Allagash Odyssey - Allagash Brewing Company

TurdFurgison

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had on tap at the Brick House Pub. The beer is dark brown colored with a light tan head that laces in transient wet streams. The aroma is really complex, it seems they crammed everything possible into this beer. The strongest note is chocolate, with lots of berries and fruit, some sweet malty aspects too. The beer tastes way strong, sweet and estery, maybe some real fruit was steeped in here, plums or figs or something similar, a little roasted malt, and some burning alcohol holds it all together. This is too big to be anything but a sipper, but it's a really good one.

Serving type: on-tap

11-13-2009 04:26:10 | More by TurdFurgison

Seanibus

California

3.9/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours murky brown with a vast off tan head. The aroma is fruity, apple, pineapple, with a phenolic edge as it warms. Flavor is dark and grainy, wheat and oats, with spiced pear, apricot, roasted apple. The cereal character is huge. The finish is mellow and smooth. Good but strange.

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2010 14:27:06 | More by Seanibus

cosmicevan

New York

3.9/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From notes...had this one a while ago.

Poured from 750mL bottle into unibroue tulip. Bottle dated 1/2010.

A - Poured a beautiful deep ruby purple-ish brown-ish color with lively carbination and a yeasty head with sticky lacing.

S - Awesome. Delicate balance of dark fruit.

T - A bit heavy on the alcohol for me. Once it warmed, the oak comes out a bit as does the flavor of plub, fig, nutmeg...etc.

M - Tingly...even carbonation...very smooth for the ABV.

D - Too strong. There are lots of others that are better in the style for the price, but was glad I tried it.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2010 22:37:12 | More by cosmicevan

SkunkWorks

New York

3.9/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottled dated September 2008. Tasted November 2010. Poured into a tulip.

Look: dark, kind of reddish brown tending towards brown. Dark red highlights. There's almost no visible carbonation and no head except a thin circle of bubbles lining the side of the glass. There's also not much in the way of lacing, which is fine because of the alcohol content.

Smell: a little oaky bourbon alcohol aroma, some dark fruit, brown malt, some vanilla also. The smell is a little more subtle than I would have thought it would be but it still smells good.

Taste: mild bourbon taste, a little toasted malt, some vanilla, molasses, grapes, and some dark fruit like fig. The alcohol is apparent and there's some heat in the finish.

Feel: fairly dry, a little thicker than medium bodied, almost no carbonation and kind of a sticky mouthfeel.

Drink: definitely a sipper. The bourbon flavors, for me at least, mean that this is hard to drink for a 10.5% beer.

Overall, this was a decent beer but I don't think it was a great beer. Maybe the age didn't do this bottle well. I liked it but I don't know if I'll go back. There's enough here that I want to try other beers by Allagash. I would recommend picking it up if you're a fan of Belgian Dark Strong Ales and bourbon barrel beers, otherwise I might recommend going elsewhere. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2010 15:02:24 | More by SkunkWorks

PeterIngemi

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750 bottled dec 2011 into a duvel glass

A: pours a dark ruby brown with a two finger khaki head.... Nice retention and nice lacing.

S: dark fruit, plums, raisins, toasty grains, chocolate, a bit of yeast... Light coffee aroma, overall the aroma is very well balanced.

T: toasty grains, chocolate, a touch of coffee, the dark wheat becomes apparent in the flavor.... A bit of underlying dark fruit, a very well balanced flavor

M: medium body with low carbonation and a creamy mouthfeel. The alcohol is very well hidden and this brew ha a nice drink ability.

O: a solid brew.... Especially of one I didn't think I would like to much.... I typically don't really enjoy wheat beers or Belgians.... But this one was so nicley rounded and well done it was impossible not to enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 04:07:25 | More by PeterIngemi

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This poured with a light, deep-brown head. The beer itself was a deep brown color and the nose gave off an unmistakable smell of bouron whiskey as imparted by its aging in used barrels. The mouthfeel is thin, light, and unobtrusive, whch was somewhat surprising. Both the taste on the tongue and the finish are awash with a bourbon-sweetness, sort of like coconut. I'd like to have Lew Bryson weigh in with his thoughts on this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2006 21:43:53 | More by woodychandler

ewright

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this on tap at Tyler's in Durham about a month ago. I just found my notes tonight.

A: Poured dark brown, with just a slight amount of light showing through. As with most Tyler's pours, there is minimal head in the glass.

S: There's a slight oak aroma evident from the barrel aging process. Other than that, there's not much there other than a bit of wheat sourness.

T: The oak aging shows up in the flavor as well and is sadly the most prominent flavor. The wheat provides a sour twang as well, but I'm not picking out too many other flavors. That's not to say I don't like it, but it's a bit of a muddled mess of flavors.

M: Medium body and carbonation with a bit of alcoholic bite late. There's a slight astringency in the aftertaste as well.

