Allagash Interlude

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

Any first impressions?
-A lumpy veil of creamy head remains over a galvanized, metallic orange.
-A classy, subdued perfume of sweet apricots and oranges approaches the nostrils, dressed in algae and earthy pine combs.
-Sweet orange zest’s in perfect harmony with the wooden wilderness, a masterful, orchestral deployment.
-Body is full, and not completely clean, which is lots of fun for such a strong ale; this is a hefty number.

What if you dig deeper?
-White wine fruitiness is perfectly integrated to the well-balanced flavors.
-The aftertaste is mellow, maybe too much so since I would have liked the flavors to be prolonged.
-Caramel sweetness, mild tartness, and alcohol warmth develop with each sip, building complexity.
-The brewer’s intricate and passionate mind is easily palpable.

Will this nascent wild ale abundance be a fad?
-If they all can reach the beauty of Ommegeddon, Mo’Betta Bretta, Nerdlinger, Interlude, Le Woody, etc., I really don’t mind!

Bottles; first, a rather fresh 2005 vintage; then an 18-month-old bottle of the same vintage, and finally a 2007 vintage.

After opening with a nice "thud," aromas of citrus, bananas and beautiful tarte sugar immediately permiated the air. The head, which was a creamy white, is generously fed by the carbonation below generated by the Duvel tupil this one was poured into. The color was a crystal clear amber with no trace of haze to be seen. Smells of citrus, peaches, tarte malt, grapes, and some spices. Tastes lightly sour with some peppery splashes. Somewhat nutty, but lacking the fruity qualities with the exception of some bananas and tarte cherries. Mouthfeel is splashy with some tingliness to it. Finish is lightly sour, but not as much so as I was hoping. The alcohol is well masked in this one, making it yet another excellent limited offering from Allagash.

Tap at Blind Tiger. Pale orange, cloudy appearance. Thick white head. Very light spicy aroma, lots of wheaty aroma and a yeasty sweetness. Cardamom and lots of fruity character. A bit of citrus, lemon and light coriander and lemongrass. Low bitterness, but with a Belgian feel with a hint of oak and vanilla in the finish.

2007 - Great looking cloudy peach and rusty golden orange colored body. Nose of old oranges, but that’s a small part of it – really it is mostly a musty yogurt and brett scent, soft and muddy, lightly acidic on the nose, but muddled would be the best word… it doesn’t really do much, just sits there muddled and the orange and brett smells don’t work together at all. Mildly crisp with a doughy orange and peach flavor, a little lactic, only slightly sour. Again it just doesn’t work, like it’s trying too many things, and it’s stuck between being a sour ale and being a sweet yeast-heavy Belgian golden. Still it certainly tastes good but it’s no godsend, it has it’s problems. The light yogurt and tannic flavors are nice, though.

2006 - a lot of apple, not green apple that you’d associate with acetylhyde, but a crisp red apple smell and flavor throughout the drink. Lots of biscuits and red apple skins, and a prickly and spicy brett character. I’m surprised at how different this is compared to both the 2007 and 2005... those two were more similar to each other, while this one is pretty different with all of the strange apple and candy sugar flavors.

2005 - Soft bretty nose, sweaty and fruity and spicy all at the same time - tart, dried fruit, banana and pineapple, lightly prickly and dry, Full, frothy, a bit of sweet honey as well. Quite good, but not huge development of brett.

One whiff of this amber hued ale and you know you’re in for a wild drink. The barnyard funkiness of the Brettanomyces practically leaps into the nose. There’s also many a fruity scent - peaches & nectarines, berries, orchard fruit. The very thought of drinking this rather than just sniffing it seemed anticlimactic. Luckily, the flavor’s not a let-down. The aforementioned are joined by white peppers, alcohol, and a touch of lemon zest, all smoothly blended together. Very fine ale.

Fairly thick pouring liquid. A dark golden to amber color that has a slight haze that added to the look of thickness. A tall cream colored head. Thick dense rings of lace. Crisp tart apples, oak, attic/dry barn floral soap and apple peels all come to mind with a sniff of this one. Reminds me of my youth and going to the apple orchard to pick up apples in the fall and watching the sorting and making of fresh apple cider. Should likely get another point just for that, but I’ll refrain. The first sip is a real eye-opener. Not the sweet cider flavors I was expecting. Just looked at Oakes notes and I concur, but I will continue. Light sweet malt is quickly swept away by a rush dust from the granary. This really does leave a nice sheet of foam on the glass. Light citric backdrop which keeps this one lively. This has some of the qualities of RR Temptation, but lacks some of the depth. Enjoyable, but missing that little something extra. I will really enjoy the last half of this bottle unfettered with stroking the keyboard.

Bottle@Home, shared with my 17y old son who loved it as well! Citrus, oak and leather aroma. Orange/amber colour, beige head, good lace. Light sweet, light bitter, bit citric, citrus, oak, leather, hint of licorice. Sticky and warming. Complex, well balanced, flavourful.

Bottle: Gold, nice head and lacing. Nose of fresh spicy orange and pilsner malt. Nice herbal character. The flavor is strong, nice alcohol, creamy malting with sweetness and a nice hop overtone. Very nice balanced belgian style.