Allagash Interlude

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

On draft at Mead Hall during EBF weekend. I was pleasantly surprised to walk in and see this on tap. I quickly ordered it, sat down and enjoyed. Great sour cherry presence, both in the aroma and flavor. Not over the top sour but a good balance between sour and funk.

Everything a sour should be... This beer is so smooth on my tongue, refreshing my taste buds. I wish Allagash shipped to Maryland. A roadtrip may be in order!

2009-Bottle. Juicy beer. Wine, brett, vanilla, very fruity with notes of pears, apples and dry apricot. Reminds me of a Ice cider. Light sourness. Low sugars and high drinkability.

Interlude pours dark orange color with basically no head but with some lacing. A good amount of carbonation. Bubbles shooting up from the glass. In the aroma, there’s a slight sourness from the brett but it’s more of a sweet smell from the fruit. I picked up grape and apple mostly. Small underlying aroma of wood from the oak barrels. Not an overpowering smell, but light and pleasant. The taste isn’t mouthpuckering or overpowering when it comes to the sourness. It’s more of a nice and small tartness. Sour heads might enjoy this beer but its more on the light side. Once again the sweetness from the fruits take over mostly here. Grapes come through more. Probably from the Merlot barrels. Mixed in there is a bit of earthiness and oak. It’s just a light and refreshing beer. My girlfriend stated I could drink this easy and all night, I said beware it’s almost 10% The alcohol is well hidden. Mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with a nice amount of carbonation.

On tap at DBS. This beer has the aroma of Russian River-esche, sour funk. Why is this one not classified a sour?!?! Interestedly enough, the sour becomes not so sour after you drink. The palate is excellent and really balances to neutral after the intense sour aroma and initial hit. It’s almost like the brett is enough to attack and release. Just a very interesting, unique offering. Great beer. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

2009 vintage. No surprises that this is an interesting beer that will not please everyone. Has a sweetness on the front palate from the bourbon barrels and then finishes a little sour on the back (reminded me of Rodenbach a little). Glorious beer on the whole.

Bottle. The pour was a clear reddish copper orange with a small (less than 1 finger) white fizzy head that diminished quickly into a thin layer of residue that lasted throughout and produced some excellent sticky lacing. The aroma had a Farmhouse funkiness to it, with a sweaty grain malt, some wild yeast and had notes of sour grapes, red wine and a nice woody oak. The taste was sweetly acidic, quite tart and very fruity right off and then became sweetly sour with a strong wine characteristic and a hint of wood at the end. The flavor stayed with you for a nice long time after the swallow, allowing for a nice sour grape finish. Mouthfeel was right in the middle of light and medium in body and very dry in texture, like a nice Merlot with a fizzy carbonation. Overall a very unique tasting strong ale, one like I have never tasted in the past, but definitely plan to do so again in the future.

Sampled at an esbls tasting. 2009 date. Very cloudy gold brown. A funky nose of wild yeast. That is also tasted and it is not bad. Fruit and flowers. There is a lot going on. Wood, wine, malts. Good.