Allagash Curieux

On tap at Trappeze. Appearance is a cloudy golden with a small white head. Aroma of fruit, spice, and wood. Taste is great, very complex. Lots of fruit, some spice, wood, vanilla. Very nice medium body with a good amout of carbonation. Alcohol not present. A great brew and a nice tripel

750ml caged and corked bottle, bottled November 2007, bought at Lou’s in Augusta. Pours a hazy golden amber-red body with a quarter inch (if that) of off-white head. Smells fruity/citrusy and woody. Tastes citrusy, pithy, malty, with a fair bit of wood and hints of vanilla toward the finish. A little bit of alcohol warming is evident on the finish, but buy no means overwhelming or solvent-like. On the heavier side of medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, bordering on sticky mouthfeel but the carbonation helps make this one more drinkable than it might otherwise be. Tasty and complex. I think I’ll stick to drinking Allagash Tripel on a more regular basis, but this is a very good beer and definitely glad I gave this one a go. One of the best barrel-aged beers I’ve had so far.

750ml corked&caged bottle, dated November 2007. Pours very cloudy, brownish orange with gold and caramel highlights. The head rouses slowly into a thick, cloudy, off-white foam that quickly fades into a very thin ring of foam. The aroma is thick and complex, full of fruit and yeast. There are lots of fruity esters - particularly banana. There are also notes of spice, of caramel, and of alcohol. The bready, doughy yeast is a very attractive component of the aroma, too. As the beer warms, a boozy smell of bourbon comes into the fold. The flavor is solid - what a fantastic tripel this is! Lots of fresh-baked-bread-doughy goodness with lots of funky, Belgian-y esters. And it’s really smooth, too - no flavor is intense or overwhelming. Instead it is a soft, harmonious symphony. In the middle of the tongue, the flavor grows more complex with some spice from the yeast and a touch of wood and vanilla. The back of the palate picks up some more spicy esters as well as a soft, balancing level of noble hops. The back of the palate detects a decent bit of alcohol which results in a slightly boozy finish. It has a subtle taste of sweet bourbon, too, that strengthens as the beer slowly warms in the snifter. The finish is also quite dry and spicy. It is slightly warming on the back of the throat thanks to the dollop of ethanol. Despite some of the boozy flavors, I think this beer hides its strength incredibly well. The mouthfeel is very creamy and light (medium in body - which is quite light for such a strong ale). It is amazingly drinkable. This is the kind of beer that could get one into serious trouble (luckily I only have one, and I’m splitting it with my wife, so the amount of trouble I could get into is quite limited). Overall, a fantastic tripel that is made even more beautiful through the subtle and sublime flavors from its aging in oak whiskey barrels.

2004
750ml bottle shared by Mike. Pours hazed yellow orange with a white head. Medium woody and boozy nose. Flowers and pit fruit. Flavors of vanilla, bourbon, wood, and fruit cocktail. Fresh green leaves. Medium body. Medium carbonation. Dry finish. A really nice beer, that I may have to go buy for myself.

(cask @ The Old Toad - Rochester, NY) Exclusive item to the Toad. Dark copper in color with a tan head. Aroma is very rich and malty with a good amount of bourbon notes throughout. Smooth malt and bourbon flavor at the beginning with an extremely malty and sweet middle and an incredibly smooth and warming finish at the end. Some oak, butter, and earthy notes round it out along with some dark fruits. Very complex and delicious and I’m glad I got some of it while it lasted.

Tasted about a year ago and have wanted to find it since. Found a bottle recently. Certainly has aromas of sweetened vanilla and oak, very nice. This has a nice big complex flavor, slightly sweet and not over the top. This might be a great beer to introduce people to the world of craft beer. I am very surprised that it’s at 11%, it’s very smooth. I’m still on my first pour, so maybe some other qualities open up when it comes to room temp.

Tried at PP bottle shop during Logan’s tasting. Large 750mL bottle ($16) bought generously by Jon. A whole table of beer fell to the groud and broke, except this bottle. I got the foamy dregs out of it. Lots of oak. Mellow flavor. Cloudy yellow. Delicious.

750ml - Bottled Feb 2006 - Aroma of bourbon, oak, vanilla and yeast. Pours transparent gold with a very small head and decent lacing. Flavor is bourbon, oak, vanilla, peat, subtle spice and tropical fruit. Alcohol is there but not too bad. Palate is sticky. Not bad, but nothing really that special to warrant the price.