Allagash Grand Cru

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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UPDATED: DEC 12, 2006 2004 12 oz bottle
As it decants I begin to smile. What a beautiful pour; dark caramel brown with lots of dark yellow and slight golden tinges. Small light beige head. Aroma of light yeast, caramel and dark candi sugar. Lightly spicy cinnamon and hops. Flavor is quite yeasty and malty, but it’s got enough dryness from the yeast to balance it. The carbonation is a bit too much, but still, the flavor stays lightly sweet and full of chewy toffee. Chocolate fudge and belgian yeast on the finish, with a medium , quite carbonated body. Interesting. this stuff begs another sample. Rerate. Here’s another sample. Slight notes of cork, I’m picking up on, and it’s quite unfiltered but there is a very off-note near the finish. A harsh alcohol/bitterness, highly sharp and astringent. Overall, the flavor is good, but does not compare to the strength or sheer quality of Southampton Grand Cru, a comparable beer to this. This is certainly a wonderful beer, but it dosent have all the yeast nuances, subtle spices integrated perfectly with the malt and perfect mouthfeel like the SH Grand Cru.
2006 draught
Very easy drinking, was the first thing that jumped out. Not overly spiced, with some nuttiness, typical yeast acidity from Allagash and plenty of soft, yellow fruits and a nice honey-vanilla maltiness. Reserved aroma, however, very clean with just some malt sugars and light esters breaking through. I really like the restraint. Strong appeal of texture, with unfiltered malt and yeast suppleness and engaging carbonation. Hopefully it ages well, as I’ve got some very old bottles.

Poured from a 750 mL caged and corked bottle into a snifter. Batch 119. My pour is a dirty, hazy amber color with a bubbly off-white head that leaves a bit of lace on the glass. The aroma has a nice spiciness to it, I imagine from the Belgian yeast strain and the combination of spices added. Nutmeg, coriander, and a bit of cinnamon are all present, working nicely with a sweet, yeasty, and bready malt character. Some candied green apples, red apples, and plums are also noticeable. The flavor starts on a fairly sweet note, with a nice caramel malt presence. Up front I am also reminded of baked bread, with a strong spicy yeast presence. Some dark orchard fruits, mainly red apple, plum, and cherries add a subdued fruit note. Toward the end the spices come through more fully, with nutmeg, coriander, cinnamon, and a bit of pepper all noticeable. As the sip finishes, it dries out a little bit, with a slightly tart green apple note. At first the body feels full, with a bubbly carbonation and a sweet taste. As the taste progresses, however, it becomes more on the dry side, with the ghost remnants of whatever hops were here originally. The body lightens up, and the carbonation moves from bubbly (maybe overly so), to a bit more creamy. I have been hanging onto this bottle for a while, so it is obviously lacking any hop presence whatsoever, but I found it to be rather enjoyable. I would definitely drink this again.

Golden-amber pour with almost no head. Caramel malt and licorice aroma with some spices too. Taste is mostly sweet malt which turns into a wintertime spicy and licorice finish. Pretty good but I've never been a big fan of grand crus. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Pours a light brown color with a small tan head. Aroma of citrus and yeast. Taste of caramel, orange peel, candy and belgian yeast. Easy drinkability and moderate body.

Pours a slightly hazy golden orange color with cream color head and decent lacing. Aroam of dried fruit and yeast. Taste was sweet maltiness along with fruites and yeast. Medium bodied and easy drinkability.

Malt and molasses dominant this beer. Balanced with a sweetness and softness that make this a pleasant beer. However not spectacular for a beer in NZ which in absurdly expensive.

Hazy amber color with a thin head. Fruity aromas, orange, cherry, and lemon. Taste starts with a large malt that gives up its sweetness and fades back to the citrus tones. Full bodied.

Draught@Rattle’n’Hum
Slightly hazy yellow color, medium-sized steady white head, lace. Spicey, mango fruity aroma, a bit sticky. Medium-bodied. Fruity, slightly tart Belgian yeasty, light peppery notes, coriander. Typical American version of Belgian strong ale.

750 ml bottle into chalice, batch 19(probably a few years old). Pours a hazy reddish orange color with a nice foamy 1 finger off white head with great retention that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Some spotty lacing on the glass, with nice carbonation streaming up. Aromas of big prune, golden raisin, pepper, coriander, clove, caramel, candi sugar, and spicy yeast. Nice and well balanced aromas with good strength. Taste of big caramel, prune, raisin, apple, pepper, molasses, biscuit, clove, roasted nut, candi sugar, and yeast spices. Lingering notes of caramel, dark fruit, molasses, biscuit, and yeast spices on the finish for a bit. Great balance of flavors with the spiciness. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a slightly creamy and slick mouthfeel. Drinks really smoothly despite the slightly prickly carbonation. Alcohol is nicely hidden with only a slight warming after the finish. Overall this is an excellent Quadrupel style offering from Allagash. Great balance of flavors with a high amount of complexity; and is super smooth to drink as well given the 7.2%.

Bottle. Pours a hazy orange with a lasting orange tinged head. Aroma is sweet and spicy. Flavor is sweet (almost too sweet) with notes of orange, malts and spices. Decent but too sweet and too much coriander for me.

pint at Tyler’s Apex, though it may have been a tulip, I didn’t note it. 6/25/11. Good aroma, sweet, spice. orange, apple, coriander, clove. Orange color, small to no head, no lace. Bitter flavor, Medium body, smooth creamy oily mouthffel, dry spiced finish. Tasty, flavor best part, stayed solid the whole way through, very enjoyable,