Allagash Odyssey

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

This is a fine creation; a full nose that foreshadows the variety of flavors that wait within. No shortage of oak here, but not nearly as intrusive or distracting as some other oak aged beers. The flavor is a very nice blend of oak, yeasty esters, smoke and boozy warmth. Dead on carbonation and a medium body, it is as equally pleasing to feel as it is to taste. This is a fantastic brew. Cheers!

750mL bottle, dated February 2005. Poured a lovely shade of burnt garnet with a thick, easily-resuscitated cap of mid tan head.. surprisingly clear, but it was lovely. The aroma did anything but dissapoint.. rich vinous notes and aged molasses were accented by brown sugar, vanilla, and faint cocoa powder.. no oxidation evident, but it definitely became sweeter and deeper with age.. I lost about 8 minutes with my nose in the glass. The flavor opened with black pepper spicage and redder fruit skins, really mellowing out rather than becoming sharp.. brown sugar, aged caramel, and molasses were found on the core, laced with sweeter chocolates.. light peppery and oaky notes, dried cherries, and earth surrounded.. warm, but not hot on the finish with the same excellent malt bill. Heavily-bodied with a creamy feel on the middle and more spicy on the edges.. warm after-effects in the nose after the finish.. balance and aging were spot-on. This was just magnificent.

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.

Bottled Oct. ’06...an excellent beer overall. What I liked most was the bourbon taste, which I found to be subtle, going well with the dried fruit flavors. Very dark and sweet but not overly so. I had to get a second bottle to share with my Dad, a bourbon lover. He did not appreciate it as much as me. though. I wish I had another one of these to age. I will have to look for it again soon.

Dark brown, almost black pour with a vivacious, lasting tight frothy tan head that leaves a nice dark coating of lacing in its wake. Aroma is dominated by the quindessential allagash yeast character, and all the yummy spices it tends to produce. Oak, currant, fig, clove, banana, and a citrusy wheat malt combine with the ever prevalent doughty yeast character to produce an excellent arangement of notes. Flavor is absoluely bursting- sweet succulent dark fruit- fig, grape, black currant, and molasses are met with a definitive woody toast note that subsides into an ever so slight hint of roast and a boozy vinousness. Palate is caressing, thick, and excellently effervescent.

sampled bottle with stegosaurus.Pours a dark brown with a nice thick well retainted head. Aroma of yeast, fruit, and caramel with some hiths of oak.Taste is awesome with flavors of roasted malts,oak,spices and some sweetness. This beer is more complex than i can express in words. Excellent brew

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).

Pours a opaque brown color with a tan head. Has nice lacing. Has strong sweet taste at begining. Has hints of caramel, wood, and whiskey. Finishes sweet and full bodied. Thanks to DragonStout on his 600th.