Archive for the 'Allagash' category
Allagash Black
Well, well – it has turned into a veritable Belgian Stout fest around here the last couple of days. Last night I tried out the Magic Hat seasonal variety – tonight I try out a bomber of Allagash that has been sitting in my fridge for quite some time.
This one pours a very deep chocolate brown, though not overbearingly so, with a semi-dense off-white head that flares up but eventually simmers down to a light coating on the beer. The aroma here is rather fruity and has only the slightest hint of aniseed and chocolate on the nose. In the mouth, this beer isn’t near as viscous as I’d expect from the genre. On the contrary, it slides easily through the mouth, not really sticking to the tongue or mouth much at all. The flavor here is oddly tart for a stout, though combined with some decent chocolate and toffee hints that give it an interesting combination of the rich and dark with the cherry sours. It *is* a good stout. It has a richness of flavor, though it isn’t adequately complemented by the texture of the beer. I do especially like the tartness of the cherry flavors, as it cuts any residual richness, though it’d be much more effective if the richness of flavor were combined with a greater richness of texture. Overall, I would have to say that the Magic Hat from last night put this beer to shame. This is a tough thing to say, as these Allagash bombers cost a premium and Magic Hat is relatively affordable. But, hey, the tastebuds don’t lie…
Allagash Fluxus
At the risk of selling out I implore you, regardless of what is written below, to buy this beer. Proceeds from the sale of this beer go to fund education for pediatric nurses or soon-to-be pediatric nurses at the Maine Medical Center and being a nurse myself I have to plug the cause. I did not know this until after I visited the Allagash website so my purchase wasn’t based on philanthropy, but your’s should be. That being said I will review the beer as objectively as I can, as I always try to do.
It’s been quite a while since my shadow has darkened the doorway of Sam’s Bluelight. My stash has mainly been made up of BOMC brews and stuff I haven’t really felt like reviewing so I was glad to see this beer “Mecca” had some new offerings. I’m not entirely sure why I chose to by this beer because I often times find Allagash ales to be overpriced and weird. I can appreciate the complexity that results from experimentation but most of the time it just seems to be too much. This particular ale is brewed with yarrow, a spice thought to have healing qualities. More specific to brewing, yarrow is sometimes used as a hop substitute. Given the recent hop shortage this could prove beneficial. If nothing else maybe the Fluxus will counteract some of the damage I’ve been doing to my liver. Here’s to hoping.
The Fluxus is opaque with a cooper hue. I’m not noticing any sediment but it is murky nonetheless. The head is fairly thick and pillowy and once it mellows leaves about an 1/8 inch ring around the top of the glass. It smells fresh and earthy. There are hints of lemon and cirtus fruits, as well as touches of floral goodness. The taste is strong and mouthfeel thick. It has a sweet ‘n’ spicy bite that tingles throughout the mouth. I’m getting lemon zest mixed with orange/tangerine and a touch of grapefruit that has a thick honey-like characteristic as it seems to flow slowly from the back of the tongue and down the throat. This beer attaches itself to every part of the mouth. It reminds me of a belgian triple. I know Allagash specializes in belgian-style ales so my assumption may not be far off the mark. This is a very good beer and one that I am enjoying. I don’t know if it should cost $19.00 but a hefty price tag has never stopped me from buying a beer before so I guess I am contributing to the problem.If you like belgian beers you’ll like this beer and if not at least you’ll be helping educate someone in an invaluable profession.
Allagash Musette
Okay. This beer has been sitting in my fridge for at least 3 months, probably more. The reason for this is that, frankly, these special edition Allagash beers haven’t entirely pleased me. The Musette, along with several others (Curieux, Victoria, etc), have comprised an experimental (and pricey) run of Allagash beers, all of which are aged in barrels from various wood, wine, and bourbon pasts. The initial beers that I tried from this line provided me with interesting, although not consistently pleasing, results. Don’t get me wrong, a couple of them have been pretty good. But, a couple of them have been hard to finish. And, at $14 a bottle, it’s a risk that my theoretically-fiscally-sound self doesn’t want to take often. So, bottom line, I bought this a few months back and ceased to buy further editions of these Allagash beers. Then, I proceeded to leave this one sitting in the fridge for months because A) It’s expensive and B) I was afraid it would suck. So, tonight, I open it. And what do I find? It rules. This is truly a delicious and complex beers and, while I’m glad I’m leaving this series of Allagash brews on a good note, it kinda makes me wish I hadn’t stopped buying them (I’ve missed out on two subsequent offerings).
