Allagash Curieux (Bourbon Barrel-Aged Tripel) - Allagash Brewing Company

Dantes

New Jersey

3.1/5  rDev -27.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Package: 750ml corked and caged bottle, labeled 9.5% ABV. Aged in Bourbon barrels and bottle-conditioned. Classic parchment-like buff label with what looks like hand-lettering and explaining special handling.

Cost: $9.99 at Ramsey Liquors

Presentation: tulip glass at ~55º

Appearance: Cloudy, pale yellow color with some burnished tints. Voluminously fluffy, dry, tight head that persisted through both servings. Numerous streams of extremely fine bubbles cut through the cloudy body. Light, insubstantial lacing. Very vigorous cork pop and gunsmoke, with a lot of lees at the bottom of the bottle.

Smell: Quite alcoholic, with strong bourbon vanilla notes. Faint hints of the citrus zest, banana, clove, and coriander that are so lovely in the “plain old” tripel reserve. Not very subtle in beating one about the olfactory bulbs with the bourbon.

Taste: Again, the bourbon permeates the first impressions. It’s hot on the palate, alcoholic, and overly vanilla-sweet. The orange zest and some banana come through, but the rest of the complex flavors I love in this beer are pretty much flattened. There’s some yeastiness and malt, but they are suffused in sweetness. Their tripel reserve (q.v.) is one of my favorite beers, but this just goes too far. Contrary to the regular tripel, this one seems to worsen as it warms, the bourbon becoming even more apparent.

Mouthfeel: Continues the Allagash tradition of bottle-conditioning super-smooth, creamy beers with fine carbonation and great mouthfeel. Without any crispness though, this verges on the syrupy.

Drinkability: Not very for me. I’ll stick with the superior standard offering (practically two for one). This is the second beer in a week (Edition 2004 being the other) that I found to be way too sweet for me.

Backwash: WHAT HAVE THEY DONE WITH MY BELOVED TRIPEL RESERVE! At least they had the good sense not to name this Heresy, which is what it is. I’ve been pretty disappointed with most of the bourbon-barrel aged beers I’ve had lately (e.g. Heresy). Frankly, tripel is one of the last styles I’d expect to show well after being aged in bourbon barrels. It’s a delicate (if high-ABV) beer with a balance of sweet and complex flavors. The bourbon simply overwhelms it. If Allagash wishes to experiment with different expressions, I think aging in port, sherry, or rum casks might work much better.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2005 23:45:57 | More by Dantes

JSouth

Virginia

4.75/5  rDev +11%

05-23-2013 21:54:08 | More by JSouth

pjkelley82

New York

4.34/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Ahhhh... yea... the rating speaks for itself. Went to Maine and visited Allagash taproom. They let us sample this.... bought 2 bottles. Couldn't find it for 4-5 months then I did.... bought 2 more bottles.... bottles were $15-$19... for a 750.... well worth it. Maine beer is impossibly smooth so the alcohol taste barely stays.... I'm a big fan of cask beers so that's maybe why I liked it so much.

Serving type: on-tap

05-23-2013 06:10:42 | More by pjkelley82

CoolEthan

California

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%

05-23-2013 03:15:35 | More by CoolEthan

davesway10

Iowa

4/5  rDev -6.5%

05-22-2013 18:27:14 | More by davesway10

lakersfan16

Alaska

3.75/5  rDev -12.4%

05-22-2013 03:35:34 | More by lakersfan16

AOShabaz

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%

05-21-2013 23:39:24 | More by AOShabaz

Busker

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +16.8%

05-21-2013 18:07:50 | More by Busker

jaybags

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -18.2%

05-20-2013 21:39:49 | More by jaybags

Rast

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%

05-20-2013 16:59:21 | More by Rast

cnbrown313

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%

05-20-2013 16:08:16 | More by cnbrown313

dar482

New York

4.73/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

The beer is a beautiful hazy deep blonde gold color.

The aroma has a sweet caramel, barrel characteristic with oak, and sweet apricot. Lemon, spice. You can surely get that this what it is. Tripel that is barrel aged.

The taste has a barrel aged sweetness, Belgian yeast, fruity sweetness, lemon, pineapple. Then there's some rich flavors with oak, bourbon barrel with the coconut, vanilla.

There's a boozy finish as this is at 11% ABV. My favorite tripel so far. It's not your standard fare, but this really is spectacular.

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2013 06:29:58 | More by dar482

drgonzo2k2

California

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%

05-19-2013 23:23:02 | More by drgonzo2k2

Kreko7

California

4/5  rDev -6.5%

05-19-2013 16:14:47 | More by Kreko7

LeahM

New York

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%

05-19-2013 03:18:59 | More by LeahM

alanv

California

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%

05-18-2013 21:31:26 | More by alanv

cnwillis31

Maine

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%

05-18-2013 14:20:26 | More by cnwillis31

bootdown21

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%

05-18-2013 03:31:27 | More by bootdown21

EricClayton

West Virginia

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%

05-17-2013 19:32:22 | More by EricClayton

SirBentham

California

4/5  rDev -6.5%

05-17-2013 18:29:59 | More by SirBentham

Blashawright

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%

05-16-2013 22:33:47 | More by Blashawright

clayrock81

Virginia

4/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a golden body with great carbonation for lots of head and lace patches on top of at first is a lightly tart, funky smell with some sour and tropical fruit notes and spice. Got some sweet fruit and sugariness out of the aroma too but not much woodiness or bourbon. Taste is the same as the barrel aging helps out in the mouthfeel with some smoothness and the bourbon notes are quiet but add some heat on the back but not overpowering. More of a traditional tripel in regards to taste with a solid balance of some tropical fruits like orange peel and banana, some sweetness from sugary malts and possibly tropical fruit and touches of spice thanks to some clove and even a slight sourness (I swear I got a taste of sour apple). Not a traditional tripel in the strictest sense but the addition of bourbon barrel aging is a nice complement to the brew and I thoroughly enjoyed this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2013 16:56:59 | More by clayrock81

deekyn

California

3.75/5  rDev -12.4%

05-16-2013 04:12:00 | More by deekyn

meangreenc

California

5/5  rDev +16.8%

05-16-2013 02:50:30 | More by meangreenc

Zbeetleman

California

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%

05-15-2013 05:12:03 | More by Zbeetleman