Boulevard Saison Brett

This 8.5% ABV beer is part of the Boulevard Brewing Company's Smokestack Series.  Boulevard is out of Kansas City, Missouri.  This is a special limited release ale.  My bottle is number 19826.  Hmm, seems to me if there are at least 20,000 bottles, that is not much of a limited release.  Oh well.  According to the bottle, this started as a traditional Belgian-style saison, that was then dry hopped and bottle conditioned with various yeasts, including Brettanomyces, a wild yeast that gives earthy and sour notes.

The beer pours a bright golden yellow in color and well carbonated.  There is a tall head of thick white foam.  The aroma is massively floral, lots of marigold and geranium.  There is a light banana yeastiness.  It is hard to get much more than the flowers in the aroma.  The taste follows the aromas directly, massive flowers and a light banana yeastiness.  As it warms, the floral becomes increasingly funky, like animal pelts and animal urine funky (sorry Brett lovers, I just don't get it).  It has a very dry and moderately bitter finish. It has a tingly, almost explosive carbonation in the mouth. If you love flowers, you will love this beer.  I am a bit disappointed, it is pretty one-dimensional.