Allagash Curieux

Bottled June 2006. Aroma started vinous, but followed with caramel malt and sweet fruits, like pineapple or peach. Orangey in color, with a white head that’s substantial and laces. Medium bodied. Creamy carbonation. Starts something candi sweet with a touch of alcohol and sweet stone fruit - not dark fruit. Pineapple seems in there somewhere. Vanilla comes along, and the finish is not quite dry, and a bit astringent. The bitter aspects could be from floral hop. There’s a tannic aspect for sure, and that’s got to be from the barrel. Not sure about bourbon.

Pours clear orange / amber with a patchy off-white head. The aroma is creamy with spice and a nice blend of tripel malt and bourbon barrel aging. There is also vanilla and significant oak from the barrel aging. Medium smooth body that is slick with mildly sharp carbonation. The flavor starts smooth with lots of vanilla, oak, some bourbon, phenolic spice and some lush tripel malt. The finish has more tripel malt, but the sweetness is offset by the dryness of oak, lots of spice and some abv, but it is mild tasting considering it is 11%. This is quite well done.

GABF 2004: Pours a clear pale golden with a frothy white lacing head. Sweet curacao orange peel citrus and honey bourbon aroma. Body starts with a full Belgian malty thick sweetness and interesting citrus spice balance. Finishes bittersweet, crisp and dry with a nice yeasty oak complexity. A very unique and enjoyable beer. Allagash sure knows how to do Belgian ales.

750ml Bottle: Aroma is heavily sweet. Smells of bourbon, vanilla, apples, and oak. Poured amber in color with a small white head that diminished quickly. Small lacing. Hazy. Sparkling. Flavor is heavily sweet and alcoholic. Tastes of alcohol, bourbon, spices, and cloves. Full body. Thick texture. Lively carbonation. Long alcohol finish. Alcohol is warming. Overall, could use a little less alcohol flavor.

Pale, hazy gold with a thick, sticky head. The bourbon character melds well with the estery belgian strong ale fruit and alcohol. It’s actually a surprisingly good match.

really intresting beer. After reading the barrel aged part i was expecting a much different beer. This was lighter and cleaner without a lot of the overpowering barrel flavors. Ended up knocking me on my ass that night though. Hides the 11% well.

Tipsy had been restraining himself from drinking this since Christmas. Head is gone before you put the bottle down. Bourbon and pepper aroma. Bourbon like flavour with some residual maple or vanilla flavour. Oily body. Liqueur-like but restrained alcohol. Weird and unique. Tastes like the Tripel flavour is reduced to allow the bourbon to come through.

Tasted at Belgium Comes to Cooperstown, July 16, 2005. Hazy blonde ale with a thick off-white head. Nice malty aroma with strong oregano notes. Sweet malts with oregano and other savoury spices. Rich and lingering alcohol warmth. Medium bodied.