Allagash Black

Brewed by Allagash Brewing Company
Style: Foreign Stout
Portland, Maine USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

Draft. Pours black with a tan head. Flavor is coffee, chocolate, brine, espresso. Malty and very drinkable.

Appearance: black under a khaki head which leaves massive lace in its wake. Eventually settles into a thin layer. Swirls with minimal lace and head.
Nose: chewy. Chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate graham crackers. Truffle powder sprinkles about. Hint of meaty dark fruits in the back; plums, raisins. Black licorice root for some more meat and weight. Overall very chocolaty; permeates.
Palate: smooth and cakey; moist rich decadent cakes. Chocolate and homemade chocolate fudge in the back. Effervescence lifts what would otherwise be a heavy beer and carries her across eager tastebuds. Raisins and prunes are scattered throughout the chocolate cake and fudge. Lingers long on top of the tongue with a faint dry finish; truffle powder. Little to no spice. Dried fruits in the middle; more prunes and raisins. A river of melted European chocolates underneath.
Final Thoughts: not overly complex but very decadent. One has the sense of partaking of a fine gilded brew best served in crystal chalices with chandeliers about. Nonetheless, also very approachable, balanced, and unpretentious. An everyday beer hidden behind the guise of sophistication. Once more Allagash delights.

Pours a near black with a nice, off-white to tan head that leaves behind a pretty good amount of lacing. Aroma is nice and strong, bringing forth some Belgian yeast esters along with some roast, dark fruits, bitter chocolate, and a whiff of espresso. Taste is similar but not quite as complex, with many of the roast aspects taking over the more delicate flavors. Mouthfeel is nice and full enough for the flavors. Very nice beer on cask; I’d love to encounter more Belgian-style brews in this manner. Serving type: cask Reviewed on: 10-02-2010

750mL corked and caged bottle, Batch #21, courtesy of my fiancee. Pours murky dark reddish brown with a medium brown head. Aromas of sour cherry, dark chocolate, smoke, and sour berries. Flavor is mild bitter cocoa, slight sour berry, and a touch of yeast that fades to bitter pine, earthy malt, bitter cocoa, and tobacco. Medium carbonation and body, warming, with a dry finish. Very nice. The slight sourness nicely complements the roasty malt.

Poured murky brown. Nice malt nose, but very hot on the palate. For only 7.5%, it showed.

Black appearance with a full tan head. Aroma is roasted malt with slight coffee. Flavor is bold roasted coffee in front with a nice smooth finish. Some slight yeast in aftertaste but not prevalent. Overall quite a nice stout, would definitely have this again.

Enjoyed from a 750ml bottle in a whiskey snifter. The beer pours a semi-translucent black color, with a mild light tan head. The nose shows characters similar to Schwarzbier; grainy pilsner malt, along with subtle ash and roasted notes. The beer seems to lack the malty/estery/just-barely-roasty bouquet of classics such as De Dolle Export. A subtle ester profile comes through. The palate also seems off-style and slightly over-attenuated. Roasted malt character, a background bitterness, and some esters toward the finish that show themselves to be Belgian, but that again lack character or assertiveness. The finish leaves a lingering grainy roasty note. Overall, a disappointment from an excellent brewery that generally turns out absolutely excellent interpretations of classic Belgian styles.

black, small off white head, very lacy. nose of roasty malt, belgian yeast and sweet malt. flavor follows the nose, the flavor is extemely sweet, and any bitterness is overpowered by the sweet. medium bodied, sweet finish. too sweet for my palate.