Allagash Victoria Ale - Allagash Brewing Company

StephenRich

Ontario (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Allagash is a Brewery in Portland Maine which honestly confuses me. Since 1995 their focus on unique Belgian inspired craft beers with a twist of wine and history continues to both amaze and frustrate me. Their traditional beers like the White, Dubbel and Bock have all be very nice, but Allagash also has a much more unique array of beers.

They offer a Barrel Aged series of beer all aged in oak barrels of some variety; Cellared beers which are all designed to be laid down to rest for many years; the Tribute series whic are beers based on a historical model or story; the Serie D'Origine which are totally unique and exciting blends of various styles of beer; and finally the Limited Series which are extraordinary beers crafted with the most choice ingredients specifically for that task and brewed in very limited quantity.

The reason I say that they confuse me is because beyond their classic beers, I have been both amazed and disappointed by them. The Black Belgian Style Stout, was excellent, but the Confluence was lacking. The Flexus was superb and extremely exciting, but the Victor was very tart and off balance. So, with the score tied in the bottom of the ninth, Allagash came through with a winning home run; the 2008 Victoria Ale.

The Victoria Ale is in Allagash's Tribute Series and is dedicated to the historic Victoria Mansion in Portland Main known as the Morse-Libby House. It is credited as being one of the greatest 19th century houses in the United States. The Victoria Ale was brewed with one hundred and fifty pounds of Chardonnay grapes which were crushed and added directly into the mash.

It is available only in 750ml corked bottles scattered throughout the U.S. at 9 abv. Before I opened this bottle I did hypothesize that this would be significantly better than the Bottle of Victor which I had had about a year ago. The Victor is in the same series and is also brewed with grapes. However when I had the Victor is was very fresh, maybe four or five months young. This Victoria Ale from 2008 is now close to two years old, so I did expect the added maturity to treat this beer very well.

I opened this up at a the top of the cool temperature range at 12C (54F) to try to evoke both crisp and quenching characteristics as well as excite loads of fruity aroma. An initial tilt of the bottle exposed huge amounts of slurrying sediment - soft waves of pale dust danced gently in the bottle; this indicated to me that perhaps the rest time is necessary for this bottle. Bottle conditioned beers are typically built to age, they are continually growing while resting building new character and smoothing out rough edges.

The pour was soft but very lively; it flowed smoothly out of the bottle developing quietly in the bottom of a deep connoisseur's glass lifting a short pure white head that latched on to the sides of the glass and would not let go. The Victoria was a delightful bright amber orange with golden bronze and yellow hues. It was completely opaque and hazy as you would expect, but no sediment was obviously noticeable in the glass.

The nose was sweetly tart with ripe fruits, citrus, soft earth and tree bark. The spice and funk from Belgian yeast comes out softly in the center, but is quietly balanced with light clove, the softest touch of vanilla, banana and pear. Hints of caramel and toffee make their way in at the end, but it finished with a dry lemon zest crispness. The Victoria was already winning me over.

The first thing I noticed about this beer was the lack of abrasive one sided funk and tart that I felt in the likes of the Victor and Confluence. The Victoria flowed softly into my palate with clean and silky effervescence bringing warm apples and clove, pears, banana, pale malts and earth with muddled spices and perfect touches of funk and tart. A generous fruity backbone melts over your tongue and cheeks showing complex notes of fresh grape flesh, sweet ginger, sweet and savory pastry and light hints of pepper. Creamy caramel is light with soft vanilla warming the palate.

This was a much evolved and matured beer with several flavor combinations and complexities that just made it a superb drink. The smooth creamy, almost buttery mouthfeel was perfectly extenuated by delicate natural carbonation which all came together to match excellent flavors and delightful aromatics. Hints of floral and honeydew like hops aided a touch of bitter to the finish with slight lemon zest and orange peel giving it a short, and softly crisp finish.

