Allagash Curieux

Draft at Redlight. Pours a hazy orange with a thin white head. Aroma had a nice malt to it along some some nuts and bourbon. Smooth malty body with a nice belgian sweetness and whiskey like bite that balance well. Very tasty.

Aroma is bready/yeasty with fruity tones, slight bourbon-musky smell. Smooth syrupy body but lots of carbonation. Very strange to me. Bourbon is wonderfully balanced, not overpowering. Blends well with the belgian sweetness.

Draft at Redlight Redlight. Pours a very hazy, brazen orange color with a small, foamy, off-white head. Soapy flares of lacing sloppily run down the glass. The aroma shows notes of banana nut bread, caramel, Kentucky bourbon, honey, fruity esters, and doughy yeast. The flavor is somewhat of a conundrum. Just the concept of a Belgian tripel aged in bourbon barrels is foreign to me, but this works exceptionally well. The bready yeast and sweet fruity notes work surprisingly well with the malty, sour mash bourbon. Nutty and fruity up front, with a lightly sour, pungent finish. Medium-full and smooth bodied, there is a bit of stickiness and alcoholic heat, but that can be forgiven. This is an excellent slow sipper, and a successfully daring take on a typically boring style.

Draft @ Redlight. Bourbon/vanilla comes through straight on in the nose. Hazy yellow gold color. Woody aromas as well. Flavor is doughy sweet with touches of wood, bourbon and peachy fruit.

RateBeer Rating, Style and Glass: 95, Abbey Tripel, Trappist ABV, Volume & Calories: 10.5 % in 16 fl oz. estimated at 250C Purchased at: Issac’s on tap in Newtown for $6.00 Aroma: oak, bourbon, nice. 9 out of 10. Visuals: clear, beautiful, golden, thin white head. 4 out of 5. Taste: bourbon, oak, barley, banana. 9 out of 10. Palate: amazing, dark, deep finish. 5 out of 5. Overall: nicely balanced belgian and oak. I’d have it again. It’s great. Very well crafted. 18 out of 20.

shared with friends poured into tulip glass. This is an exceptional beer brewed by people that understand just about everything anyone would ever need to know about beer. This is a big delicous beer with many amazing attributes. Drink it like you would that favorite bottle you were saving for the best of ocassions. Superlative in every conceivable way. When you are looking for a big luscious beer look no further.

750 ml bottle from bev4less. Pours a hazy dark gold color with a medium sized foamy white head. The aroma is moderate in strength with whiffs of bourbon, sweet Belgian yeasts, some red fruits and dough. The flavor features bourbon, but it is not a strong in your face bourbon, its a mellow subtle bourbon tease. Also present in the taste is bread dough, vanilla and oak. The mouthfeel is full and malty. The finish is rather short and dry. Overall: I’ve noticed that bourbon barrel aged beers fall into two categories: one, they are overpowering with whiskey and just a hint of beer character is present; or two, there is just hint of whiskey with a good beer character. This beer falls into the later category. And, because of that it tends to remind me of a cheap watered down bourbon more than anything else. Though it is undeniably a good product, I much prefer the stronger bourbon stock.

November 2007 bottle from unclemattie via trade. The pour was a cloudy light brown and gold. The head was off-white and creamy, decent lacing. The aroma is dominated by the bourbon with yeast and sweeter caramel or vanilla coming through. The flavor is bourbon and yeast with some earthy, woody (oak I suppose) coming through. Alcohol heat isn’t very well masked. The mouthfeel is nice. I think should have waited at least another year on this one. Would be interested to compare this against a 2004 bottle. Thanks Matt!