They finally got it right…
Four years back I broke down and took the bait on Boulevard Brewing’s much ballyhooed Chocolate Ale.
It had been out long enough for me to have soaked up the hype. Valentine’s Day was fast approaching, and while I’m not exactly an incurable romantic, I am a sucker for a good schmooze.
Chocolate Ale, here I come.
The only remaining hurdle was to locate the stuff.
Local lore had it that it was in highly limited quantities and would not be around long. If you didn’t track it down fast, you might as well forget it and give it your best next year.
Speaking of schmoozes, in making its chocolate ale, Boulevard – then a hometown hero, prior to the company’s selling out to an international business behemoth – had enlisted the aid of another cutting edge, local celebrity, Christopher Elbow. As in, nationally known chocolatier Christopher Elbow.
Just one problem…
While finding it was legendarily difficult, the jury was out on whether the flavor lived up to the hype.
I tracked it down at an obscure liquor store in Topeka – the KC stores having long since sold out – chilled it down, cocked back and found that.. it was just OK – nothing special.
Word in the liquor biz was Boulevard’s chocolate ale had been, uh, problematic.
Making unbelievably excellent chocolate candies may not be easy, but it’s clearly doable. Morphing it into a tasty brewski – quite another matter.
Come to think of it, whoever imagined that chocolate flavored beer would be anything other than gross tasting to begin with?
First time I tasted a beer, it wasn’t what I’d describe as delicious.
And it wasn’t like I thought, “Maybe if they added chocolate.”
Long story short, Boulevard Chocolate Ale was an overhyped, mixed blessing from the get go.
And last year’s chocolate ale with raspberry was gawdawful.
Ah, but this just in…
As I sit before you – keyboard in hand and a cute little bottle of chocolate ale beside me, I can tell you, this stuff rocks!
It really does…finally.
Glad we are that an intrepid local journalist would “Madam Curie” his ass onto a Chocolate Beer grenade in service of his fans, alas, to no fuckin avail.
Not a chance Hearne.
Chocolate beer?
Did you sip those suds in a pussy hat?
Jesus…
Get some shots. First testosterone then whiskey, flip on re runs of the “Ice Bowl” and get back to us.
Brutal.
🙂
Brutal…
Ah…just trying to spread a little enlightenment to the aficionados of pop culture.
Seriously, give it a try, wild man.
It’s been bad for so long I think the buzz is off and you can find it fast more easily.
ok.
😉
What happened to their Noble Prize Imperial Pilsner, that was excellent stuff? I can’t find it anywhere anymore. Everyone is so wrapped up in tropical friut IPA’s and pastry stouts, where is the regular tasting beer?
IPAs?
Yuck! Guess I’m not a true beer conesseur