Boulevard Brewing Co. (Kansas City, Missouri) has officially announced that it will begin the Limited Release of Imperial Cask Cuvée, an artful blend of five different Imperial Stouts aged in five different barrels, on December 7, 2020.

Meant to capture the full meaning of the word “cuvée” (a signature release featuring “a blend of only the best barrels”), Imperial Cask Cuvée is an Imperial Stout comprised of a “unique blend of 18% Templeton Rye Whiskey Barrels, 23% Madeira Wine Barrels, and 59% Buffalo Trace, Basil Hayden’s, and Heaven Hill Bourbon Barrels.” Weighing in at an impressive 13.8% ABV, Imperial Cask Cuvée comes together to be “a big boozy imperial stout with flavors of vanilla, smoky stone fruit, and a variety of oaky tannin realness.”

“The idea for this beer is taking the finest stouts that we’ve made in the past and blending them up to make the best stout/beer possible. Blending is how Steven and I believe you make good stouts: from the layering of different flavors. You get more nuances or textures of flavors from blending, and that’s why we are combining recipes. Some have more chocolate flavors while others are thicker or higher in alcohol. We’re finding the balance in the chaos of extreme beers. The different types of wood aging also leads to more complexity, helping round out the malt flavors with the oak aromas and tannins, where bourbon is heavily charred, the rye is sweet, and the Madeira and port are sweet and very fruity.”
– Ryan McNeive, Lead Brewer of Boulevard’s barrel-aging program

Imperial Cask Cuvée is scheduled to hit the Kansas City area on December 7 with expanded distribution to follow shortly after that date. You can expect to find this Limited Release available in 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles at select craft beer-friendly establishments in Missouri and other select markets located within Boulevard’s distribution territory. Prost!

Vital Information for Imperial Cask Cuvée from Boulevard Brewing Co.

Release – Limited/Smokestack Series; December 7, 2020
Style – Imperial Stout
ABV – 13.8%
IBUs – 30
Malts – Pale malt, Crystal malt, Dark malts & Oats
Hops – Magnum, Chinook & Bravo
Treatment – A blend of 18% Templeton Rye Whiskey Barrels, 23% Madeira Wine Barrels, and 59% Buffalo Trace, Basil Hayden’s & Heaven Hill Bourbon Barrels
Suggested Pairings – “Aggressive cheeses, smoked meats, rich and creamy desserts, late-night bonfire chats”
Availability – 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles
Beer Finder – https://www.boulevard.com/finder/