Chicagoist's Beer Of The Week: Boulevard Brewing's Dark Truth Stout

By Jason Baldacci in Food on Oct 3, 2014 8:30PM

Despite the fact that we saw warm temperatures earlier this week, we decided to go for broke and get into a big, dark beer anyway. And now the weather is finally perfect for it today.

Dark Truth Stout comes to us from Boulevard Brewing Co. of Kansas City, Missouri. It pours almost pitch black in the glass, with a dark espresso-like foam that doesn't quit. We definitely pick up heavily roasted malts on the nose, but there's also a hint of candied plum that makes a lot of sense when you read on the side of the label that this beer is fermented with a Belgian yeast strain. On the palate, we're met with thick, rich malts right up front that lend a hint of sweetness, and underlying tones of roasted figs and dates. There's not much hop presence, but you can find a pop of earthiness toward the backend if you look for it. Our favorite part was the finish though, since it's loaded with roasted bitterness that lingers long after you take a sip. At 9.7 percent alcohol content, Dark Truth Stout only gets better as it warms up in the glass.

We're really picky about our imperial stouts, since many of them can be kind of a chore to drink. A little boozy warmth is appropriate for this style, but you do want to cover up most of the alcohol with a mix of roasted malts, residual sugar (on occasion), and just enough hop presence to balance out the other ingredients in the beer. Striking this balance is tricky for a beer this big, since it's easy for one aspect of the beer to get away from a brewer and outshine the others. At the same time, it can also be easy for a brewer to cover up mistakes or off flavors in a beer this potent as well. It is quite apparent, however, when a brewery does find that harmony and is able to make a high gravity beer that sips easy from start to finish. In our opinion, Boulevard has done just that with Dark Truth Stout.

Dark Truth Stout is available in 12-ounce bottles in select places around town, check beermenus.com to see where you can pick some up this weekend.