Boulevard's new Smokestack - Harvest Dance Wheat Wine

Boulevard has announced the next Smokestack, Harvest Dance Wheat Wine. Scheduled for a November release, hopefully there will be less drama with this release that the Seeyoulator. The Wine and Cheese Place got the scoop on the label images and text. From the label:

"There was three men come out o' the west their fortunes for to try,
And these three men made a solemn vow, John Barleycorn must die,
They ploughed, they sowed, they harrowed him in, throwed clods upon his head,
'Til these three men were satisfied John Barleycorn was dead.
"This grim little verse belongs to one of the oldest of English folk tunes. It depicts the cultivation of barley as a series of abuses and indignities committed upon pour little John Barleycorn, who eventually triumphs, reborn as beer and whiskey. Our Harvest Dance Wheat Wine is a celebration of John's cousin wheat, the great staple crop of Middle America. Wheat wines are a somewhat recent stylistic development, akin to barleywines in strength, but brewed with a large portion of wheat malt, which provides a soft mouthfeel to balance the big body of these warming brews. We add a generous helping of Hallertau and Citra hops, and age the beer on both French and American oak, resulting in a beer that opens up with a warming burst of tropical fruit flavors, adding subtle Sauvignon Blanc notes before rounding slowly to a dry, oaky finish. This is a perfect beer for sharing with friends and family as we gather together for the fall and winter holidays. Pairs well with aged cheeses or seasonal squash and pumpkin dishes. And though it may appear that Miss Wheat is about to be cut down in her prime, have no fear: just pour a glass of Harvest Dance and you'll find she's alive and well."

IBUs: 30
ABV: 9.1%

Wheat Wine is one of my most favorite styles, partly because they are so hard to come by. BeerAdvocate only list 54 Wheat Wine entries in their database. Comparatively, American Barleywines have 465 entries. I have heard rumors of a Wheat Wine from Boulevard ever since the Smokestack Series was announced. I think there was supposed to be one released last year, but it wasn't quite right. I am glad for the wait to make it right, yet impatiently waiting for the release.

Cheers and Beers!