This is a post I've wanted to make for literal years. It stems from an idea that began germinating back in 2015. And, because it's such a throwback, I feel compelled to preface it with a little history.


Depending on how long you've been hanging around the blog, you may or may not have seen this post when it popped up. Similarly, you might have seen it if you've felt inclined to dig around. Regardless, I'm aware of that fact that some people reading today's post might not have my original review of Boulevard's Dark Truth. For the sake of what I'm talking about today you'll probably want to give it a read, so be sure to click the link above.

Full disclosure: I'm writing this to procrastinate on crafting my portfolio, which is the culminating project of my Masters program. By continuing to read this post you are implicitly condoning my procrastination and encouraging me to not complete my assignment in a timely manner (it's due on Friday).

Believe or not, I'm liking hoppy beers (including IPAs) more and more. I know I've said similar things before, but bear with me. Last month I decided to bite the bullet and drink a bunch of hoppy brews in a row to overcome my initial trepidation to like the style. And it worked! So this means that you can look forward to reading more posts about hoppy beers (with good scores!) here on the blog.


The beer I'm inaugurating this new-found enjoyment of hops with on John Likes Beer is Boulevard's 80-Acre. This was given to me by my soon-to-be father-in-law, who isn't a big fan of wheat beers. Which is what this is. It's wheaty and hoppy.

I've been interested in aging beer for a few months now. Back in early January NPR ran an article on the art of aging brews. About a month and a half later I managed to snag the book that inspired the article, Patrick's Dawson's Vintage Beer, from Cincinnati's public library system. Give it a read if your interested; it's both informative and entertaining.

The process of aging beer is a relatively simple one: grab a high-alcohol brew (above 8% ABV and not an IPA) and stick it in a cool, dark place for at least a year. Once that year (or longer) is up, crack that badboy open and give it a taste. After aging the true flavor of the brew'll be brought out. It's basically the same routine you'd undertake to age wine.

Now that I'm settled into an apartment where I'll reside for at least a year, I figured it's a fine time to put my money where my mouth is and give it a shot. While piecing together my latest four pack I threw in two of Boulevard Brewing Company's Dark Truth Stout. The brew boasts an impressive 9.7% ABV that is all too perfect for aging. One of the bottles I immediately stuck in storage to be opened (and discussed here) at a later date.

The other, I thought, should be opened and written about now so as to better compare the two upon consumption of its aged twin.