#289: Boulevard Brewing Company » Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale

Boulevard Brewing Company » Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale | ABV: 8.5% | IBUs: 38
My last two out of state trips have yielded good selections of Boulevard brews I'll have a post coming soon reviewing their Rye-On-Rye and Bourbon Barrel Quad, but first this 12 oz. single of Tank 7, a farmhouse and a year-round ale in their Smokestack series.

My partner & I each picked up mixed sixers of brews we can't get in NYS to hang with back at our hotel in Philly. I'd grabbed mostly session beers, expecting good brews, but was not expecting to get bowled over as I did by this bottle.

Tank 7 pours out a rustic, hazy pale straw with foamy white head, emitting a funky, farmhouse nose with faint tropical fruit notes. It's crisp, with a medium bodied mouthfeel. Wonderfully balanced notes of hay, soft pepper spice, and lemon are supported by lively carbonation which expertly masks the 8.5% ABV.

Boulevard nailed the farmhouse style on the head with this one. Delightfully complex if you want to get heady with it, but subtly drinkable enough to throw down in succession. If / when Boulevard arrives in Upstate NY, this may end up being my go-to brew.

#128: De Struise Brouwers / 3 Floyds » Shark Pants (Belgian IPA)

De Struise Brouwers & 3 Floyds collaborate on hop insanity...

The Brewery: De Struise Brouwers (Belgium) / 3 Floyds (IN, U.S.A.)
The Brew: Shark Pants (Belgian IPA)
Availability: Draft, Bottle
ABV: 9.0% | IBUs: 260
Rating: 9/10
Location: Monk's Cafe (Philadelphia, PA)

The Story? Knowing I had to limit myself was a tough call with all the amazing brews on Monk's menu. However, De Struise offering on the menu caught my eye, due to my recent bushes with their Black Domination and Weltmerz. Looking further at Three Floyds involvement and a ludicrous 260 IBU, my decision became far easier.

This brew came into existence from De Struise's Urbain visiting Three Floyds Indiana brewery with their house yeast and is brewed in memory of 3F's friend and employee Rich Sheppard who passed in 2011.

The Beer? This, my first introduction to Three Floyds, collaboration or otherwise, sits with an almost opaque, amber-red body with zero head. The aroma is packed with hops as expected, with a touch of funkiness.

I'm far too excited to spend too much time on the nose of this one, so it's head-first into tons of hop power with a distinct, but mild sourness and plentiful boozy esters. Shark Pants is busting with a strong, full body, but despite the 200+ IBU, it's not a palate killer.

This beer is somewhat reminiscent of a heavy-hopped barleywine, but with much more going on. Belgian yeasts dance with hop citrus aside sugars, chocolate, alcohol heat and inferred bourbon flavors, that all tie together into a dry, earthy finish.

Overall, it's a hell of a beer. Recommended for anyone looking for a big, complex beer. Not one I'd hope to have on say, a weekly basis, but I'd never turn down an opportunity if it were presented. Solid, unique, full-flavored beer.

#127: Deschutes Brewery » Chainbreaker (White IPA)

My first visit to Philly's lauded, historic Monk's Cafe...

The Brewery: Deschutes Brewery (Bend, OR)
The Brew: Chainbreaker (White IPA)
Availability: Draft, Bottle (year-round)
ABV: 5.6% | IBUs: 55
Rating: 9/10
Location: Monk's Cafe (Philadelphia, PA)

The Story? Before my road trips and vacations were beer-driven, they were concert driven. This trek down to one of my favorite U.S. metropolitan areas initiated from the desire to finally see one of my favorite experimental hardcore bands, Circle Takes The Square. I've also had my eye on getting down there to Monk's Cafe, for their extensive and oft-changing list of world-class beers. Two birds and so on... I was traveling on my own for a change and thus on my own time for beers and bands.

Despite my morning starting off with a minor flood of water from a broken shower which reached all the way to the basement, a brief white-out on the road, and typical inbound Philly traffic jams, my determined self arrived within standard deviation of my goal time.

Monk's Cafe was easy to find, just a block over from bustling 15th Street. Dark and cozy, there's a front bar and back bar, and thankfully you can order brews from either at either. With a table for one in the back bar and I order up a burger with ardennes-style ham & a nutty, Belgian cheese along with Deschutes Brewery's Chainbreaker White IPA.

Deschutes beers are only available in a few speckled locations east of the Mississippi, besides Illinois, so I usually jump at the chance to give one a try. My last bid on Deschutes yielded a glass of one of my new favorite beers.


The Beer? Chainbreaker is an American-Belgian hybrid, brewed with Belgian yeast and Cascade and Citra hops. My glass arrives, filled with the translucent, yellow brew with a finger of lacy head.

The alluring citrus nose invites me to dive right into this one and it's beautiful with the perfect level op hops. Mild, bitterness threaded with orange and sweet grapefruit augmented by a perfectly prickly Belgian-style carbonation, but not too much to be distracting.

Sweet, bready malts provide a wonderful backbone while modest, but highly complimentary herbal and floral flavors nod in. This is pretty much the perfect start to what should be a thrilling and stress-reducing escape.

#049: Brouwerij Van Steenberge - Monk's Café Flemish Sour Ale

It's sour time in Ithaca from Philly by way of Belgium...

The Brewery: Brouwerij Van Steenberge (Belgium)
The Brew: Monk's Café Flemish Sour Ale (Flanders Oud Bruin)
Availability: Bottles (4-pack), Draft, Cask
ABV: 5.50%
Rating: 8/10
Location: Home

The Story? A left-over from my tasting-themed birthday gathering (always buy more than you need and enjoy whatever's left in the days following), this is my first time with this particular beer.

This Flemish Sour Ale is brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge in Belgium for Philadelphia's Monk's Cafe - the Belgian beer Mecca of the east coast and, if memory serves from hazy conversations with several Philly-brew experts, a launching point for Belgian-brew love in the U.S.

The Beer? Even with a very gentile pour, the head is VERY lively and took several pours to get the image above. Deep cherry notes with mild funk on the nose. The head itself is quite sweet with long, lacy legs.

Very sweet and tart taste while being light on the tongue. Subtle, earthy mix of red and black fruits complimented by mellow nuttiness and sweet malts. Mildly acetic with some funky must in the background with a ghostly, lingering finish. Much lower carbonation in the mouthfeel than expected after all of that head.

Not as juicy as some of my favorite sour browns and isn't aiming for eye-widening tartness, but this is a great starting point for anyone looking to get into sour Belgians ales - without breaking the bank.

Subtle & smooth all the way around with a growing dryness as you reach the end of the glass. Looking forward to trying this one of draft down at Monk's one of these days!