Allagash Interlude

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

January 2007 bottle, shared with the gf. Deep copper color with a medium haze and some initial off-white head and hints of lacing. Pleasant fruity notes come off the surface with traces of citrus, poached pear and a bit of raisin. Some light funk is noticeable, and I really couldn’t pick up the barrel influence until diving into the flavor. Sweet vinous taste with more citrus and caramel malt that leans towards the hot side, with a modest tart ending. Oak wood is faint, but hiding there. Good carbonation and a somewhat numbing mouth feel. A bit boozy, but a nice sipper.

750ml. January 2007. Pours a cloudy orange color with a small bubbly white head. Aroma is lemony, subtly sour, touches of vanilla and hay and just a tiny bit of barnyard. Aroma in general is nice though subdued. Flavor is smooth and slightly peppery and estery at first - Orval comes to mind. Doughy and bready that leads to a pretty dry finish. Moderate funkiness, low level of tartness and acidity, high drinkability. Medium bodied. I cannot find any influence from the oak/wine. This earns marks for its drinkability. This is a good all around beer that is nice if not exceptional.

Corked bottle, vintage 2007
Hazy copper-amber color, shining; the foam is initially quite frothy, but reduces to a thin consistent layer. The aroma is immediately sour, some vinegar, sour apples, wood and a hint of wet cellar. Good mouthfeel, medium body strength, with dryish malt flavor, and a light woody acidity to make it more complex; there are even traces of ammonia. It has the right bitterness, and in the final there is a very light astringency too. Interesting.

Sample Hotshots Feb Indy tasting 2006 bottle - Aroma is sweet bubblegum malt, spicy yeast, brett, red wine and subtle hops. Pours cloudy light brown with a medium head and good lacing. Flavor matches aroma with red grapes, oak and more brett in the finish. Palate is creamy and smooth with a dry finish. Another very nice brew I’d like to cozy up to.

Bottle. Pours a dark, cloudy orange-brown body with a small white ring of head. The aroma is quite tart and fruit - lemon, grapefruit, and some light barrel notes. Orange flavour along with bread malts, cookies, and grapefruit tartness. Quite dry with some alcohol burn and temperate barrel characteristics. Very nice.

2006 release, caged corked 750 ml. bottle, blurb and info on the neck tag, pouring and glassware recommendations along the right side of the label, sampled in a wide mouth wine glass. Sediment is visible in the bottom of the bottle. L: Cloudy sunburnt orange with a frothy beige head that slowly receded into a thin layer of creamy foam. Splotchy lace rings the glass, this is off to a good start. S: Light aromas of musty leather that bring forth a aromatic vinous fruitiness, scents of a dry sirah, along with a little green pear. Framing the edges is clove, earthy spices and touches of oak. F&T: Just the right amount of carbonation to a firm creamy feel in the mouth, giving the light body a little heft. The yeast provides a spicy tartness to balance the sweet tastes of caramel, red grapes and green, not quite ripen pears. Towards the end sticky clove and a Brett earth mustiness emerges to go along with mild hop spiciness. The oak barrel tastes are pretty restrained, bare traces of green wood nuttiness. Finishes with a quenching dryness, lingering tastes of red grapes and crusty bread. Through out the taste is a mild acidity, giving the fruity flavors a soft bite. Another well crafted Belgium style ale from Allagash, another confirmation for my love of the beers from this Maine brewery.

2006 Vintage 750ml bottle shared with Cyn, really love Allagash’s beers so I’m psyched to see where this one takes me. Beautiful nose wafts out of this on initial pour. Pours sparkly orange with a nice half finger tan head. Nose is really nice as I said, notes of fruit, and champagne with some vinous qualities as well. Taste is tart, sweet and well rounded with lots of fruit and wine like character. Its pretty amazing how much red wine character comes through and builds through this beer. The rich flavors of red wine come through in a beer that is both slightly sour and also kind of sweet. Taste is pretty great and it really sticks with you, and plays with the mouth for a while after every sip. This is a unique Belgian strong, with so much variety and so much flair. Great work Allagash, this beer rocks.

2007 bottle poured into the trusty Duvel tulip. A nice goldenrod body fills the glass, topped by a slightly fizzy white head of one finger. Due to the champagne-like carbonation of this beer, the head dissipates quickly to a thin halo and doesn’t leave much lacing. My nose catches a big shot of vinous champagne aroma. White grapes, brett, funky apple. A round sourness is the result of the brettanomyces here. Spicy, lemony, a bit oaky, citrus zest. Very complex and very delicious. The champagney carbonation really works nicely here. The body is light but not flimsy. Very crisp and clean finish. Drinking a 750 of this beer is no problem. The alcohol is hidden well and the flavor is just succulent. Incredible beer, hats off to Allagash. This is their Temptation.