D: This one goes down easy for 10%, but I've had it once and don't think it's worth the exorbitant price Allagash wants for it.

Serving type: on-tap

09-20-2008 23:34:57 | More by ewright

bluemoonswoon

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled January 2010. A relatively young beer and bought on sale.

A: Pours out with a massive mocha colored puff of tightly packed foam. The beer itself is a deep cherry red, almost purple

S: A quick swirl of the glass gives off a hot breath of alcohol that gives the hairs on the inside a tickle (sorry to be so graphic). I think I want to see what letting this beer warm would do but I am initially getting the oaky, vanilla sweetness, nutmeg and light cinnamon and cocoa powder.

T/MF: Barrel character is apparent on the first sip, smooth and silky with the same sweet notes of vanilla and subtle herbal spiciness. For a beer of this size it is incredibly subtle will the wonderfully soft barrel character coming in and mixing with the previously mentioned herbal/light spicy characteristics. I want to say there is a slight peaty character to this beer (am I using that word too much?) and I want to say even slightly salty/meaty/chocolatly, a flavor that (for me at least is almost impossible to describe).

D: A different beer but a bit young I think. This salty/meaty thing though not as prevalent as this review might indicate, is just enough of a distraction to make this beer less enjoyable than it should considering how amazingly smooth this beer is. I would like to pick up this beer again and lay it down for a couple of years and see what some age might do for this beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2010 03:31:00 | More by bluemoonswoon

BMoney575

Michigan

3.88/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Sampled on 8-2-10
Bottled in September 2008

Pours a very deep red color, almost purple, with no head, no matter how hard I pour. Very mean looking, slick and boozy.

Smell is strong fermented grape, very red wine, with malt coming in next. Lighter notes of apricot and more grape give way to caramel and burnt sugar. Extremely complex, and very nicely aged.

Taste is very tart and fruity at first, very acidic with an apple cider edge. The malt shows up very deep and smoky, with a bitter coffee character I didn't expect. A little thin, and and not as complex as the smell. The finish is buttery and sweet, becoming dry and slightly boozy in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is very thin, and the carbonation is on the low side. I can only think that age had something to do with it, but the cork had a decent "pop".

Drinkability is not bad, the flavors are enjoyable but the mouthfeel really brings things down.

Overall, it was an expensive bottle, and a little disappointing, but I'm glad I tried it.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2010 00:08:17 | More by BMoney575

chinchill

South Carolina

3.88/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

on tap at Duckworths (NC)

Pour is a bit light for the style; but then I see this is partly a dark wheat beer. The clear dark brown/amber body is covered by a bone head that has great retention

Mouthfeel: near medium body with well-chose, soft carbonation. Very smooth.

Taste and Aroma: Wheaty, with plenty of alcohol esters and Belgian yeast. Also rather sweet up front. with hints of caramel and brown sugar, but ends mildly bitter.

O: Low on dark fruit for style, this Belgian ale was disappointing but should appeal more to folks who like wild yeast and wheat in their beers more than I do.

Serving type: on-tap

04-20-2013 18:20:37 | More by chinchill

sabrills70

North Carolina

3.85/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750ml corked and caged bottle witha bottling date of October 2006. Pours a deep mahagony brown with a 2 finger head and very nice lace. Hard to get a decent aroma - I'm brewing right now so I will give it a average. Fruity, earthy, a bit smokey and roasty. Ok hop bitterness cosidering the style. Alcohol fairly well hidden. Smooth and very drinkable. I'm glad I aged this for a year. Nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2007 02:19:34 | More by sabrills70

bashiba

Iowa

3.85/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a dark cola brown color with a thick full head.

Had a light sweet molasses smell with dark belgian candi sugar and a light bit of yeast.

Sweet dark fruits dominate with a clean oaky malt finish. Touches of Sweet dark sugar, cherries, and raisons flavors come through nicely.

Mouthfeel is full with lots of carbonation and a bit of an oily clinging finish.

A nice Belgian dark, but nothing to special, the barrel ageing is only mildly noticeable.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2008 22:34:09 | More by bashiba

Arbitrator

California

3.85/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Chilled bottle into a glass. Sent by a generous benefactor who will remain nameless for now...

February 2011 bottling.

A: Pours a dark maroon body, opaque in the center but with a small edge translucence. A 1.5" tan head is formed upon pouring; it falls into a thin cap on top of the beer. It leave some curtains during sips.

S: Figs, raisins, cloves, and a mild aroma of oak. It's not all that pungent, and even with swirling I can't raise much complexity out of the beer. Not at all bad, but it could use some work.

