Allagash Curieux

Tap at Sunswick. Poured a dark amber. The nose was on the weak side, or was it the glass that i detected? Of course the bourbon was noticed, that’s what stood out. At first, I was not too impressed, all I tasted was the bourbon, and some wood notes. I found the mouthful fairly thin. Mind you, I really like the Allagash triple. The bourbon really dominates, and hides the flavors of the triple. It did start to grow on me. The finish had a bit of a bite to it.

Bottle courtesy of Tony @ OTH. Pours an opaque blonde, white head. Aroma is hoppy, yeasty with some underlying sweetness. Taste is very sweet, has a good presence of oak and fruits (apple/apricot), gariny, thick mouthfeel, vanilla notes. One outstanding abbey beer.

Bottle Courtesy of BMan113VR. Pours a cloudy dandelion honey color with a nice creamy and puffy white head. Small tiny bubbles ascend from the bottom of the glass in little bursts. Nose is apricots, grass, hay, salt, green peas, and a bit of booze. Mouthfeel is thick and sticky with a bit of a bite on the back end that reminds me of a barrel aged stout. Its acidic yet lively feeling. Taste is sweet and woody, and fruity with some hints of good old of Jim Beam soaked sunflower seeds on the finish. Solid beer all around.

June 2008 bottle (11%). Pours with a chill hazed yellow gold body. Pours with a largish, fluffy, off-white head with good lacing and retention. Aroma of sweet fruits (appricots and peaches mostly), vanilla, bourbon oak notes, alcohol and bread. Taste is sweet with strong alcohol and fruits with a light bourbon burn. The bourbon rounds out the tripel flavor quite well. Pours with a light carbonation livelyness and lightly creamy. Beats the pants of Musette for the price.

Bottle. Aroma dominated by bourbon, but somehow not an overpowering bourbon, though it undoubtedly is the strongest element. Fruits around the edges, Spices certainly. Spices also stronger in the mouth, and the base tripel does show through, if fleetingly and shadowlike. Very odd, normally such a bourbon presence would turn me off, but somehow it works here for me...Clearly more is there and teasing my tongue even if I can’t put my finger on it.

Bottle, May 2008. Pours a cloudy bright orange with a small white head that dissipates rapidly. Aroma of melon rind and sharp spices (some pepper, clove), and bourbon. In the flavor the bourbon really comes out with the tripel background. Not overpowering bourbon although you can certainly taste it. At least it feels like you’re still drinking beer...I’m not really a fan of bourbon-flavored beers. This isn’t the worst, but it’s still too bourbony for me.

Golden color out of the caged cork bottle with a little hazy to it. The bourbon is the first thing you get out of the nose, and it stays dominant throughout this beer. The bourbon also is the biggest part of the flavor, with some oak, vanilla, honey sweetness, and some fruitiness. Still, this beer seemed more about the barrel than the beer. It worked for me.

On tap @ redlight redlight. Pours golden with a thin white head that recedes fast, leaves some real nice lacing on the glass however. On the nose the bourbon is strong. A very nutty aroma in produced along with bready yeast and faint clove. In flavor it is quite fruity, more of the bourbon and the oak comes through, sweet with a hoppy bitter finish. Well-balanced carb, nicely drying @ finish. Very unique effect from the barrels that I haven’t seen in others. The nuttiness was unexpected but I think it must have been a combination of the bourbon/wood along with the bready Belgian yeast.