Allagash Grand Cru

The pour is hazy and apricot orange, which always seems to be a promising color. Grass and yeast aroma. Hint of vanilla. Crisp, slightly vegetal flavor of onion and garlic; dank and sour lemon with some acetic acidity. It really is quite pleasant, though, with a warming but refreshing strong lager quality throughout.

Orange-gold pour with some haze and a big white head. Aroma of spice, clove, and yeast. Taste is corriander, clove, and sugar, with a lot of apricot. Good malt and yeast backbone. Great balance Very light mouthfeel, but compliments the variety of flavors.

Bottle... This beer rocks!... Hazy, deep amber ale with a mid-sized, creamy, off-white head. Good retention. Nutty, spicy nose with clove and smoke phenols. Citrus fruit hops; fuzzy fruit esters. Sweet, spicy flavor with blasts of coriander and caramel and a suggestion of hops without any real bitterness. Almost full-bodied with a sticky mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Lengthy, mildly sweet, warming finish.

Cloudy caramel/orange pour with auburn hues. Awesome retention of a fizzy and bulbous beige head. Lacing is the typical Allagash masterpeice, thick and near-full coverage. Aroma is light, swet malts that have a touch of berry about, complex yeast also releasing light berry esters, floral hops in reserved quantities, dark candy sugars, mild spicing and brown sugar and toffee in moderation. Lovely really, though I get the feeling there could be less and still be a contender, perhaps a more enticing aromatic experience. Flavor is initially sweet and moderately spiced, toffee and pepper evenly matched in a race to be the foremost spicy nuance. Alcohol that was masked in the aroma is now ever-present, unrelenting, a surprise. Fruity yeast is in a desirable quantity. Finishes full, dry and brief. Palate is medium bodied with ample carbonation. This is perhaps the only recipe from Allagash I wish they would alter, otherwise I’m definitely a fan.

Pours a deep waxy apricot color w/ a full, semi creamy froth. Residual lacing is thick and creamy. Aroma of candied earth and moscto rock candy. Medium full nectar w/ ample residual effers. The texture is of soft, velvety cotton. A malt dominant brew w/ only a mild sweetness factor. A persistant bittering from start to finish. Flavors of gingerbread, fruitcake, herbs, slight banana spice, oaky vanilla, honeycomb, raisons, melon, milky nectar. The finish is perfect comprised of a quickly dissipating malted fruit component and a lingering bitterness. Overall: This is the Montrachet of beers. Complex, balanced, strong flavored, and that velvety texture. Abolutely fantastic. Highly recommended.

A tad too sweet; didn’t seem very sophisticated. On tap at Lionheart,Albany, NY-served in Shaker Pint glass for $5

Batch # 10. Pours from the bottle a slightly hazy amber-orange hue producing a loosely bubbled off-white and quickly fading head. Aroma is predominantly fruity-sweet and floral with a faint musty/earthy background. Pleasant smells of freshly cut pears,peaches, oranges, bananas and roasted almonds are at the forefront with subtle notes of fresh bread dough, cloves, wet earth, and wheat grass lurking in the background. Mouthfeel is full-bodied and round with a slightly elevated level of carbonation. Flavor profile was a bit more reserved compared to the aromas. Taste was initially fruity and sweet with notes of fresh orange juice, peach and pear upfront with hints of nuts, cloves, caramel malt and coriander making a contribution. Found the finish to be dry but a tad harsh and perhaps astringent. Kind of a odd contrast to the overall sweet and fruity profile of this beer. Maybe I need to sample a fresher batch next time.

Another really nice beer from Allagash. While having this nearly at the same time as the Dubbel, this was my least favorite of the two. It was still nice though. Aroma was musty with some fruits and yeast. Appearance was a hazy deep burnt orange with a nice off-white head. Flavors were yeast, fruty, malty with a twinge of hops present. Mouthfeel is full and round.