Cold Hard Truth


Brewery and Country of Origin: Boulevard Brewing Company of 2501 Southwest Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA

Date Reviewed: 2-20-14

A Dark Truth, other than this imperial from Boulevard, is an action movie which at least to us, is notable for being a complete critical and financial failure. The 2012 movie currently holds a lousy 8% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with only one positive review so far. People went on about how bad the movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was, and that holds a rating of 20%. But the real astonishing bit is that this movie really was a financial disaster. And we're not talking about a flop like Rise of the Guardians (2012), whose box office surpassed its budget by $162 million and still somehow accounted for an $83 million loss for Dreamworks. That movie technically made money. But A Dark Truth, which features fairly well known names like Andy Garcia, Forest Whitaker, and Eva Longoria, made only $5.8k. Not $5.8 million. Thousand. Yep, this movie's box office made less than what it costs for a rather used 2007 Honda Civic. This movie, which had an early release in Boston, MA made only $5,750 to be exact. The second Transformers movie earned $836 million. A Dark Truth dives deep into some rather involved social and political topics such as corruption, the allocation of natural resources, and civil unrest, all while poorly developed, stoic characters trudge through a lazily architechted plot with a level of quality only matched by complete failure. Fortunately, what Dark Truth Stout has to offer the senses is far from the sheer disgust you'll have for the movie, unless of course you prefer straight to DVD productions.
Date Sampled: 12-18-13 At: 7 Prescott Place, Allston, Boston, MA 02134, USA
Beer Style: American Imperial Stout
Alcohol by Volume: 9.70%
Serving Type: 12 oz Bottle, 12 oz Wine Glass
Rating: 3.82

Look

Dark Truth pours smoothly with a lower amount of carbonation action, generating a three quarters inch tall foam head with a fairly good retention rate, a medium high density, a slightly creamy texture, and a tan color. This beer has a very dark brown color with no shine or glow and a nearly fully opaque appearance with the inclusion of some fine sediment (no chunks settling). This beer does not exhibit any effervescent effect, but displays a full level of lacing.

Aroma

A very strong and deep roasted dark malty aroma is immediately apparent with rich espresso and dark chocolate notes, augmented with some slight nuttiness and a good earthy undertone. There are some sweet fruity plum notes and a hint of cookie or sweet biscuit. This is balanced out with a good amount of trailing buttery hops. There is also a small amount of metallic tinge and a subtle alcohol smell. The aroma is very strong overall.

Feel

This is a medium full bodied brew with an average amount of carbonation action and a long lasting dry finish. This beer has a medium high viscosity, a high weight, and a smooth overall feel with no texture from the fine sediment. There is some slight crispness, despite this beer's size and alcohol strength. The foam head is fairly creamy. Tihs beer's finish has some lingering alcohol warming which makes it a good choice for wintery weather.

Taste

The flavor of this beer is dominated by strong and dominant deep roasted malt with some bitter dark chocolate and a good amount of espresso coffee notes. The flavor is fairly bitter overall with some earthy and nutty notes as well as a healthy amount of fruity Belgian yeast like secondaries. This beer also has a slight metallic tinge and a bit of alcohol taste. There is a lingering dry finish which is mostly pale malt like in flavor.

Our Take

As expected, Boulevard delivers another big beer (nearly pushing 10.00% ABV) that we quite enjoy. And if you're in the mood for a hearty, dark, and strong beer that'll warm you up during these cold winter months, you may have found the perfect fit. Full of bitter sweet malt and complex roasted flavors, this aromatic beer is fairly well balanced, although we found the existence of alcohol and some element of metal in the flavor a bit detrimental. And though this beer has a fairly substantial presence, it finishes fairly crisp while delivering a trademark imperial stout soul warming character. This beer was lacking in the hops department, which is fairly typical, but if you're looking for anything hoppy, we'd recommend something else. This hefty beer goes well with heavier meals and seasonal dishes like poultry (turkey or duck), steak, pork, or very sharp cheeses.