Allagash Curieux

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!

Bottled 11/2007. Okay, so you take a great tripel and back with a sweet bourbon. Where can you go wrong? Well, in their hands, you can’t. This was a winner. The fruity nature mixes well with the touch of bourbon and the overall sweetness takes on a slightly woody nature.

Corked bottle from jan ’07. Orange blonde color, foamy head. Flowery hops, attacked by whisky, grapes and a bit of oak. Citric flavor, oaky, grapes, notes of sweet bourbon. Some alcohol, but the beer is very soft and matured on the tongue and very well balanced. Fruity aftertaste. Delicious!

Bottle Pours out a cloudy gold topped with a nice off white head. Aroma of yeast, fruit and even a touch of wood. Tast more of the yeast and sweet fruit. A nice spice on this one.

Bottle from Sept 2004 (9.5%), tasted June 2008: This one opened with a fairly loud "POP". It pours a hazy almost amber tinged golden color. There was a large off-white head on it that settled quickly into a thin one. The nose is nice, with many notes. I get hints of the bourbon, yeast, vanilla and citrus. They don’t overpower one another. WOW! what a taste. This is incredibly smooth & silky, with a lot subtly going on. Subtle hints of the bourbon, as well as spices, clove, banana, yeast. What a fine treatment of their already great tripel.

Lovely, simply lovely. Hazy peach coloring, with small creamy white head. Light alcoholic nose, with some hint of light fruits, and just a tad bit of barrel age coming through on my last whiff before sipping. I like how the spices from the yeast intermingle with the tannic qualities of the barrel aging. Still remains very well balanced and soft on the palate. I felt very good after finishing this bottle.