Allagash Grand Cru

Brewed by Allagash Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Portland, Maine USA

Remeniscent of some strong Belgian ales, with a light spicy kick that satisfies. Aroma is of apples and metallic dryness. Flavor is sweeter, like candy apples and malt cough drops. Well attenuated, making for a drinkability that is truly treacherous. An excellent beer to enjoy during the WARMER seasons, too.

pours an amber color with an off white head. Very nice aroma, very cirtus and fruit smell to it. nice subtle smoky mild bitter finish, the flavor is more of a sweet fruit. I really enjoyed this, as i do alot of the allagash beers. I actually passed out drunk half way through the beer and it was left open in my fridge for 2 days, and it actually tasted pretty good even then.

Pours an amber color with an off-white head. Aroma is of citrus, lemon, yeast, banana, and slight candied sugar. Very delicious aroma. Flavor is strong of the citrus, banana, and candied sugar up front. Finishes with spices and yeast with a subtle bitterness from some floral hops. A very delicious brew.

The Dan Journal #5. Tasted 4/15/2006. 750ml Bottle. Hazy with a golden brown hue. Clinging with white head. Spicy orange aromas. Banana and bready. Nutmeg and cinnamon. Full bodied and sweet. Nice lively effervescence. Fruity with a candy 7-Up carbonation. Banana yeasty flavor. Sticky and sweeter than a hefe, but a subtle nuance. Finish is bitter and lingering. Leaves the gums tingling. Ver nice!

Pours a hazy roasted golden brown color with a small yellowish head, with moderate lacing. Lots of citrus in the aroma with a nice light yeast nose. I felt that the flavor was dominated mostly by orange peel, light hints of caramel and firm, complex malty finish with Belgian yeast, candy sugar and peppery spice. Palate doesn’t linger for that long, but very crisp on the tongue, with lots of carbonation. A very enjoyable beer.

12 oz bottle-hazy orange color w/no head but some good lacing. Slight floral aroma. Had a very smooth floral, spice, vanilla, flavor w/traces of orange peel & some dry overtones. This was almost too smooth, could have had a little more kick to it. Nice mouthfeel, kind of a weak finish. Decent, but I was expecting more from this Brewer the way people rave about them.

Another winner from Allagash. I’m more accustomed to Grand Crus that are a bit bolder, both in terms of ABV and in terms of flavor profile. Kudos to the brewers for going a bit more subtle, with a lush amber beer that has a very pleasant nutty-to-vanilla bite and a gently spiced complexity. Lively, yeasty, with a warming malt finish. Fine job.

Rated 7/16/06: What a nice change of pace, I am glad that I finally picked some of this up. Burnt orange in color, the beer is hazy in the glass. A moderate white head that swirled around like a distant galaxy leaving minimal lacing. I can actually see the beer sparkle in the glass when held to the light. The aroma is nice and mild with an earthy yeastiness. Scents of spices tickle the nose I detect the likes of nutmeg, cloves, and perhaps a touch of coriander. A smooth moderately complex flavor is present. I slowly sipped on a couple of these throughout my evening, real nice drink. A subtle presence of malts lend way to a calm spicy profile. Licorice is evident now along with the spices previously mentioned. Well behaved and not over the top in the least I really enjoy this flavor. Mouthfeel is a bit weak. I wouldn’t call it thin but there is a lackluster feel to this one and the finish is somewhat odd, not upleasant perhaps just not in line with the aroma and flavor. Overall a wonderful change of pace, I’m glad that the brewer didn’t feel the need to over spice this one, well played.