Allagash Musette

Dark amber with big, foamy head / Sweet nose of wine, toffee, leather and raisins / Full, creamy, winey body with alcohol in balance and long finish / Flavors of smoke, leather, toffee, dates, apricots and coconut with burnt sugar finish / An absolutely perfect Scotch ale.

Dulled light maple brown color with a bit of dark orange cast to it. Dense medium capping of light tanned foam sits firmly for a bit before fading to a light skim. Lacing is impressive in big sticky sheets. Aroma is a well rounded display of dulled malty tones that enrich the thoughts of thick vanilla, brown sugar, raisin, fig, and a slight nuttyness. Thickly sweet and dulled like that of something being caramelized. But there’s a very nice noting to a slight yeasty funk that adds just the right amount of bardyard sourness. Taste is rich and fulfilling with malt enduced flavors and thickness. A fair blend of vanilla and caramelized candy coated breads texturize the palate into submission. Sweetness is tamed only by slight accents to some smokey, lofty oaken wood notes and slight tang of Belgian soured candy and floral farmhouse funk. Finishes thick and impressive with lots of tone and length. Malts are lovely in this one. Yummyrific! Feel is velvety thick and lasting. Smooth in tone but substantail in a malty girth that screams thickness, yet yells softness as it bellows them both out during each wonerful taste. It has a great soaking nature to it that engulfs you into the session and the enjoyment is heightened. A lovely beer by Allagash. Thick, rich, lasting, inviting, and overtaking. Really at this point I’m left speechless as it supercedes words for the most part. Heavenly.

750 ml bottle. Pours to a deep amber to chestnut color, with a thick, creamy, white head, and a good bit of carbonation. The nose on this beer is outstanding with lots of really good sweet malt/caramel/toffee aromas, paired with some earthy yeast, with hints of vanilla, and alcohol. The palate is fat and slick on the tongue, with lots of good sweet malt, caramel, toffee, and hints of vanilla. This beer finishes with more excellent malt and toffee flavors, then ends with some spicy/earty yeast flavor to take the cloying edge off. A nice warming burn follows and lingers. A really excellent after dinner or desert beer, and a wonderful beer to enjoy as a night cap. I’m not sure that the barrel aging had a huge impact on the over all character of this beer, but clearly this beer has gained some character from a portion of the brew being barrel aged. Unique and delicious version of a Belgian inspired Scotch Ale. Well worth trying.

Sampled on-tap. Pours a slightly clouded dark ruby. Flavor is amazingly smooth. Wood character comes through as does a good sweet tone. Who cares about specifics. Feel is perfect balance between liquid and carbonation. I cant believe I am having this on tap. So drinkable, I want to kill the keg. I can only imagine what this is like on bottle and plan on finding out at some point.

Pours brown with a small head. Smells smoky with some nice malty notes, caramel, figs, nuts and rosey hints. Tastes nutty with some cocoa and slight smoky taste.