If the truth be known, I didn’t even know that this beer had been brewed back in 2019. That was a period in my life when my finger was OFF the pulse of the beer scene - so it’s not that surprising - BUT the consequence is that when I came across it in a random, Fort Wayne, IN store, I was pretty shocked and pretty delighted! $5.49 for the 11.2 oz bottle. As someone commented in the Belgian Beer Board Facebook group, “Allagash & Brasserie DuPont, what could possibly go wrong?”. Well, sure,...
Notes on beers brewed by
Allagash Brewing Company
Allagash 10th Anniversary Ale
750 mL bottle courtesy of finewinemike in my 2010 Secret Santa package - many thanks Mike. Obviously this beer is quite old, and probably at an age way beyond what the brewer originally intended so the review should be viewed in that context. Corked & Caged affair that opens with a pretty small pop and a touch of gun smoke. The pour is a fairly bright orange color, with a still body an a disappointing lack of carbonation/head/lace. I suppose that given the age of the beer that the carbonation...
Allagash Fluxus 2010
750 mL Corked & Caged bottle. Quite a pop on opening, and an inky black pour. The beer is seriously black with a very small head and little retention. What head there is has a tan color. The nose offers a light but intense roast. Tastes are very much the same, but a few pointers; + ZERO Belgian character + Well hidden alcohol + Some lactose notes + Licorice and burned character in the aftertaste There is an annoying and lingering aftertaste that feels a bit milky to me, and coupled wit the...
Allagash Burnham Road
On tap at The Brick Store. Interesting beer as it would appear that this is one of the few Allagash beers that steers away from your typical Belgian inspired styles and goes down a "road" that I was not expecting from them. Darkish, golden pour with excellent head, lace and retention. packaged in the Allagash flute/tulip, the beer holds its own nicely in the glass. Nose and tastes give a light smoke with plenty of peat in the background. it threatens to get quite strong but somehow is held...
Allagash Fluxus 2009
Review re-written after the Oct 5th 2009 BA crash. I'm on a bit of a budget for beer at the moment (very unusual) but I didn't hesitate to drop the $12.99 for the corked & caged 750 mL bottle from Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA, despite the fact that the sweet potato element makes me raise my eyebrows! Pour gives a bright orange body, nicely carbonated with good clarity and some excellent, rocky, high head. Smell gives lots of peppery bitterness a touch of alcohol and...
Allagash 11th Anniversary Ale
750 mL corked & caged. I was delighted to get hold of this as I was pretty sure that this would be a beer that I would never get the chance to try, but thanks go out to the generous trader that hooked me up. One of my favorite brewers and one of my favorite style - hopefully, that will add up to success! The pop on opening was not big, and I wonder if this has lost a little carbonation over the years. The pour also lacks much life. The body is a orange/amber hazed affair with very little head...
Allagash Confluence Ale
750 mL corked & caged affair with January 2009 on the label. Approx. $18 from Green's on Ponce, Atlanta, GA, USA. Missed this when it was on draft at The Brick Store in Decatur so this will have to do! It's a hard life! ;-) Pour is a butterscotch body on top of an impressive (if somewhat light), frothy head. Lace is OK, but not great. Large amount of sediment in the bottom of the bottle, but it does not produce a huge amount of cloudiness - odd. Nice funk in the nose and the beer is...
Allagash Fluxus 2008
Mac's midtown, Atlanta, GA, USA. Until recently I didn't realize that Fluxus was going to be a different beer from year to year; I assume that it is, since this is obviously a major departure from the same beer from last year. 750 mL corked & caged with a nice pop on opening and plenty of gunsmoke. Into the Sam Adams "speciality" glass. 8.6% on the label, 8.7% in the BA database? Honey orange body, slightly hazed and a small but decent head. Lace is light, but dense. Nose and tastes match well...
Allagash Rosa
Enjoyed this one as part of the 11th Anniversary celebrations with Lance, Dave, Mike et al at The Brick Store, Decatur, GA, USA yesterday. Significantly orange body with a limited amount of head and lace. It actually appeared that the glassware was seriously affecting the head and lace; the Allagash stemmed glass produced some nice attributes while other glasses did not do the appearance justice. Clouded body beneath the varying amounts of head. Plenty of Brett in the nose, but it never really...
Allagash Musette
$12.99 from Jax, Sandy Springs, Atlanta, GA, USA. Corked & Caged 750 mL bottle. Decent pop on opening. March 2008 bottling, apparently 650 cases were bottled. In the Duvel tulip is produces a thin, creamy surface head. No lace on the glass. Nose seems like a classic Belgian Dark with plenty of candied sugar notes with a little touch of yeast. Interesting brew this one from all kinds of angles. The BA database has this as Wee Heavy/Scotch, and the color (a deep mahogany), and the slightly...
Allagash Victor Ale
$12.99 from Jax, Sandy Springs, Atlanta, GA, USA for the 750 mL corked & caged affair. Poured into the tall, stemmed, Abbaye des Roc Chalice to reveal a honey colored body with a small head that fades to give a surface of foam and a tiny amount of lace. Nose has light alcohol, and the mild, solvent like character associated with wine - the grape notes coming through strong. This is NOT a Belgian Strong Dark by any stretch of the imagination. It's much more like a Belgian Strong Pale with some...
Allagash Victoria Ale
Not retired unless this is a new recipe and therefore a different brew. I passed on this when I was in Greensboro, NC in November as it was quite pricey. Now it has made it to GA in the latest wave of Allagash products to come into the state, and I'm delighted. $12.99 from Jax in Sandy Springs, GA, USA for the 750 mL, corked & caged bottle. Green lettering for the Allagash name. Poured into the new, 22oz(!) Terrapin snifter, this looks great. A great choice to christen the new glass. Lovely...
