 OldMrCrow (1057), Seattle, Washington, USA
Jul 14, 2007
Tap at Uber; 11% version.
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Pours a light cloudy amber with a beautiful white head and heavy lacing. Soft aroma of lemon, pear, and honey; maybe a whisper of Jim Beam in there too (at just below cellar temperature; a lot of more it as this warms to room temperature, of course).
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The bourbon doesn’t really come in until one reaches the smoothly blended, slightly sour, gently sweet flavor. Even there the bourbon barrel is more an afterthought than an in-your-face display of barrel-aged exotica. (Note: again, this becomes more about the bourbon as it warms, albeit in a gentle way not in a blast-you-with-vanilla-oak-syrup way). We’ve got the characteristic light septic funkiness from Allagash, along with some very nice apricots (apricot skins?) in the finish. The beer starts a bit sticky and prickly on the palate but this too comes into its own with warming and one gets quite a nice creamy beer for 11%.
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All of the components of this one are lovely, but the beer isn’t blowing me quite through the roof like one might expect, given the quality of the pieces.
Beershine (1515), Miami Beach, Florida, USA
Dec 1, 2008 Glowing golden color with white head that is pretty fizzy and dissipates relatively fast. Still, the glow on the beer is stunning. Aroma is mellow, sweet, and hot with vanilla bean, apples, and Bosq pears. Mouthfeel is soft with a medium level of carbonation. Apples, overripe pear, and an alcoholic finish predominate the flavors with genuine and subtle vanilla adding the only spiciness. Dry finish on this fine and mellow beer.
nramsburg (154), New York, New York, USA
Nov 28, 2008 Pours to a light straw with a good sized head that dissipates rather quickly. Lots of yeasty bread on the nose upfront. Surprisingly little bourbon though.
On the palate this is one smooth beer. Good amount of carbonation and wonderful smoothness from start to finish. As the nose suggests, this is a yeasty beer, which, I believe, balances the alcohol nicely.
On the finish, the bourbon notes finally come in for me. There’s just a hint of sweet woody flavor that gives this one a great finish.
Solid all around beer, a real standout from Allagash.
milljam (166), Norman, Oklahoma, USA
Nov 28, 2008 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.
gearbike (384), West Bloomfield, Michigan, USA
Nov 27, 2008 Not sure about the color and nature of the pour from the nice corked 1 pint bottle because the great smell overwhelmed my scenes. The scent turned out to be a great indication of the taste and overall mouth feel. It has a sweet mild smell of alcohol. The flavor is just so gentle. A nice medium body with some sweetness. You can sort of tell the alcohol is present but it really does not hit until the end of the sip when a slight woody bourbon flavor kicks in. Just a terrific smooth warmer.
DrBayern (1001), Morehead City, North Carolina, USA
Nov 21, 2008 Bottle labeled June 2006, opened on 11/1/2008. Hazy blond with a medium white head and so-so lace. Sweet oakey aroma with some floral character and a bit of orange. The oak aroma carries over to the the flavor , adding to a honey sweetness that continues into the finish. Enough bitterness for some balance, but hops are certainly not a prominent feature here. Lightly carbonated, with a light to medium body, smooth, and surprisingly clean considering the sweetness that is up front. I like the big oak aroma and flavor, although, a little unexpected in a beer this light and clean.
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