Draft @ The Ale House. Served in a Boulevard tulip, deep brown with red highlights, thin yet dense head( tan in color) good retention. Nose has tons of malt, chocolate and caramel dominate. English malts come through. Hops are  not noticeable through all the malt. Lots of dark fruits and slightly tart berries. Weak notes of oak. With chocolate malt and minor hints of coffee. Does show some complexity. Taste does show the 8.5% ABV however, only after I Started eating my dinner and the glass was half emptied. The body is medium leaning on the full side. Overall is is a real finely made brew, well worth a try!

Bottle @ home picked up at Argonaut Denver. Pours a deep brown appearance with a big, brown head. Quite herbal, grassy hoppy, somewhat earthy, cola, caramel aroma. Somewhat boozy, chewy caramel, chocolate, cola, plum, dark fruity, cracker, grassy flavor with a tangy, boozy, a bit syrupy finish. One of my least favorite beers from Boulevard.

750 ml corked and caged bottle purchased for $7.41. Poured into an older school Smokestack goblet. Color is dark brownish-ruby, too dark to see through. Head is medium sized but fades rather quickly. Aroma first hits you with malty, dark bread surrounded by light caramelized toffee. Then comes the earthy-fruit, a kind of cocoa-cherry. Makes it seem sort of oxidized but not really, its really just an earthy mustiness. It lightens the aroma making one completely forget that this is an 8.5 abv brew. Mouthfeel is medium-light, seems to just go down easy but its hard to separate that from the flavor. The flavor is cherry fruit mustiness surrounded by a malty light toffee, kind of like musty cherry bread. Leaves a long cherry bread aftertaste. Despite the commercial description I get low acidity. The English hops are all hidden, which English hops seems to do very well. Again, 5-6% would have been my guess at the abv. This could easily be switched out in style to a Oude Bruin, I actually get very little "English Olde Ale" in this and I would have a hard time picking this out of a lineup with some currently made Belgian Oude Bruins. I thoroughly like it, probably will pick up another bottle, this satisfies my Oude Bruin fancy. Pairs where well with sweet cherries, which I am eating right now.

750 ml corked and caged bottle purchased at Royal in Kansas City, Missouri. The pour is a clearish brown ruby with a fluffy 2 inch tan head. The aroma is soft roast, dark fruit, muted caramel sweetness, a general herbal yeastiness, and maybe a hint of some banana. The taste is big on the dark fruit caramel toffee sweet, lightly char roast, and the clove herbal yeast. The palate is medium bodied, slick mouth feel, the sweet lingers a bit. Interesting and complex beer. I have only had the Samuel Smith Stingo, so really had no concept of what to expect froma Stingo. This beer was really nothing like that one. Boulevard has now collaborated with three brewers I really enjoy.

Dark brownish red pour - moderate haze - heady is small and fizzy, but surprisingly shrinks to a fairly thick, frothy lace - the nose is actually quite lovely at first, but presents a bit too much alcohol as it warms - toffee/caramelized sugars, treacle, moderate oak, a light earthy/musty sourness, raisin, date, anise, light oxidation - carbonation is softer than expected, but gets a tiny bit rough in the finish - flavor is initially a little bitter, with lightly stale-ish, fruity hops - flavor is not as densely sweet as the aroma suggests - there is some toffee sweetness, but the sour mash adds a moderate tartness that accentuates flavors of raisin and date - a light doughiness through the middle - finish has some oak and vinous notes - alcohol is a bit too evident in the finish and the body is thinner than expected - interesting, but fails to live up to what the aroma promises - a bit of a clumsy attempt, but enjoyable.

Pours deep mahogany into an English pint. Off-white head with excellent retention recedes leaving spot lacing to coat surface. Sweet roasted nut, chocolate and earthy fruit aromas. Sweet toffee front to back with a lasting peppery dried prune finish.