Beer Tourism - Alabama

As stated in a prior post (yeh, 6 posts in two or three days...I know, a drink a bit..) I recently made some nice beer purchases in Alabama (of all places). At any rate, I picked up some decent brews that are not distributed in Georgia, so despite the fact that I was working in rural Alabama, I still fared well. Including the Anderson Valley hop Ottin', mentioned in an earlier post, I was able to grab a selection of Boulevard and Tallgrass 4-packs at Corks and Tops in Tuscaloosa.

Although I have only had three of the six varieties at this point, I have been really impressed. That is, I knew the Boulevard selections would be well-crafted, but I have been presently surprised by the Tallgrass brews. I am actually drinking an Oasis right now (I had the others earlier in the week - pre-blog). I know that each of these brews is certainly worth reviewing separately, but here is the synopsis of my current samplings:

Tallgrass Oasis - Billed as an Imperial IPA, this is a hoppy beer, but with a distinct malt punch. The lower ABV (around 7%) and the malts don't really make the beer worthy of the imperial moniker, but still, this is a solid IPA and certainly one that could be sessionable. ohtheguilt Ba score = 3.5 out of 5.0

Tallgrass IPA - At around 6% this brew is similar in potency to Oasis, but is a completely different beer. Equally as sessionable, but better hop flavor and more of the bitterness that I expect in an IPA. An easy choice on a nice day of outdoor activity. ohtheguilt Ba score = 4.0 out of 5.0

Boulevard Double Wide IPA - Boulevard has made a bold statement with its Smokestack Series, and Double Wide is no exception. This is easily the most floral, aromatic Imperial IPA that I have had...even the wifey enjoyed the flowery goodness. The bitterness is masked by the floral nature, so maybe other non-hopheads will dig it too. ohtheguilt Ba score = 4.0 out of 5.0