Summer is upon us. Yes, after a hellacious winter which saw snow, snow, and snow we have finally reached the point in the year where the sun has come out. Although there may be many benefits to this the one major drawback is the status of one’s beer at a footy match. Beer and sun only go well together if it involves sand and castles. Unless one wants a beer that will warm up faster than an angry child before the ice cream man comes it is important to find a beer that can beat the heat.
Enter: Boulevard Brewing Company’s The Calling.
So true story: I actually had this beer for the first time last year while attending the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Kansas City. A few hours before gametime (i.e. seven hours) yours truly and Sporting Kansas City beat writer Brian Sanders went and did a tour of their brewery in downtown K.C.
Now normally in these columns I try and find beers that are from the area without any real attempt to pick a company that is associated with the team. But in this case it was evident that Boulevard and Sporting KC are inextricably linked. Aside from the number of pictures of Sporting KC players in their brewery Boulevard is provided at Children’s Mercy Park.
Although it has been a few months since I last had a glass of The Calling the taste and flavour is unmistakable. The Calling provides an interesting combination of hops and fruit giving it almost a lambick flavor to it. Although it is classified as an India Pale Ale it almost tastes more like a Belgian India Pale Ale.
The fruity flavor can be attributed to the use of Amarillo hops. The Calling uses eight different types of hops but the Amarillo is the one that stands out the most. Generally speaking Amarillo hops have a very light, citrus flavor to them which really stands out against the more pedestrian hops. They also blend nicely with some of the other hops in The Calling (Mosaic, Equinox, and Galaxy among many others). One of the biggest knocks on IPAs is that they are often too bitter, a byproduct of the types of hops that are used. The Calling provides the drinker with the effect of an IPA but none of the bitter aftertaste.
One of the other perks of The Calling is the finish. It has a crisp taste to the end of it leaving you wanting. No matter if you are drinking this beer in swampy Kansas City or swampy RFK Stadium it is a beer that can hold its own against sun, primarily due to the hops and the minimal amount of malt that is used to make it. It may not be the prototypical summer beer but it certainly holds its own against the lighter fare.
DC United
Sporting Kansas City
