Boulevard Brewing Company has announced the release of its first new year-round beer in more than a decade – Lunar Ale. An unfiltered brown ale, Lunar is brewed with two-row malted barley and a small amount of dark roasted German malt, giving the beer its characteristic color.
The recipe also includes substantial quantities of Midwestern wheat, producing a distinctive natural haze. Fermentation employs a special strain of Belgian yeast, which imparts subtle aromatic notes.
“Never has there been a better time in our history to introduce a new year ‘round beer, especially one that we believe will have such widespread consumer appeal,†said Bob Sullivan, Boulevard’s vice president and chief marketing officer. “Lunar is truly in a class by itself, stylistically speaking. It’s as approachable as our popular Unfiltered Wheat Beer, but offers its own unique harmony of flavors, with an alluring cloudy brown color. We think it’s out of this world, and we hope consumers agree.â€
Boulevard recently completed a major expansion and now may use its former brewhouse to produce specialty beers. One reason Boulevard drinkers haven’t seen a new year-round beer in 10 years is the brewery has struggled to keep up with demand. The Kansas City Star (free registration) reports a new Smokestack Series should start shipping in summer.
Boulevard brought test batches of some of these beers to the Great American Beer Festival last October. A beer to be called Saison-Brett, which as the names implies is brewed in the saison style with Brettanomyces (a wild yeast) added during secondary fermentation, was particularly well received.