T: Oak is unmistakable on this one; it has a drying effect that closes the taste out nicely. And yet, it's not dominant or overpowering. The beer uses it to great effect. The main taste delivers flavors of figs, raisins, cloves, pepper, and soft vanilla. It is remarkably balanced for its complexity. While it delivers a smorgasbord of sweet components, it doesn't come off as a cloying mixture; the simpler sugars have fermented out, and the remaining ones are counterbalanced by oak to lower the perceived sweetness. I don't like the dominance of the phenolic flavors, but that's just a personal preference.

M: It's on the dry side for the style, but that is emphasized by the light astringency of the oak, and the spices in the finish. And yes, being dry is a good thing in my eyes (or mouth, whatever). Medium-bodied, with soft, velvety carbonation.

O: It's quite good. I find the spices played up too much for my liking, but its dryness is appealing, and the superb use of oak makes it stand out from other examples of the style. Hopefully they'll play around with the recipe some more to make it better (or what I consider better).

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2011 05:28:55 | More by Arbitrator

NuclearRich

Connecticut

3.85/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Feb 2011 bottle poured into a snifter style glass.

A. A deep dark abyss with a medium sized head of an almost opposite color of light tan. The head fades rather quickly into a thin cap and has minimal lacing.
S. Dark fruit, vanilla notes surrounding a slightly boozy belgian ester background.
T&M. A big carbonated bite cascades over the tongue, smoothing into a robust thick and roasty character. Actually reminds me of a porter. Robust, roasty, thick, a slight bitterness and a hint of dark fruit.
O. Pretty good stuff. The oak isn't as strong as I thought it would be, but personally I think that's good. I would be happy to have it again.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2011 17:33:49 | More by NuclearRich

vandemonian

Maryland

3.85/5  rDev -10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Allagash Odessey is malty, smoky, dark, good. I didn't find it especially complex, but it was quite nice.

A: Clear dark brown colour and a great 1 cm head. 4.5

S: Malty, umami and a little smoke. 4

T: Malty with hints of smoke and meat. A little oak in the finish. 3.5

M: foamy. 4.5

O: 4

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 00:03:07 | More by vandemonian

egajdzis

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured a cherry amber color with a small, light tan head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of dried fruits, cherries, toasted oak, caramel and alcohol. Taste of vanilla, caramel, earthy yeast, toasted oak, tart cherries and alcohol. This was very nice.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2005 02:47:01 | More by egajdzis

rapidsequence

Virginia

3.83/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle, from Ned's. $18.

Appearance: Dark red-brown. Beautifully clear garnet when held to light. Thick off-white head with great retention and pretty good lacing.

Smell: Really not too interesting. A sort of generic spicy Belgian yeast smell with some dark fruit. If it weren't for the oak notes in there, I'd be hard pressed to distinguish this from a yeast starter made with Belgian yeast-- no complexity.

Taste: Big improvement over the smell, but its not mind blowing. Spicy yeast flavors without the strong doughy/bready flavor I like in this kind of beer. Some raisin/plum dark fruit flavors. A surprising hint of chocolate is interesting as are the oak notes which give some toast and vanilla to the flavor. Just a kiss of bitterness is all you can taste of the 10%.

Mouthfeel: Again good, not great. I was hoping for a super soft wheat beer mouthfeel, but not so much. It is a well carbonated, smooth beer with a long sweet, oaky finish.

Overall: Good. I'll not buy another for 18 bucks though.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 01:07:49 | More by rapidsequence

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.8/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

February 2005 Bottling, Sampled January 2006
Pours quite dark, as I am pouring it, it shows a deep amber-brown color that is pretty clear. The beer sits a dark espresso color and is topped by frothy tan colored head that is initially two-fingers thick. As I pour this beer I immediately get notes of oak and alcohol mixed together. The oak is definitely the dominant note here, it smells woody with mixed notes of buttery oak, and hints of vanilla, and some sort of note that reminds me of cola. Underneath the oak is a nice fruitiness that reminds me of raisins. The combination of the vanilla oak notes and the malt remind me of some sort of fresh bready pastry or muffin perhaps.

The taste is initially quite dry up front, but has a certain fullness and amount of body to it, that seems like it might be contributed from the oak & tannins. The body has a soft creaminess to it that is accentuated by a soft vanilla note. This beer hides its alcohol quite well, and even the oak is not so egregious as to be overwhelming. The oak is definitely pretty prominent here, buttery oak is foremost, but there is a woody almost nutty note as well. As in the aroma I get a certain note here that reminds me of cola, interesting and it seems to work here.

While the oak is not too dominant in this beer, I think that it is a bit too much. There is not enough of the rich beer notes that I would like to see. The malt is too subtle underneath the oak; perhaps a bit of caramel and a certain fullness that I would attribute to malt character. This is certainly drinkable, and I would even want a few more bottles of this to age for a couple of years.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2006 04:41:04 | More by Gueuzedude

Overlord

California

3.8/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to lightindarkness for the trade.

