Allagash Musette

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

Serve in Thistle

Hazy dark amber color; small but dense white head. Aroma has hints of smokey peat malt and some oak. Oak tannins, light toast and smoke come across the palate. Light hop presence in the background with some fruity yeast and dry oak in the finish. Not bad.

Jacksonville, Fl. - Total Wine - 750 ml bottle. Dark copper pour, white silky head - leaves a nice coat of lacing. Aroma is gentle, not very persuasive. Faint nuttiness, some smoky notes. Smooth flavor. Pick up some of those same roasted notes, a hint of cherries, some caramel and toffee to round it out. Flavor improves as it warms. High ABV is not noticed at all. Mouthfeel is thick and luxuriant and coats the mouth. Good belly warmer but just missing that little but of oomph I usually get from Allagash.

2006 bottle shared by SuIIy on 3/9/07
High clarity shows off a beautiful auburn-amber body with deep garnet highlights and a bit of beige swirled in. Light beige head is medium to small in size, but is rather dense and is retained well at cover, leaving light to moderate amounts of lacing on the glass.
Mushy peaches and apricots are mixed with caramel and toffee. Lots of fruitiness from the malt up front. A more dry shot of vanilla (though still not that dry) comes through the middle, with light phenols (cinnamon, clove, white pepper) harrying the finish and adding more dryness. Very fruity esters pronounce the yeast as Belgian, with a strong strawberrry/cherry/red apple appeal. Elegant cork/wood flavors on the end seem more a product of the yeast (the musty cork-like notes, anyways) while I’m left wondering how anyone could complain about the amount of barrel aging. I think I actually forgot that this was barrel-aged until a few days after I drank it. Strong aroma, with the big cushion of malt sweetness and fruitiness up front really showing the most dominance. It’s, perhaps, a bit strong yet, and you may even call the musty yeastiness on the end slightly vegetal in nature, but yet again, I’m shocked by how well this beer has cleaned up from when it was fresh (fair amount of DMS when young). Alcohol seems mostly relaxed in the nose, certainly some warmth/dryness is perceived, but it matches the strong Belgian nature of the beer just fine, I think.
Seductively soft on the palate, with toffee, vanilla cream and very light, spicy whiskey notes. Fair amount of fruitiness plays about with some phenolic dryness, though the beer remains mostly sweet until the finish. A fair amount of "peachiness" for lack of a better term, builds up on the palate, on the finish. Some type of combination between the malt fruitiness and light yeast (I think it’s the yeast, not the barrel) acidity/alcohol. But the sumptuous malt, with a fine-tuned oakiness trumps the negative aspects of the beer, and the soft mouthfeel certainly helps as well (though there is a bit of wateriness/looseness).

bottle- cheers pops- pours a cloudy copper color with a nice foamy offwhite head. nice lacing as well. definately doesnt smell like no scotch ale ive ever had. much more belgiumish probably the yeast and such, some roasted malts and caramel alcohol. a very strange beer. tastes malty but i definately think it has more of a belgium strong taste than scottish. the sour yeastie flavor overpowers anything scottish about it. nice finish with alcohol warming. i think i may eat a piece of cake with this one.

slightly cloudy bronze color, a bit foamy on the head at first, but settles out to a solid layer of fine head. alot of wood in the nose, along with some yeast, caramel, and a hint of vanilla. very smooth, lots of caramel in the flavor, with the belgian yeast very evident, giving a bit of a doughy flavor up front. the bourbon comes in towards the end and makes up the slightly bitter aftertaste. the smoothness is excellent, although i have had this before, and remember it being a bit smoother...my bottle was an august 06, and i think waiting on this to blend and age would enhance an already very good beer.

Caramel and vanilla, with hints of melon and apple. Pours amber. Caramel, vanilla, feint hints of smoke, very smooth on the palate. Good malt character, feint bourbon in the middle and after taste, not as strong as in the Curieux. Very nice beer, exceptionally smooth.

Body is ruby with a thin white head. Aroma is caramel, very malty, with oak and vanilla. Taste malty and warming with yeast and vanilla.

Hazy deep ruby with a moderate head, good lacing and retention. Aroma is funk, darker malts and fruits, sugar, spices, hint of barrel. Flavor brings this, the funk and some of the malts really stood out. Medium bodied and very drinkable. There’s a lot going on here, but it’s hard to call this a scotch ale. Enjoyable, a nice sipper.