Allagash Musette

Bottle sampled in mid-July 2006: Pours a transparent dark orange copper with a well-lacing frothy light tan head. Complex woody oak and sweet dark caramel malty aroma has some toasty bready notes. Body starts with a lightly sweet, full caramel and Belgian maltiness wtih some big buttery oaky flavor. Nicely-balanced, unique and enjoyable.

Pours a hazy caramel amber color with a thin, bubbly, offwhite head. Good aroma of caramel with earthy and peaty malts. Good flavor of caramel with oak, earthy, peaty malts and some yeast on a light to medium, creamy body, the carbonation is non-intrusive and soft. Quite different from other Allagash beers, interesting but far from my favorite beers from this brewery.

Bottle. Murky brown pour - cider colored - with a fluffly cream colored head. Sweet, malty, and earthy aroma, with figgy notes. Vanilla and oak are apparent in the aroma, but not as much as I expected. Faint bread and yeast also, with some toffee notes. Very musty and earthy flavor. Smooth, full malty flavor with a hint of bitterness. Finish is short but clean. Reminds me of a De Dolle beer I’ve had (maybe ara bier, but I’m not sure), but not as good. It tastes really belgian-esque to me, much more than it probably should, especially for a scotch ale. Not bad, but allagash has better stuff. Lots of carbonation, considering its barrel aged, I didn’t expect that.

Large, milky brown head of medium sized bubbles. Head is a little flittzy for a scotch ale. I expected a nice thick dense head that retains itself for a long time. Little fruity aroma. Some malts but not enough. I read the description now and see that this is modeled after a "belgian" scotch ale. Has more of the yeasty and fruity aroma of a belgian strong than a scotch ale. No smoke, no peat, no thick chewey malts. Slightly vinuous with just a hint of bourbon. Color is a dark amber. The flavor is more in line with the style. Pretty malty and a little sweet. Good alcohol warming. Little fruit again and a touch of tartness from the oak. Needs more earthy and peat notes. Only a slight bourbon overtone again. Body is a little thin but packs alot of flavor. Finish is pretty hot actually and kind of short lived. A good scotch ale should have an ending that hangs around for a while. Regardless this is still a pretty damn tasty brew but I am a little dissapointed. It may need to lay down for a while longer though.

Pours out a turbid chestnut color with a tall, steadfast rocky cream colored head. Aroma is awash with bourbon soaked oak and hints of vanilla, lively yeast, toasted malts, earthy hops that poke through at random intervals, brown sugar and smoke. Smells elegant and viscous, nearing vinous qualities if not for the brash whiskey intermingling within. Needless to say, alcohol masking is not really taking place here, it’s bold and abrasive like a young cabernet. Flavor is subtle in all its mannerisms, strangely exotic. Focus now moves to the smoky malts and whisky, then on to dark fruits. Palate is full and very refined and gentle. Finishes with a subtle spiciness and eloquent tang, reminiscent of Belgium’s finest. The bourbon component is a conundrum; I think it would have provided a better all around presence had the beer been aged for a much shorter, or a much longer time in the barrel. This level of spicy whisky clashes with the overall profile. Somewhat wandering as a finished product, but delicious in spite of that. Time will tell what this is truly capable of, it is a little hot at such a young age. I just love Allagash and this proves to be no exception.

Pours a cloudy rust color with a large off-white head, that fizzes to a nice ring. Strong aroma here, with some sour fruit, oak, vanilla, and cheese. First thing I taste is the vanilla and caramel notes, followed by a strong dark fruit taste, along with a slight sour fruit flavor. Plenty of toffee tastes hitting the sides of my mouth. Finishes pretty dry and woody, with yeast and hops working well together. This beer felt medium and creamy, and the carbonation was pretty high. Alcohol was pretty high in the aroma and flavor. This beer does everything it set out to do very well, except for hiding the alcohol and being affordable. Still a good beer that is much more enjoyable than McChouffe.

Dark gold pour, no head. Aroma of grapes, cherry, and oak. Flavor is brown sugar, dark fruit, cherry, vanilla, and a bit of sourness. Medium body with high carbonation.

750 mL bottle dated May ’06. Poured a dirty, lighter iced tea brown with a short, uneven cap of off-white head. Nose was of dark stewed fruits and burnt caramel... herbs, oak, vanilla, and alcohol rise with warmth and there was faint citrus lurking in the background. Flavor had well-integrated oak accents.. caramel, spiked dark fruits, vanilla, sweet bourbon, and fruit formed a sticky goodness and finish. Heavier-bodied.. soft carbonation with prickly alcohol and herbal bitterness on the palate. Good stuff!