Allagash Victor Francenstein

Brewed by Allagash Brewing Company
Style: Sour Ale/Wild Ale
Portland, Maine USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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Greg providing another Gem to share at the LCBS 10. I have been chasing this monster since it’s creation. A ruby red ale with a small pink head. The aroma was white grapes and barnyard funk. Crisp with good carbonation and flavors like white grapes, tart red fruits, and champagne. Not overly sour, I liked this the best of the Allagash ales...

Bottle at the Funky 6. Pours light red with a medium, pink head. Funky aroma with grapes, brett and other fruits. Fairly sweet flavor, sour, with more light fruits. Medium bodied with lively carbonation. Finishes tart with sweet fruit notes. Really good.

Superb aroma but the wheels kinda come off with the flavor. Pure red fruit, strawberry aroma. Flavor is a bit disjointed - acetic, butter, raspberry. May come together with a bit more cellar aging.

375ml bottle at Ebenezer’s Belgian Beer Fest shared with Glouglouburp and Rastacouere.
Appearance : Hazy amber with a small head.
Aroma : Nice sour and fruity with notes of apples. Quite barnyard with light funk. Quite sour with notes of caramel. Light stinky feets notes.
Taste : Nice sour and tart, some notes of apples and other fruits. Finish nicely sour. A bit woody especially at the end of the glass.
Overall : Nice complex nose. Nice sourness. Very interesting beer.

Tap at EBF 2010. Pours a deep ruby red with violet hints and a pinkish head. Aroma is funky, red grape skin, tannin, hints of earth, tobacco, brett and champagne. Flavor is dark cherry, grape, nutty earthy malts, lots of fruit, brett funk, mineral, slate, and tart and light tannic finish.

A: The pour is a hazy reddish-pink color with a fluffy off-white head. S: The nose is somewhat light in intensity. A decent barnyard funkiness with some hints of red grapes and strawberries and a touch of acidity. T: A light tartness to the flavor with sweet grapes and strawberries. The funk is earthy and leathery and the brett and grapes provide a very dry feel to the beer. M: The body is medium with a lively carbonation and a dry finish. D: I was surprised to see this is 9.7% ABV, as the alcohol is very well hidden. However, the beer is fairly pedestrian as far as wild ales goes, and especially for one with grapes (which I really love).

Bottle from Allagash release

Appearance: Pours a cloudy pink tinted auburn with a swirly white film for head.

Aroma: Big wine barrel, cork, funky funked out yeast.

Taste: Sour grape, oak barrel, cork, red wine vinegar. Finishes with some sweet grape notes once your mouth gets past the sourness.

Mouthfeel: Tannic, puckering, low carbonation.

Overall: Complex, not super sour, but very sharp and pronounced.

Bottle in my living room all to my own. :) I have several others...but this one is all me!! HAHAHA! Anyway. Pours a cloudy dark amber with a thin lingering white foam. Aroma of cheese, yogurt, strawberries, and sour...makes your mouth water just smelling it! Super smooth on the palate, like liquid silk. Initial bite is sour, then as it goes down you’ve got a scotch/rum like flavor that hits on the back end. Feels light and fizzy, slightly puckering, but not even close to being really sour...just a taste of it. Another one of my favorites from these guys. Doing some AMAZING stuff now Allagash, I’m loving it.

Draft @ EBF. Ruby pour, with pink head. Funky brett, grape, sour cherry notes. Not huge fan of Victor, ironically, but this was nicely funked out, tart and for 9 plus percent an easily drinkable sour.

Draft @ EBF. Pours a light red with a pink head. Aroma is largely cherry and brett, though I detected a little bacteria and some grape notes as well. Taste was funky cherry with bacteria, and brett notes, with a grape characteristic at the end. A wine slipperiness dominates the beer throughout, and the barrels added a nice mellowing characteristic to the beer. What a great experiment.