That was really the power of the beer; lots of amazing flavors and aromas, but all very light and soft perfectly balanced in an orchestra of musical flavor. Allagash won the game for me with this one, and I will seek out more of their beers now for my cellar. The Victoria I expect would pair nicely with a wide range of soft or funky cheeses, croissants, smoked salmon or light fish, or lightly herbed rack of lamb.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2010 18:49:36 | More by StephenRich

Pencible

Virginia

4.18/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: This poured a hazy light gold with some white head.
S: It smelled like fresh lemon zest and coriander and clove, with some white grape and grapefruit and sour Belgian yeast.
T: It tasted like lemon zest and grapefruit hops, with sweet wild honey and sour Belgian yeast, and a bit of coriander. The aftertaste was bitter but smooth.
M: It was slightly thick with moderate carbonation.
D: This was a nice pale Belgian with good complexity and clean taste. It had a more enjoyable balance of flavors than most of the style, and it hid the alcohol well, so it was easy to drink. The body could have been a bit better, but this was otherwise a solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2010 21:44:42 | More by Pencible

cracgor

Texas

3.6/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Advertised as a beer brewed with grapes, the first thing I noticed when I opened the bottle was a grape aroma. Smells similar to champagne. It is a brown beer with a weak head, perhaps from the aging process. It has a great taste, complex flavor with a good mix of wine-like undertones and a nice beefy malt. Light on hops, it is like they replaced the hops with grapes. Sadly, there is not much in the way of head which is what the low marks on appearance are for. Kind of a little flat for my taste, but overall it is interesting and fairly well done.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2010 03:50:27 | More by cracgor

pmccallum86

Minnesota

4.22/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to the mothman for the chance to try this.

Pours a awesome amber golden yellow color with a light colored head. Probably a one finger head with slow dissipation.

Smell is of citrus and pear, light malt as well.

Taste is of lots of fruity flavors, citrus, lemon zest, light bready malts, and light hops, maybe saaz hops. Very nice tasting beer, great Belgian Strong Pale Ale. I am definitely a fan.

Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy. This style typically has a great mouthfeel, nice, rich, and creamy.

Very drinkable beer, glad i got to try it!

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2010 07:54:48 | More by pmccallum86

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into LA Tulip.

Pours a finger of fizzy white head with decent retention. Leaves a decent amount of lace as well. Color is a hazed golden pale yellow.

Aroma: Lots of Belgian yeast with the grapes showing up front. There is some pear flavors, apples, and cloves going on as well. Lots of dry flavors.

Taste: Big pear and apple flavors up front. The grapes show so much after, however. It is like drinking grape juice. Belgian spices, yeast, and cloves. Decent amount of spice flavors.

Mouthfeel: Crisp, spiced, and dry. Medium bodied with a lot of carbonation. Ends fairly dry with the dry fruit flavors.

Overall. this beer is decent for a BSPA. I think the category has a slight disadvantage because it has a lot of flavor and is Belgian, but it is not sour. Allagash seems to have done a great job with the style. The grapes added a nice touch to this beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2010 07:48:05 | More by mothman

popery

California

4.18/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

City Beer Store, Allagash night. Very nice looking beer, like champagne with a foam head that refused to quit. I'm continually impressed with Allagash's clean grain flavors that seem to act as a base for complex Belgians. It makes their beers seem more true to the native Belgian ales. Anyway, the grapes are definitely noticeable but quite pleasant and not cloying. They give the beer a vinous malt quality, much more subtle than expected. Good Belgian yeast notes, earthy and dry. Champagne-ish carbonation with lots of small vigorous bubbles. A happy surprise for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2010 06:46:48 | More by popery

mutterfudder

New Hampshire

3.55/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2009 Bottle, poured into a Dogfish Head oversized snifter.

A - Pale straw color clear as day. Pours with a big foamy head that is short lived, but leaves a bit of lacing on the sides of the snifter.

S - Biscuits and honey, with a booming sweet nose. The nose has a fresh cut grass note to it as well.

