Allagash Musette

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

Serve in Thistle

Pours a dark plum color with a slight red tint. Aroma is dominated by scotch but also has hints of chocolate and dark fruit. Very strong scotch presence with tastes of dark fruit, vanilla and butterscotch.

bottle. pours a deep hazy amber, with a huge fluffy off-white head that lasts and lasts, and leaves a nice bit of lacing. smell is raisin and plum and grape and pear, with some woody caramel notes threatening the fruity esters for dominance, but failing. also a hint of alcohol in the end of the smell, but nothing that overwhelms, and certainly nothing that detracts. tons of fruit in the taste, dominated by pear and grape, along with some spices, and again a large caramel malty note, as well as some wood and a bit of bread. a chewy and coating mouthfeel, with a light bittersweet finish, a lot of carbonation, and a pretty full body. reminds me of some of my favorite belgians (like rochefort 10 and st. bernardus), except with the esters tending more toward pear, and a lot more of a caramel malt character. i really enjoyed this beer, and i wish i didn’t have to pay $13.99 for it.

(750ml bottle) Purchased at Bottleworks for $17.99. Nicely carbonated. Cloudy orange-brown body with a medium lasting white foamy head. Nose of scotch barrels and coriander. Burnt brown sugar tongue, wine and a smooth oily elixir finishing with caramel and fruit. So sweet.

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.