The beer pours a dark and just-slightly-cloudy amber color, smelling of caramel, oak, and toffee. In the mouth, the beer has a slippery but full mouthfeel. The flavor begins very sweet, and it never quite loses the sweetness. It is a refined sugary sweet, again reminiscent of caramel. However, on top of this sweetness layers bits of toffee, malt, and a succinct woodsy flavor. There isn’t much bitterness here, and the sweetness doesn’t come across as cheap. Rather, it’s a rich dessert flavor that makes it feel like this beer would sit nicely on the hearth of a stone fireplace with a big bearskin rug and a crackling fire. More of a Sean Connery than a Hugh Grant, if you get my drift. Altogether a big, complex beer with lots to offer. And, oh yeah, this one was aged in oak barrels – that’s its gimmick.
Allagash Victoria Ale
This ale piqued the interest because it is apparently an “Ale brewed with grapes”. This strikes me as a little peculiar. I mean, we have wine. Then we have beer. Never the twain shall meet. But, here they are and, surprisingly, they play pretty well together. This beer pours a fairly light cloudy golden. The aroma gives you a slight citrus, almost like a wheat beer, along with a substantial touch of grape. In the mouth, the beer is hoppy and sweet, and the grape flavor doesn’t hit the mouth until right at the back, and then it sticks with you a bit in the aftertaste. I was worried that, upon opening this beer, I would pour out a purplish liquid reeking of grape kool-aid flavoring. On the contrary, I found a tasty beer with subtle hints of fruit sweetness that is quite pleasant. While this is still a novelty, it’s a novelty that could easily grow on a fella.
Allagash Curieux
Weird Beer! The only description you’ll find on this beer bottle is “Ale Aged in Oak Bourbon Barrels.” So, being a lover of both beer and bourbon, I had to try it, regardless of the $14 price tag. The pour of this is a rich golden with a porous white head. That, however, is where the normality ends. The aroma of this is thick with bourbon that is overpowering enough that it is the only notable aroma. The taste is shocking initially – the bourbon taste is apparent, and you can certainly taste the oak. The mouthfeel is slightly syrupy – almost like the flavor is so thick that it translates to the viscosity of the beer. Down the throat, the taste diminishes to a sugar sweetness briefly and then promptly returns to the bourbon flavor on the sides of the mouth. A very interesting beer – certainly one of a kind. Probably not one that I’ll buy again, but one that I’m glad I tried.
Allagash Four
This beer is advertised by Allagash as “Four Hops, Four Malts, Fermented Four Times”. That, for those who aren’t into obscure beer terminology, would make this a Quadrupel. I really like quadrupels, if only for the gluttonous excess that they represent. It’s like taking a perfectly good beer and saying, “Ah, what the hell – let’s go ahead and ferment this 3 more times just for the hell of it.”
Speaking to this particular beer, I can say that this is one of the better quadrupels that I have tasted. It pours a deep and very cloudy amber color, so this must not be a filtered ale. The aroma has less licorice in it than most quadrupels, and this aroma is replaced by a fruity sweetness. In the mouth, the initial taste is rather strong and shocking. Lots of fruit, some anise, and a pretty big amount of hops that is masked by the malty sweet. If you really take the time to analyze the flavors, you’ll find that there are a LOT of them. Down the throat, the beer leaves behind a sweetness reminiscent of berries that is very pleasant. I am very impressed by Allagash and American beer in general, as they have made a quadrupel that easily rivals most of the native Belgian counterparts. This is highly recommended, and you might want to get this while you can, because I fear that it is a seasonal offering.
Allagash Grand Cru
This is yet another Abbey style ale. I know that I keep reviewing Abbey ales and Belgian Tripels over and over. But, these are my favorite varieties, so you have to bear with me. Once I drink every single Belgian Tripel out there, maybe I’ll journey into some other porters and pilsners – we’ll see.
But, back to the beer – This is a delicious representation of an abbey style ale. It is fairly dark, but not overbearing – quite light enough to be amenable to the less adventurous drinker. The aroma is very spicy and fruity with hints of plum and cherry – very nice. There is a slight taste of the licorice that I’m not always into. But, it is nicely off-set with heavier tastes of dark fruit. The mouthfeel is heavy and effervescent through the mouth, and the aftertaste sticks with you long after the beer is gone. An excellent brew, and one of the best American representations of an abbey ale that I have tasted.
Allagash Dubbel
First of all, I apologize for the picture – it is actually a photo of the Allagash Dubbel Reserve, which is a more uppity beer than the standard Dubbel that I tested. Now that we are past this discrepancy, let’s get on with the review. This is an entirely different experience when compared to the tripels that I have been so smitten with lately. The Allagash dubbel is dark and malty, and exhibits flavors of dark chocolate and coffee. The head is a tinge fruity, which is unexpected, and which I didn’t notice until far into the beer. Quite sweet, for this variety. All in all, a very enjoyable drink. With my previous review of Chimay, I intimated that the dubbels bear similarities to a good stout, but exhibit a sweetness and complexity that sets them apart. The Allagash is no different in this respect, although I find a more fruity tinge to the Allagash version of the variety.
