Allagash Musette

750 mL bottle - Crystal clear copper orange/red color with small creamy off white head. Aroma is full of light caramel, hints of citrusy notes, including orange and pear, hints of toasted oak, vanilla, red wine vinegar. Flavor is malty, chewy, with lots of caramel, notes of apple, pear, oak, cherries, sherry, faintest hint of bourbon. Finish is fairly sweet. A pretty good brew overall. Not amazing, but solid and well made.

C&C 750, May 2006 bottling. I’ve cellared this since it was released, at the recommendation of friends who tried it fresh, and said it was a bit rough. Let’s see how we’re doin’. Lightly hazed orange-amber with a thin eggshell head. Lots of carbonation rolling up the sides of my Karmeliet glass. Sweet, fruity nose, light spice and wood. Flavor is dark fruits - more like a dubbel, really - some brown sugar and light oakiness. The peaty notes are there, but very muted, like the barrel sucked most of the scotchiness out of it. Rather clean finish, a light woodiness. The only hint of the 10% is a warming deep in the gullett. Not a great example of the style, but a damn tasty brew.

2006 750 ml bottle. Pours a rusty orange brown with a medium sized foamy beige head. Aroma of oak, coriander, caramel, nutmeg and dark fruit. Taste is slightly spicy with hints of coriander, nutmeg, dark fruit and caramel. A slight alcoholic finish.

Bottle, thanks a lot for sharing this treasure Todd! Spicy, koriander, clove, raspberry,fig, apple, vineous nose. Brown, off-white creamy head. Very like smoke on the palate, light notes from the aroma go again, spicy, nutty almondy, wood, a hint leather and cobbwebs (brett I guess). Full body, champagne mouthfeel. Fruity aftertaste. Excellent!

Tap at Blind Tiger. Deep brown beer, thick tan head. Fairly assertive oaky aroma over a rich sweet maltiness. Prune and a soft plumminess and raisiny sweetness along with an understated malty sweetness. While sweet it is drinkable and not cloying. Figs and dates also appear. Falvour is quite soft and dubbelish, figgy fruitiness, Belgian crystal malt and a lovely soft oaky quality. Oak is subtle in flavour compared with that which appears in the nose. Warming brings up some vanilla and a bit of toasted oak. Tasty brew.

Bottle dated December 2006. Poured a rather cloudy light brown with a very thin head. Intially served a little cold but as it warmed the sourness faded to a little more light malt and spice. Sourness persisted throughout the tasting, not what I’d expect from a scotch ale. Didn’t pick up the expected oak from the barrel aging. Something I’d like to try again.

Bottle: Poured a deep copper color ale with a big foamy head with good retention and small lacing rings. Aroma of sweet malt with some notes of light oak. Taste is dominated by a big sweet malt base with some toffee notes. The bourbon and the alcohol were not discernable. I was expecting more peat malt and less sweetness but I enjoyed this one very much even thought it stray very much from the style guideline.

750 ml bottle dated December, 2006. Pours a hazy brownish amber with a moderate off-white head that lasted until about mid-glass. The aroma was nice with some oak notes along with some malt and a bit of figs. The flavor is less interesting with a bit of oak, some molasses and light malt, and a bit of spice. The components seem to be there, it just doesn’t seem to quite come together, resulting in a beer that is a bit dull. Moderate dryness at the finish with some warmth from the alcohol. I expected more smoothness and flavor out of this beer.