Boulevard Creates Show-Me Sour For Boulevardia 2015

From Boulevard:

In the months leading up to Boulevardia 2015, we recognized that a festival with the scope we were planning wouldn’t be complete without an official beer to call its own. With this in mind, we created Boulevardia Celebration Sour, a tart, refreshing session sour featuring fresh citrus and black pepper notes from the use of Pacific Jade hops and a brief rest on virgin oak. After tasting the beer from the tank, we knew we were on to something, but were taken by a bit of surprise when festivalgoers drained all 1,240 gallons of Celebration Sour. Given the overwhelming success of the beer, we’re happy to share that 2015 will see a brand new beer brewed to celebrate Boulevardia, Show-Me Sour.

In addition to crafting a new beer exclusively for the festival, we’ve invited a very special guest and friend of the brewery to join Boulevard’s Brewmaster Steven Pauwels on the brewhouse. Cory King, brewer and owner of St. Louis based Side Project Brewing andThe Side Project Cellar with his wife Karen, has been working with Steven through a series of phone calls, emails and late night texts. Known for brewing a critically acclaimed portfolio of oak aged and fermented beers, King jumped at the chance to work with Steven saying, “I am incredibly honored to be brewing with Boulevard! Over the years, Karen and I have made some great friends there and to now share a brewing day with them is amazing.” King continues, “The inspiration for the beer came from our mutual admiration of low ABV, Belgian table beers. Being that Side Project ages everything in oak, I asked Steven if that would be an option for this beer and he said that Boulevard had just acquired some really cool barrels. A touch of acidity, some dehusked black malts for a rich, dark color followed by a short time in whiskey barrels before being blended back with fresh beer should make for a nice, round 4% beer that’s unique and inviting.” Show-Me Sour is our play on a beer version of a whiskey sour.

This sample (above) of Show-Me Sour wort was taken during lautering.

Brewed to be exclusively available during Boulevardia and at The Side Project Cellar, kegs of Show-Me Sour will be tapped during Taps & Tastes as well as the festival at large to give all festivalgoers the opportunity to taste what will no doubt be a very special beer.

Stay tuned as we plan to share more specific technical details and sensory notes as Show-Me Sour becomes reality.
– Jeremy Danner, Ambassador Brewer