Review: Boulevard Love Child No. 2

I'm jumping off the IPA bandwagon for a few minutes to review a sour, which until recently was not a style of beer I sought out. It's been a slow love affair, lots of unreturned phone calls, but I'm finally digging everything sour beers have to offer. Had a couple of delicious sour beers at the Drink Craft Beer Summerfest over the weekend, including Cambridge Brewing Company's Rose' de Cambridge and Portico's Belgian Sour Wit.

Sour beers encompass a wide spectrum, ranging from traditional Belgian lambics to American wild sour ales, which have become all the rage. In those beers, bacterial strains such as Lactobacillus and Brettanomyces yeast impart sour flavors into the beer. These can be spoilers, but in proper amounts, they bring barnyard scents and flavors that are prized.

What makes Love Child No. 2 different from a lot of sour beers is the work that went into it. Boulevard says it's a blend of beers from up to 41 barrels, aged up to four years. The craftsmanship explains the price tag, which is around $20. It's the most expensive beer the Kansas City brewery has ever made.

The beer pours a dark amber, with a nice, off-white head. The aroma is of tart cherries, with a little bit of spoiled wine.

The first sip is sour. You get tart, but oak aging smooths out the flavor a bit. The beer is sour but refreshing. My wife and I paired this beer with a salad and grilled chicken, and the flavors meshed nicely. The beer did for my palate what the balsamic vinegar did for the salad. There's funk here, which is not for the faint of heart. I got winey notes, but you might get other kinds of funk depending on your palate. It's not overwhelming, but it's there.

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