Pours a dark brownish black ... maybe some red highlights. Kind of a strange pinkish hued foam, actually. Pretty neat.

After the phenomenal interlude, I had high hopes for Odyssey. Alas, it didn't really live up to them. It's a strangely well carbonated beer. Not a terribly thick mouthfeel. Smells like roasted malt and oak. An earlier reviewer mentioned that this was a lot like drinking carbonated wine: I agree. There's gigantic vinous and oak notes. I'm not sure what the base included ... maybe prunes/figs/raisins. As you sip/let it warm, there's definitely a bit of candi or molasses sweetening the pot.

Actually, this beer seems like something Lost Abbey would put out. It's good, but not great.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2008 08:26:34 | More by Overlord

erz316

Indiana

3.8/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

july 2009, westmalle chalice

the cork comes off with no real pop. the body is almost black, no sight of turbidity, the head is reluctant to form and has a light off white colour, maybe cream coloured. the nose is lacking potency and a few elements (no real spiciness or alcohol). the taste is nothing special; I would just go for th trappistes instead of bothering with thi brew. the taste is almost slightly cola-infused, with a light fruitiness, good malts, and some alcohol. the body is well carbonated and a hair light, but all in all it is a drinkable belgian.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2009 23:20:39 | More by erz316

jrallen34

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I drank this July 2009 bottling from a 22 oz bottle into a Rochefort glass.

This strong ale pours a dark brown, you can really tell its brownness in the light, with a light tan head. The head is about a finger but sadly is gone quickly. There is nice lacing but its not very thick or alluring.

The aroma is light but you can say it smells like most strong ales. You get whiffs of hops and a little oak, but I'd really like a lot more.

The taste is light and hides the 10% good. There is sweet malty start with a light oak finish.

The feel is viscous and surprisingly drinkable.

Overall the beer is ok, drinkable but nothing special or distinguihable.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2009 00:28:52 | More by jrallen34

dsa7783

New Jersey

3.78/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

750 ML bottle purchased caged and corked from Buy Rite on Oak Tree in South Plainfield...
"Bottled January 2008 - Cases Bottled: 600"
Heard a lot of mixed reviews about this one, and since usually almost everything Allagash produces is a solid sample, had high hopes for this corked one which ran almost $14.99...
Pours a tremendous, deep-dark, pitch-black colored hue with hardly any head at all and minimal lacing to say the least...
Strong aroma of vanilla oak present along with a heavy suggestion of malts balanced by a tinge of hops...
The flavor was extremely dominated by a thick oak-presence along with strong vanilla and wine nuances... This thick, rich, full-bodied beer definitely has powerful wine characteristics and really mimics a red-wine both in the nose and mouth...
Mouthfeel was thick, rich, and creamy, but took a slight hit due to the extreme oak-flavor imparted by the taste... I'm sure if I had let this one sit for a year or two, it probably would have mellowed out a bit more...
Drinkability was about average to say the least, as the heavy 10.4% ABV was certainly noticeable and the cloying oak flavor was also present...
Not Allagash's best sample, and in my opinion, definitely not worth the price paid for...

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2008 17:14:56 | More by dsa7783

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

3.78/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sept 2008

A - Brown with ruby hues. Thin tan head quickly disappears to a ring of lace.

S - Oaky vanilla with some dark fruits. Some bready malts but fairly subtle.

T - Oak and vanilla, toasted bread, fig, sweet malt, hints of prune, molasses and cocoa.

M - Low carbonation giving it a soft almost watery mouthfeel that leaves a bit of stickiness on the tongue.

D - A little more malt complexity would really work well with the oak. Solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2011 23:50:57 | More by brewcrew76

drabmuh

Maryland

3.78/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

At the time of this review, this is the #4 beer on the "Top Beers - Belgian Strong Dark Ale" list on beeradvocate.com. Served in a snifter.

Beer is dark brown, hazy, thin lazy head of tan bubbles, minimal lacing and carbonation.

Aroma is sweet, a little oaky / woody, some yeast. Malt.

Beer is lighter in body than expected, strong throughout though. The oakiness adds a sort of bitterness almost like a hop at the end of the palate, this beer is fine but not good enough for the cost in my opinion.

Serving type: on-tap

02-01-2012 04:24:04 | More by drabmuh

cvm4

Mississippi

3.78/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled December 2011

A - Pours a dark brown. Light tan, one finger head. Minimal lacing.

S - Definite oak on the nose. Background of dark fruit and cinnamon.

T - Smokey oak all the way through from beginning to end! Plums and raisins too. Hint of dark cherries. As it warms, it gets sweeter. I don't find this enjoyable at all.

M - High carbonation. Medium bodied. Finishes dry.

O - What a distinct style of beer! The smokey oak plays off wonderfully against the dark fruits here. It just comes off a little too sweet for my palette.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2012 02:21:28 | More by cvm4