Brew Review: Trending Flavor Combos in One-Offs — Boulevard Brewing

When Boulevard initially released its Ginger Lemon Radler in the summer of 2014, the staff knew they were onto something. 

June 1 saw the release of Cherry Lime Radler, a combo of juicy sweetness and tartness with some acidity from the cherry. Instead of the ginger and lemon juice used in Ginger Lime Radler, cherry and lime juice were used to brew Cherry Lime Radler.

The base is the brewery’s Unfiltered Wheat Beer, and the cherry-lime combination is the Kansas City, Missouri brewery’s take on Sonic’s classic cherry limeade, with an attempt to throw drinkers back to the tastes of childhood. Cherry Lime Radler is the fourth radler the brewery has created, joining the rotation of Ginger Lemon and Tart Apple Radler.

The radlers have been created technically, with research done in advance about what will work in a beer, so there aren’t so many iterations of something that doesn’t work.

Cherry sits at the front of your first sip of the summer one-off and gives way to subtle tartness.

We brainstorm, read and research flavor combinations that work and/or are trending,” Brewmaster Steven Pauwels said. The juice is sourced from a broker, and Boulevard’s worked with concentrates in Cherry Lime Radler for consistency reasons.

“This was developed in the same way as fruited wheat beers,” Pauwels said. “There is a lot of back and forward tasting during the bench test phase before scaling up.”

When beers go on to the sensory panel, flavors are measured analytically, and then they give feedback on the fruits and concentrations. 

“Unfiltered Wheat Beer contributes a slightly sweet bready flavor to the malt profile of the beer that shines with bright citrus flavor and a touch of acidity,” according to the press release. 

“I lost count of how many we had in the lab,” Pauwels said. “Only one run was needed for scaling up.”

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*