The beers of New River: Boulevard Brewing's 80-Acre hoppy weat beer

Although I've seen them around craft shops and grocery stores for years, I've never had anything by Boulevard. I suppose this is mostly due to the price, they tend to be over $10 for a six pack and placed right next to excellent beers that are significantly cheaper. I got around this lately when my buddy Sims and I went to Food Lion and I saw they had a "build you're own six-pack" for something like $8. Of the beers available (I will be reviewing the others in the coming days), Boulevard 80-Acre was one of them. I jumped at the chance of getting this premium beer at such a discount, but had the self control to not fill the entire carton with them. I suppose It could also be caution, I've never had this one and I tend to hate wheat beers. The brewery that produced this is almost exactly as old as I am, having begun in 1988 and producing it's first beer in 1989.

The bottle has that 50's retro styling that was so popular in the early 90's. Honestly, it's still popular today. I suppose that's why they kept it. Anyways, the bottle reads "With roots in two of today's most popular brewing styles, 80-Acre Hoppy Wheat Beer is the result of careful cultivation by our brewers and cellarmen. Their efforts to craft a hybrid yielded a bumper crop of flavor; a delight fully distinctive ale with the aroma of an IPA and the refreshing taste of wheat beer". I hope by wheat flavor they mean cereal and not that rotten, putrid flavor I find in most German and Japanese wheat beers. Time to pop this sucker open and pour it into the super traditional Orion mug.

The nose from the bottle is a citrusy/hoppy one, a good omen wot-wot. It has a light yellow color, with a light bubbly head. Nose it certainly different from the mug, I just can't identify it. It's not a strong scent at all, but it's there and I don't know what it is. Oh thank the Lord for His providence, it's citrus and cereal and not rotten wheat. Little bit of an alcohol flavor, not a bite, but a flavor. Before this project I probably wouldn't have liked that, but having become accustomed to European styled beers I have learned to appreciate it. I've got it! This tastes just like orange sparkling cider. It has a little bit of a watery consistency, little acidity. Getting towards the bottom, I can see little white specks floating in it, I hope that's just yeast.
To wrap this up, Good beer? Yes. Great beer? Not really. I don't think this one commands the $10 a six pack price it asks. I've had much better beers for less. That being said, it's worth having and I would definitely have one of these again, but not at full price of course. I'm going to give this one my blurry seal of approval.