Allagash Curieux

Poured dirty gold with a non-existent head. Aroma is thick with caramel malt, spices, and (shockingly) bourbon. The taste was just not that good. Too much bourbon spoiled the beer flavors. Maybe if they used a better bourbon (Makers Mark?) or less time in the Jim Beam barrel, this could be a great beer.

Julios Spring Beer Festival. Pour of almost yellow-green. Aroma of sweetly wicked sour Meyer lemons, with hints of coriander and light fruit alcohols. Flavor is intensely medicine to me, which does not sit well for my palate. This is hard to drink, but I can see that the use of the barrell is decent here, but I just can get into anything other than the strong belgian yeast profile. The palate is drying. Maybe a rerate?

Bottle (July/05 vintage) shared with a bunch of folks - courtesy of jerc. Hazy golden colour. Aroma is an interesting mixture of sweet and tart/sour notes - fruit, yeast and woody bourbon notes. Body is a bit on the light side. Flavour is deceptive - it seems simple (maybe because of the light body?), but there’s a lot going on in there if you look for it. By the end of my sample, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it - the bourbon notes started to get a bit harsh - but it’s an interesting experiment and I’m glad I tried it.

I don’t yet have bourbon-barrel ennui so I have really enjoyed the two bottles (both from July 2005) I’ve had. I think Allagash’s Tripel is a strong, above average example of the style - and the b-b aging doesn’t compromise it for me. It actually moves it gently in the direction of a Flemish primitive, with the wood combining with the heat of the bourbon and a touch of citrus to give it a really interesting flavor that seems to bloom in the mouth. Better as it warms, this is a really strong entry from Allagash.

Bottle shared with HogTownHarry, GregClow, tupalev, jerc, R. and the rest of the gang -- courtesy of jerc. Vintage 2005. Pours a very hazy orange with a small diminishing white head. Sweet aroma of yeast, wood, fruit, spices and bourbon. Flavour of wood, bourbon, spices, yeast and an alcohol finish with some hops thrown in. Light to medium bodied. This is really good but there’s no damn way I could drink a whole bottle of this to myself.

Jerc’s bottle shared with a bunch of fine folks. Nice yeasty, funky malt aroma. Hint of bourbon, lots of yeast, bitter. Interesting taste that was a combo of bourbon and a Belgian Triple. Strong strong taste. yeasty. Better as it warmed. What a great sipper, lovely!!

Bottle (750ml). Shared with blankboy, GregClow, jerc, tupalev, DougShoemaker, R and others - jerc’s bottle. Cloudy orange with a smallish white head. Funky, peppery, heavy yeast aroma, some sour lemon and oak character, but I’ll say it again - funky. Taste is oaky (vanilla character), quite whiskey-ish, gets more whiskey character as it warms, otherwise spicy and yeasty, quite a bit of alcohol. It’s a little watery, but acidic, creamy, only lightly carbonated but the spice and yeast make it quite lively nonetheless. This is a solid brew, but the oaky/whiskey character (and the booze) gets a bit much after a while - it’s still restrained compared to some bourbon-aged beers, but I am certain I couldn’t drink a whole one myself.

’05 bottle...pours a light hazy copper with minimal white head. Aroma is bourbon, sweet candy, spice, and a bit of sour fruit. Flavor is quite woody and spicey...lots of actual jim beam too. If you let it warm, some interesting tangy sweetness shows itself. Mouthfeel is a bit light and highly carbonated. Very warming too.