T - Sweet riesling like flavors, with a bit of dryness. There's a hint of some wood here, but it's quickly extinguished. The flavor is juicy and sweet, with a bit of a pale ale note. The sweetness and winey-ness is front and center. Afternotes of pineapple and tropical fruit. Interesting.

M / D - There's a good carbonated mouthfeel, I would have liked it to be a bit drier on the palate. It's a bit too sweet to want to drink another glass.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2010 02:33:22 | More by mutterfudder

everetends

Alabama

4.38/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked this up at Arbor Place Beverage a few weeks back. Hadn't heard much about the beer at that point so I figured I'd give it a shot. Bottle was $14.99 I believe, which is a bit out of my usual price range for a bottle but I decided to live dangerously. Served up in an oversized wine glass.

A: Really nice pop of the cork at opening. No trouble gettin the cork off, no fighting but no explosion either. Pours a pretty clear, yellow with some orange hues coming through. Almost honey colored, a little lighter but absolutely darker than a pale yellow. Got about a finger of head on each pour. No gushing or excessive build up. Sadly, the retention is a bit weak. Falls quickly to a thin ring of bubbles. Color is off white. No lace builds on the glass sadly. Don't know if it is due to the glass or because this beer has some weight to it on the glass, creating a thin film on the glass with each sip. Probably hurts lace. Still a good looking brew.

S: Really nice white wine aroma coming out the glass. Smells like a cross between a chardonnay and reisling. Has that dry nose of chard, but a sweetness and fruitiness of reisling. Getting some apple notes behind the grapes which really work well here. Almost a champagne type yeast coming across in the nose, but the yeast is definitely there. Pale malts are weak and overtaken by the grapes. Only gripe is the alcohol is present big time in the nose. It doesn't hide or shy away from the fact that this sits at 9% at all. Doesn't kill the experience though, very good aroma that is making me hopeful for the flavor.

T: Taste is much like the nose. Yet again getting that chardonnay/reisling blend thing going on, and it works. Nice and dry grape flavor working with a sweet grape flavor at times. Apples and pears match up with the sweetness greatly. Tons of flavor from the grapes. Very impressive. Yeast gives the beer some heartiness for sure, but nothing too heavy or overly heavy. Not really getting any notes of malt or what not, probably just blending in nicely with the grape and fruit flavors. Little bit of spice coming across at times with some clove and pepper. Yet again alcohol makes its presence known, and toward the end of the bottle it seems to get a bit taxing. With that said, its still great flavor. It all works, but the alcohol could be tamed just the slightest notch.

M: Sitting at a perfect medium in body. Has a nice weight to it, but nothing to heavy. Much like a good Chard, maybe a touch heavier. Carbonation is big and crips, prickly at times. It seems just a touch too high, which is a bit shocking. Nice and dry on the palate with just a touch of sweetness. ABV is bringing the heat, and it actually comes across higher than 9% at times. Aftertaste is all grape and fruit.

D: This bottle was killed pretty quickly by myself and my girlfriend. She really enjoyed it. Makes a fantastic wine substitute if you want to shake things up at a dinner party. Great flavors that just work so well with the aromas. My only complaint is the carbonation and the alcohol being a bit too much in the aroma, flavor and feel. All in all though, just a great beer. Tastes are so on point and enjoyable. I will buy this again, even at that price.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2010 22:05:59 | More by everetends

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Light yellow-straw, slight haze, thin ring of retention, zero lace.

S: Biscuity grain, wine, hints of floral spicing.

T: Very champagne-like, toffee, biscuity grain, subdued fruity esters & phenolic spice, warming alcohol.

M: Well-attenuated, moderate body has a drying alcohol finish.

D: A decent drinker. I could crack one open for New Years.

