Nutcracker
Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City, Missouri, United States 🇺🇸
Strong Ale Winter|
Score
6.59
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Winter Warmer
Nutcracker Ale is Boulevard’s holiday gift 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.
Nutcracker Ale is Boulevard’s holiday gift 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.
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5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 4
Texture 6
Overall 4
Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer poured a cloudy orange-caramel color with an enormous fluffy orange-tan head that lingered and left decent lacing. The aroma was malty with a hint of baking spices. The flavor was very bitter and astringent with notes of malt and dry spices. Long finish. Medium body. Not good.
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Feb 2018
at 15:14
4.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 3
Texture 6
Overall 2.5
$2 bottle at bowsers. Iced tea eye. Taste is spiced ipa. Weird bitter medicine. Its 8% and you know it. Pretty good co2 tho. Becomes a little difficult on the back of the throat. Gettin a little dizzy near the end. Don't care much for these winter warmers.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Jan 2018
at 11:52
6.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
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!
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!
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Oct 2017
at 09:31
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
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.
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Jan 2017
at 19:09
5.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 4.5
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.
Tried
on 26 Jun 2016
at 04:41
5.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
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.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Jun 2016
at 15:22
6.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
From a 12 oz bottle. Pours a clear mahogany with an off white head. Aroma of cloves. Flavors of fruitcake. Smooth finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Mar 2016
at 22:38
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
12 oz bottle pour. Thank you Eugene. Pours a copper color with a thin patchy head. Sweet caramel malt aroma. Pretty hoppy flavor with some dark fruit and a little bran. Slightly bitter hop finish. Pretty good winter beer here.
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Jan 2015
at 01:09
6.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle. Pours a slightly hazy amber color with a longlasting off-white head. Has a fruity malty spicy bitter caramel aroma with hoppy hints. Fruity malty spicy caramel flavor. Has a fruity malty slightly bitter caramel finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Mar 2014
at 11:26
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Draft: Poured a light copper with tan head. Aroma is bubblegum and malt. Taste is sweet malt with hop punch.
Tried
from Draft
on 15 Feb 2014
at 10:50