Allagash Curieux

Brewed by Allagash Brewing Company
Style: Abbey Tripel
Portland, Maine USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip

Tap at Paradiso Dupont. Cloudy glowing gold to orange with a small, white head. No lace- poor draft pour. Nose at first is sweetened peach, spicy apricot, and as it warms you are given more and more Jim Beam which displays buttery bourbon and spicy wood. Small vanilla. Liking the nose. Smells better than just straight Jim Beam. Taste is sweet candy, mild alcohol warming, sweet peach. Gets some off seafood/shellfish like flavors in the finish and I’m not sure what is up with that. Good stuff nonetheless and I would certainly re-try.

From my Asheville, NC, beer log: On tap. Strong, aromas of Belgian yeast, honey, and bourbon. Bananas, honey and a little buttery in the taste. Nice little alcohol burn in the back end. Soft carbonation. A nice warmer for the cold weather.

Bottle. Pours a hazy gold with a nice white head. Very complex aroma and flavor. Notes of citrus, malt sweetness, oak, vanilla, bourbon, spices and pepper. Some yeastiness as well. Very smooth and the alcohol is very well hidden. A very good barrel aged tripel.

750 ml. bottle, bottled on september 2010- Pours a hazy yellow orange with a 1 finger bubbly white head. Aroma is brett, cherries, very tart, woody, maybe even some grapes. The taste is mellow, creamy, a little oak, cherry notes, some brett. Carbonation is high, body is medium, sticky texture. Not getting any bourbon, just the wood it was stored in. I had huge expectations, and it did and did not deliver, thats the problem when you go into a beer thinking it’s going to be out of this world. But thats my problem, this is a beer that is definitely worth checking out.

750 ml bottle into tulip, bottled in June 2008. Pours hazy golden amber color with a fairly dense 2 finger white head with great retention, that reduces to a fairly thick cap. A bit of thick lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big lemon, clove, banana, pepper, citrus peel, honey-like sweetness, white grape, oak, and bourbon. Surprisingly no real booziness was noticed, and there is a great amount of complexity going on here. Taste of tons of oak, lemon, clove, banana, vanilla, bourbon, white grape, and yeast spiciness. Lingering notes of of mainly bourbon, oak, and vanilla; with a bit of pepper, light fruits, and spices as well. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a decent slightly prickly mouthfeel that is still very smooth. No alcohol noticed other than a warming on the finish. Overall this is an excellent barrel aged tripel. I would definitely like to try a fresher bottle of this because I hear it is even better while it is younger.

Golden yellow in color. Not as dark as I would have expected. Nice foam. Nose is lovely. Wood and vanilla. Doesn’t seem to be over wooded on the nose. Light fruit as well. Coconut and banana. Lotion. Tastes a little too standard. Surprised and disappointed in the flavors. Still really good. Above average without a doubt. Not worth $20 by any stretch though.

Poured into a snifter. Hazy light orange-golden color with minimal head that quickly dissipated before the first sip. The lacing really shows the ABV. Smells of smoky bourbon, through and through. Some slight roasted malts, but that may be the overtones of the bourbon co-mingling with the malts. The flavor one complex brew— changes drastically as the beer warms. New layers become apparent as you allow the temperature to take effect. There is a fruity nuttiness and spice to it at first that is well balanced and rounded. As it warms vanilla bourbon definitely comes out with a little banana even. Very interesting to taste.

Tap. Pours golden. Aroma of bourbon. Taste of sweet bourbon. Sweeter beer. Thicker mouthfeel. Not much carbonation.