty strong)

This beer made me appreciate the macro-brew all the more.  There's something to be said for consistent taste from the beginning to the end of the glass. My friends at Bud and Miller have a good thing going.

I swear at one point I smelled bad broccoli as I brought this tasting room experiment up to my mouth.  The brewery asks for feedback on their tasting room series, as if my opinion would somehow make a guy come running into the brew house to change a flavor.  It's a nice thought.  Nicer than this icky thing whose taste lingers like a fart.