Next was the Saison-Brett, second because I figured the sourness from the brettanomyces would help cleanse the palate for the two high-gravity Belgian styles to follow.  This beer, at 8.5% ABV, poured again a very cloudy gold, but with a very thin and almost no head.  It displayed tiny, tiny bubbles in the glass and hinted at peaches and other pit fruits in the nose.  It smelled very estery.  On the palate, the sour notes were very weak, as was the rest of the body.  I expected more from this saison, I guess.  I noted in my book that it was "missing the funk."  However, saisons are a broad category and can take on many different forms, so I'm sure this guy matches somebody's palate out there.  It's certainly worth trying.

Our third beer was the Long Strange Tripel, which as you can see from the photo poured with a nice, foamy, thick head that appeared to be almost yellow.  The color doesn't come across well in the photo.  However, just moments after that picture was taken, the head had collapsed to less than a finger in height, leaving just a bit of lacing around the glass.  This beer was dark gold and remarkably clear.  It smelled of alcohol and ginger bread, and presented a fairly effervescent body with hints of sourness, lots of fruit, and a touch of booze.  It was very tasty, though perhaps a bit too hoppy for a tripel.

The fourth and last beer from Boulevard was The Sixth Glass, a quadrupel.  This is a challenging style---challenging and delicious.  I haven't written much about them, but I sure do enjoy those extreme, malty monsters from Belgium.  I was really looking forward to this.  The Sixth Glass poured a translucent brown with a big tan-white head that vanished right away.  There was a lot of heat and sweetness on the nose, with hints of dates and maybe a bit of plum.  It had a good body, but the 10.5% ABV made itself all too known.  The beer was hot, with a whiskey-like aftertaste and big malt flavors throughout.  Surprisingly, though the head vanished quickly, the beer managed to maintain its effervescent body.

Overall, the Smokestack Series was an interesting drinking experience.  My favorites were easily the Long Strange Tripel and Sixth Glass Quadrupel, but I would also love to try their usual Saison offering, so I shall keep an eye out for it.  Are these beers worth trying?  If you have never sampled anything from Boulevard before, then most certainly.