In 1989, believing that Kansas City was suffering from light-beer fatigue, John McDonald launched Boulevard Brewing Co. with two more robust choices, Pale Ale and Bully Porter. In 1992 he introduced Unfiltered Wheat. McDonald is a pioneer in creating a craft beer culture in Kansas City and beyond, redefining American beer as Boulevard grew from a small-scale brewery to the largest in the Midwest. Boulevard’s two top-selling flagship beers, Pale Ale and Unfiltered Wheat, were instrumental in developing a market in Kansas City for craft beer. The latter makes up more than half of Boulevard’s business, helping the company become the fifth-largest specialty brewery in the nation. Boulevard has now colonized a 25-state territory. In October 2013, McDonald sold his majority interest in the company to Duvel Moortgat, a 146-year-old family-owned brewery based in Belgium. The brewery is most widely known in the United States for its namesake Duvel brand beer, which is a Belgian strong pale ale. Peaks and Pints will pour a flight of Boulevard today in what we call Beer Crosscut 10.20.18: A Flight of Boulevard Brewing.

Beer Crosscut 10.20.18: A Flight of Boulevard Brewing

Boulevard Love Child No. 8

9% ABV, 9 IBU

Boulevard’s Love Child Series of wild ales are barrel-aged with such boisterous cultures as Lactobacillus and Brettanomyces. A blend of wood-aged sour beer, Love Child No. 8 is composed of multiple vintages of a Flanders-style sour red ale and a sour Belgian-style golden. This release features soft lactic acidity punctuated with slight acetic notes and a tart, fruity flavors. Smells Flanders-esque with notes of oak and cherry alongside a hint of esters. Tastes like it smells, but even more cherry-forward and oaky. Mouthfeel is medium to medium full-bodied, candy-ish, and pleasantly acidic. Tasty.

Boulevard Tropical Pale Ale

5.9% ABV, 45 IBU

In 1989, Boulevard launched with a spotlight on its Pale Ale. Inspired by Boulevard Brewing’s collaboration with Florida’s famed Cigar City Brewing, Tropical Pale Ale marries Boulevard’s passion for balanced pale ales with the bright refreshing flavors of grapefruit and passion fruit accented by juicy, citrusy hops. If Tropical Pale were a style, this would be it. Pack your bags and bring your taste buds.

Boulevard Linkin’ Up Hop Dust IPA

6.2% ABV, 47 IBU

Boulevard and Zipline Brewing of Lincoln, Nebraska, collaboration IPA employs lupulin powder, a.k.a. hop dust, to create a flavorful, complementary limited release beer, Linkin’ Up Hop Dust IPA. Linkin’ Up includes a liberal dollop of hop dust and a medley of favorite varietals that deliver bright, juicy notes of pineapple, lemon, orange, mango, melons, malt and a bit of pine.

Boulevard Obscura Dry-Hopped Porter

5.8% ABV, 58 IBU

Flora Obscura marries rich malts — including caramel and chocolate — with five bright, citrusy hop varieties: Cascade, Simcoe, Amarillo, Mosaic and Galaxy. And the as name promises, its dry-hopped, too. All that adds up to an opaque, nearly black beer with elegant red highlights, and a tan head. Roasted malt, chocolate and citrus and pine aromas repeat in the flavor profile, along with tropical, espresso and caramel notes, before a bittersweet finish.

Boulevard Whiskey Barrel Stout

11.8% ABV, 32 IBU

Roughly one-third of Boulevard’s Whiskey Barrel Stout is freshly brewed beer; the rest is aged for up to a year or more in both first and second use whiskey casks. This twist on the classic style starts with several types of malted barley, rye, oats and wheat. This whiskey barrel goodness pours out a nice dark black color with a minimal amount of brown head. Whiskey rules the nose, with some hints of dark chocolate. Robust flavors of vanilla, espresso, whiskey, chocolate and roasted grain are balanced by hints of date and plum, with just enough hops to round it all out. This beer also shows off an amazing balance that becomes even more delicious as it warms up.