Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale

Where In Town: Batch 13, 1724 14th St. NW

Price: $10.99/four-pack

Large and in Charge

It’s not every day a brewery of Boulevard’s stature rolls into D.C. But this summer, the country’s 10th largest craft brewery (bigger than, for example, Dogfish Head) began distributing in the District. These Belgian specialists aren’t saturating the market with subpar suds, either. Almost everything Boulevard makes is good, especially the Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale and its funkadelic, wild yeast-kissed cousin, Saison Brett. But until the big S.B., an annual release, returns in 2013, we’re lucky to have Tank 7.

’Tis the Saison

When porters, stouts, and other heavy winter beers start going down like lumps of coal, as they inevitably do after a few weeks of holiday drinking, the antidote is saison, a Belgian style that delivers bold flavor and refreshment. Tank 7 is a great example. A rich aroma of apricots and spice is the prelude to a heavily carbonated beer that tastes like apples, plums, and yeasty goodness with a long and slightly boozy finish.

Photo by Daniel Fromson