First Impressions of Boulevard Tank 7

Yesterday I had my first taste of Boulevard’s long awaited Tank 7. The name would seem to imply that this beer is a top secret project brewed in a clandestine manner… but really, it’s just a farmhouse style ale. You be thinking, “Wait a minute, Boulevard already has a Saison don’t they?” They do, it’s part of the original Smokestack Series. You might also remember the limited release Saison-Brett that came out earlier this spring. What’s so special about the Tank 7 Saison then? Well, that’s a good question…

As I said at the beginning of this post, I had a glass of the Tank 7 yesterday at the Boulevard Brewery tap room. I found the Tank 7 to be a bit spicier than I like for such a light bodied beer. It has been a while since I’ve had the entry level Saison from Boulevard, but I remember the old Smokestack Saison being more mellow and not as abrasive with the spices as the Tank 7. That’s not to say I didn’t like the Tank 7… it was drinkable, almost something I could enjoy on a regular basis.

I was a little disappointed in the Tank 7 because I was expecting something more along the lines of the Saison-Brett. The Tank 7 is no Saison-Brett. I was probably wrong in assuming that, but since the mysterious Tank 7 name has been circulating for so long… I was hoping there would be a bit more excitement in this beer. But alas, there is no excitement… at least, not for me.

The Tank 7 was pretty good. I can appreciate what they are doing with the Saison style, but I’m not convinced there is enough here to merit a 750ml Smokestack bottle. Maybe it’s sacreligious to sell Saisons in a six pack, but if I walked in to Gomer’s and I could pick up a sixer of Tank 7 it’d feel about right.