Allagash Hugh Malone
Purchased this one back in November 2007 in Greensboro, NC, USA. I had one bottle around Christmas time and decided to pop this one open to see how it had changed. I don't mind my IPA's with a little age on them, and coupled with the Belgian aspect, I felt this would be a good candidate to put a few months on - luckily, I was right. 750 mL corked & caged affair that opens with a big "pop". Poured into the Val-Dieu chalice it sits as a rust colored body. The head disappears very quickly to...
Allagash Odyssey
750 mL corked & caged from Jax in Sandy Springs, Atlanta, GA, USA. I think this was $12.99 for the bottle. The January 2008 bottling. I was a little wary of this, as I am with the majority of Oak-Aged beers. Often I find the oak tastes simply overwhelming. As a result I opened this with a little trepidation. Poured into the Ommegang chaice this sits nicely in the glass with a creamy, dense head (if somewhat small). Not much lace. Lovely dark brown body, almost black. Nose reveals some sweet...
Allagash Black
$10.99 from Jax, Sandy Springs, Atlanta, GA, USA. 750 mL corked & caged, relatively new to GA, in the second wave of Allagash brews. Pour is a dark, dark brown (basically black) with some dark brown chestnut highlights. Head is dense and creamy, but a little disappointing in terms of its longevity. Advertised on the label as a Belgian Style Stout, I would say this is just about exactly what I would imagine a beer in that style to be like. It has the attributes of a Belgian Strong Dark - the...
Allagash FOUR
=== Updated Review 05/08 === Second bottle from the Greensboro trip in Novemeber 2007. Looks and drinks more like a Dubbel than I remember from before. Sweet raisin notes still there in the nose which is perhaps the best aspect of this beer. The 22oz Terrapin snifter produces some nice, fine carbonation. === Original Review 12/07 === Sampled Christmas Day 2007 - 750 mL, corked & caged, purchased at $10.99 from GSO Wine Warehouse in Greensboro, NC, USA in November - just before it got to GA....
Allagash Curieux (Bourbon Barrel-Aged Tripel)
Purchased on recent trip to Greensboro, NC, USA. A mistake because it arrived in GA while I was out of state! Corked & Caged 750 mL bottle. Poured into the Duvel tulip, this is basically a slightly darker Belgian Pale. Honey colored. Creamy, small head with some lace. Aroma has some yeast, but is dominated by an alcohol solvent smell. Quite strong, not exactly sinus clearing but nevertheless very noticeable. Belgian yeast character, but two things come on strong. The Bourbon taste (that...
Allagash Fluxus 2007
On tap at the Brick Store, Decatur, GA, USA. Small serving in a goblet. Hazed, orange pour with a huge head and plenty of great lace. Very good carbonation. Looks super. Belgian base (yeast and sugar) but a significant level of herbal notes. Grassy hop feel and significant organic feel. This really takes the edge off the sugar and sweet notes. Certainly Belgian, Strong and Pale, but at the same time NOT typically Belgian Strong Pale! Less sugar sweetness, and a far more savory angle on this...
Allagash Interlude
Thanks go out to YonderWanderer for a great trade that allowed me to snag this. Corked & Caged 750 mL bottle, $21.99. Essentially this should be called a "Sour" of some description. Frankly I was really VERY, VERY disappointed. Great head in the Duvel tulip sits on top of a mid-orange body. Not a great deal of lace or retention. Nose gives away the source of my disappointment. Way too much sourness for a BSPA IMO. Even though the beer was NOT incredibly sour OVERALL, the acidity was sufficient...
Allagash Tripel Ale
Notes Added 07/21/2022 Sixteen years later (pictured) and I'm still enjoying this. Definite honey notes, BUT the beauty of this Triple is that it's not sweet. Classically crafted, white pepper and lots of dry alcohol. The 9% is not punishing at all, but it's present and leaves a mark. Great American version, and I think this is at least as quintessential as the White which attracts so much love. Original Notes 07/25/2006 750 mL, corked & caged, batch #80. Thanks to sulldaddy for the trade,...
Allagash Grand Cru
750 mL bottle, batch #11 into the Chimay goblet. Chill-hazed copper body, with a lot of thin carbonation on the pour - almost categorized by me as fizzy! The color is somewhere between the traditional colors of the Belgian Pale and Dark. Mild fruits and spices in the nose, but the tastes are more pronounced than the nose would suggest. Mouthfeel is rather thin. Tastes are malt based, but a definite yeast based bitterness cuts across the finish and lingers. The dry alcohol is also apparent in...
Allagash Dubbel Ale
Typical of the relatively unattractive nature of many Dubbels, this shows a dirty, drab, brown body, but a nice looking head. The head is small but leaves a nice film of lace on the surface, and some additional lace on the St. Bernardus goblet. Some mixed dark fruits in the aroma, and suprisingly little alcohol. This is a little confusing since it drinks above its 7% ABV, but has an aroma below it. Very, very smooth with some warming alcohol, a little banana and some tropical pineapple. Very...
Allagash White
Extremely attractive looking beer, that takes the usual pale yellow cloudiness to new level. This beer truly looks yellow. It' s so yellow, I was expecting to take a gulp and taste lemons! Crowning, classic rocky white head, great retention and lacing, this is a 5 for appearance all the way. Everything about this beer is slightly hyped-up. The color is a bit deeper than a traditional wit, so are the clove and corriander aromas, as is the mouthfeel and the tastes. Highly drinkable, it's...