Allagash Odyssey

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

Deep dark aroma lingering in the nose. Chocolate, light hop bite, with an alcohol balance. aofoxxy described it best as tasting like a Heath bar. A first class, damn fine brew. Thank you Tmoney99 for sharing this brew at the Cincinnati Ratebeer Gathering.

Bottling October 2006 / Cases Bottled 460

8/03/2007: Allagash Odyssey is very dark brown and has a foamy tan head. The aroma is a mouth-watering blend of sour cherries, dark fruits, and slight bit of oak and bourbon. The alcohol is well hidden in the strong and malty flavor. The flavor is also accentuatued with lots of caramel, dark and aged fruit, and some smooth bourbon-like alcohol. The mouth feel of this beer is medium-full to full and very smooth and complex. This is an excellent beer that was quite a treat. I hope to have to opportunity to enjoy this beer again someday...

750 mL bottle (10.3% Alcohol by Vol.) shared by Tmoney99 at the Cincinnati RateBeer Gathering. Thanks for sharing! Rating #173 for this beer...

Bottle from River’s Bend. Poured reddish/brown color with an average light brown fizzy head that lasted with good lacing. Complex dark fruit, woody, caramel and alcohol aroma. Medium to full body with a smooth texture. Full complex sweet bourbon flavor with solid bittersweet finish and a small bite of alcohol. Good standout brew.

Pours out a deep brown color with a thin tan head. Aroma was very fruity with a lot of oak a vanilla. Flavor ws very nice and smooth. The bourbon was not flavors were not over the top on this one. Outstanding job

Bomber acquired @ Allagash Brewery, Portland, ME, and shared with ArcaneApollo. Pours a deep reddish-brown with a lacy tan head. The aroma is largely vanilla and oak, with a slight fruit and smoky characteristic thrown in. The flavor is the same, but overall it seems this beer is a bit confused. The flavors, vanilla, oak, plum, raisin, yeast, grape, and so forth, seem to crash into each other at times rather than subtly sliding and dancing across the tongue as in many Allagash brews. The alcohol is more noticeable here than in others I’ve tried from Allagash. Good, but not in the same league as their best.

Cloudy dark brown with violet and crimson hues. A booming light beige head has fantastic retention and imparts thick, eye-catching lacing. The aroma is very vinous, very alluring and very tangled. A mosaic of port, oak, vanilla, smoke and plums usher in the nose. They’re followed by aromas of grapes, whisky, tobacco, caramel and raisins. Awesome, though somewhat convoluted and too dynamic to pin down any forward-motioning allignment of scents that result in one ultimate melding of the aroma. It’s a novel nose, sure, but it struggles to get any foothold that would set a precedent for a relaxing style of analysis. Alcohol is moderately masked. The flavor is where integration happens. More smoke and dark fruit notes coalesce, with additions of heavy yeastiness parading to the fore. Bitterness is light to mild, acidity is very light and sparkling. Sweetness is too heavy but the flavor remains wonderful. Port notes are almost tangible, visible. The barrel and vanilla notes are now enshrouded by sweet malts and warmth that steadily builds from alcohol with each sip. The finish is spicy, thickening and lengthy, sweet and vinous. Mouthfeel is sticky and somewhat syrupy, my only real complaint. Full bodied and well carbonated, enough dancing bubbles to alleviate some of the sticky nature of this copious malt attack. Incredibly interesting and quite tasty. Wheat? What wheat? I absolutely love the flavor of this but find that sipping very slowly is the only way I enjoy it. I don’t think I could drink a whole bottle myself, which doesn’t seem to be a challenge with other Allagash beers.

Gorgeous pour with a delicate white head. Definite sour citrus notes on the nose, almost an earthy note trying to eak out. Very bold flavor, right amount of funk. Great bottle.

Bottle @ Beer Chef Dinner in San Francisco (5-25-07). We enjoyed this one during the second course. Brown in color with a tan head. Molasses, wheat, caramel, licorice, a lightly burnt oak flavor with a subtle and nice fruit character. Smooth. An October 2006 bottle.