Allagash Odyssey

750ml caged&corked bottle. Pours a deep brown like a cherry/mahagony wood stain with a minimal (though very long-lasting) light tan head that leaves occasional, thick, tendrils of lace on parts of the glass. Aroma is complex and interesting. My first impression was, "bacon?" from a distinct, though far from overpowering, smokiness combined with malt sweetness that subtly resembles maple. Layers of malt sweetness with caramel and chocolate follow along with a big whiff of alcohol. There are notes of dried cherry in the aroma, too, along with a subtle woody character. The flavor starts rich in roasted and caramel character - like robust porter. There is a hint of smokiness - much less than alluded to by the aroma. The smokiness actually blends well and accentuates the roasted grain character. The second wave of flavors is fruity with esters. As the beer nears the middle of the tongue, notes of Scotch whiskey (dry, a little smoke, alcohol) emerge. There is a nice dryness with notes of chocolate. Very complex, very tasty, and very nice. The mouthfeel is medium-full in body, slippery, with tendrils of thickness. The carbonation is decent, but low for strong Belgian ales - but in a good way as the lack of extreme bubbles makes the beer softer on the palate and helps bring attention to the complex layers of flavor herein. Overall - another knockout from Allagash. These beers are really pricey (~$13/bottle - $20 for Interlude!) but so worth it - so much better than buying a $13 bottle of wine (which is pretty common).

Bomber. Poured a cloudy mahogany with an impressive coffee/cream head. Aromas typical of strong ales - candied fruit, bittersweet chocolate, toffee, molasses. Taste is very heavy in chocolate, with a good amount of hops to give it a nice bite.

This beer gets strong points just for the label artwork. Wonderful aroma, it jumps out of the bottle as soon as it is popped, following from the pour into the glass and all the way out to my chair, this beer has filled the air. The yeast strain is very aggressive in the nose, followed by the barrel aged toastiness coming in a close 2nd. Lots of fruit on the palate along with alcohol, and some of the bready maltiness gets drowned in that, giving this kind of a harsh astrigency. Very well done again, but I would like to see how this ages and evens out.

Dark brown pour. A bit watery with a thick fluffy light tan head. The aroma is amazing. One of the most aromatic beers I’ve had. A very strong sweet bread, perhaps banana bread, aroma. Hints of honey and molasses. Some grain and some fruit as well -apples and grapes. Very unique and complex. The flavor is good, but not quite as good as the aroma. Sweet fruity grape and apple flavor but that is quickly overrun by a strong bitter alcohol flavor that lingers. There’s a nice bready aftertaste to finish it off. A good beer, though not necessarily worth the price.

dark hazy pour, big full offwhite head. Aroma is fruity, some cherries, apples, maybe some apricot, with a touch of smoke, and sweet malt. Flavour is very nice, lots of sweet malt, with a good dose of caramel, and some sweet tobacco, and smoke. A very complex beer, i’m sure i missed many nuances, but what i had i really enjoyed.