Allagash Grand Cru

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

12 oz bottle, fairly fresh 2003 version: Light brown, very little head. . . yeasty wheat aroma with some nuts. . . Spicy on the tongue, some coriander and fruit, perhaps some anise. Nice malty finish along with more nuts. (3.6)

750 mL, fresh sampled 5 Oct. 2003: darker brown and more red than I remember. . . Wonderful fluffy light brown head. Full yeasty wheat bread with raspberries, dark red grapes, bananas, and pear chunks. . . amazing carbonation, velvety and smooth. . . this deserves more points. . . spicy bitterness in the finish tingles the back of the mouth, leaving not only a great flavour, but great feeling. . . lovely. 8/4/8/4/17 -> 4.1

750 mL bottle (mid 2003 version, sampled February 2006): fairly clear, reddish-orange with violet hues…soft, floral, yeasty aromatics with red grapes and cherry-bananas. Thick fluffy head clings to the top of the liquid. Lightly smoky flavour with a bit of ham mixes interestingly with the berry and pear sweetness. The beer has taken on a very unexpected quality with the smoke and burnt malts…I was more expecting a musty sourness to develop with the yeast after so much time, but the way this developed actually works very well…is interesting and exciting…glad again I waited – 3 beers in the last week have restored my faith in aging beers: this, DFH Olde School Barelywine (2 years) and Achel Extra (2 years)! 8/5/9/4/16 – 4.2

Delightfully spicy, sweet flavor warms the stomach on contact. Would liken it to a bit lesser-bodied Sierra Nevada Celebration. Try it while sitting by the fire after a fine day of snowshoeing.

Had a batch 8...bottled late 03 I think. This was a really tasty beer with the stew I made. Poured a pale gold with a nice cream colored head. Aroma was very spicy and citrusy. The flavor is slightly malty, very spicy, and has a little bit of nice bitterness to close it out. The mouthfeel is perfect for what it is...light bodied and a bit warming.

Aroma:citrus,light spicy,orange Appearance:Hazy amber,beautyfull beige head... Flavor:Citrus fruit,spicy,malt flavor,light alcohol.....

Golden-amber body with fine particulate matter and a modest beige head. Aroma of coriander, clove, pepper, and oranges. Nicely balanced flavor of peppery phenols, spice, mild alcohol, warm toasty malt, citrus, light bubble gum, honey sweetness and some herbal hops plus gentle bitterness. A good, very drinkable Belgian-style American beer.

Wine like texture and syrupy sweetness. Caramel/toffee/licorice/weird spiciness/dried fruits/dates/and peppers. Alcohol fumes and burn as it warms. Pretty interesting!

Bottle. Deep mahogany, with a spicy, yeasty nose. Flavors of coriander, fruit, with a slight peppery smokiness. An excellent beer.

A solid effort! This brew trys to be alot of things. What they are, i do not know. What it does succeed in, is being very good. Not a suprise. Portland is one of the most under rated party towns on the map.