Thanks Jeremy & Karen.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2009 02:10:15 | More by Derek

jujubeast6000

Texas

2.98/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewed 7/21/2009 (2009 bottle):

Pours a clear bright golden colored body, with a big foamy white head, lasting. Fruity fresh aroma, light grapes, and dark grapes. Some grain smell, mustiness too, like horseblanket or something. Not too strong, though. Grapey taste, fruity, with a strong grape aftertaste. Light and crisp tasting. Some warmness, and a lot of carbonation. Light taste, not heavy, not alcoholy. Alright, light flavor, grapey.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2009 21:42:31 | More by jujubeast6000

Boto

Connecticut

4.6/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle: This one pours a hazy, darker golden yellow. It has a fairly decent sized off white head on it. There is quite a bit of effervescence going on in the glass. The aroma is quite nice. Yeasty, bready, grains, and fruitiness that almost smells like it could be coming from a chardonnay. The taste is excellent. It is somewhat sweet. The fruits are there, but they have merged into a unique flavor. Spices and a hint of caramel also. There is a bit of fiziness on the tongue. Medium bodied. An excellent brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2009 21:53:23 | More by Boto

brewandbbq

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle at 58 degrees. Vintage 2009.

Pours clear yellowish gold with a two inch head of dense white. After the settle, a solid skim coat remained on the surface as well as plenty of clawed lacework.

Aromatics lead off with biscuity malt, clovey phenols, and honey overtones. A hint of spice, vanilla, and white wine follow through.

Light bodied with a creamy, soft mouthfeel. Lively carbonation without being prickly.

Sweet malt and honey-drizzeled biscuits start the palate. A building warmth quickly steps up as does hints of pepper, grape must, oaky tannins, and dessert wine.

Finishes with a lingering sweetness, warming alcohol, and light spice.

The barrel aging is very subtle, but seems to add a bit of complexity. More wood and dryness would be better.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2009 01:07:57 | More by brewandbbq

champ103

Texas

4.22/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a cloudy golden color. A small white head forms and leaves some patchy lace.
S: At first a great fruit aroma. Grapes, peaches, apples. A slight sourness, acidity, and dry wood aroma. This is good stuff.
T: Again, a fruity flavor of grapes and tart apples. Slightly sour with a nice malty sweetness that balances everything out.
M/D: A surprisingly lighter body than I was expecting. Though that is not a detriment. Very crisp, clean, and refreshing. Very creamy and smooth with good carbonation. This is very easy to drink. The alcohol is almost nonexistent. A great sipping beer.

This is a really interesting beer, and definitely reminds me of a wine. I would recommend this to anyone, and something that would appeal to wine drinkers as well.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2009 01:07:09 | More by champ103

froghop

Washington

3.43/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

had this a little while ago but was not able to rate because it was 'retired', even though it is still found on the shelve.

pours a yellow-orange with a medium size egg-shell head, some lacing.

smell is faint, musty, sweet fruit, and some yeast.

taste is light yet crisp, fruity, tad bit of sweetness comes through, some caramel, pear, and some spice.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2009 03:39:38 | More by froghop

berkey

California

4.13/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Soild medium pale amber body. A good lingering head formed in an Allagash glass even with a very slow pour (per the directions on the bottle). Moderately carbonated. Thick creamy lacing.

Smell: Yeast, some citrus, slightly dry & acidic white grape, spice, sugar, possibly caramel, alcohol.

Taste: White grape juice, seems like some wheat malt but I'm not sure if that's the fruit playing tricks on my palate. Reminds me a little of a Belgian Amber Ale more than the Pale Ale it's classified as. Specifically brings to mind a flash of Caracole Ambree with grapes. Because of these grapes I was expecting something a little white wine-like but that's not exactly it. I'll say it this way: a fair amout of grape flavor in this ale, you obviously get grape flavors in wine, but that doesn't necessarily mean you get wine flavors in this ale. As it warms some honey and vanilla peeks though. Pleasant beer.

Drinkability: Fairly enjoyable and drinkable but the 9% ABV and overall sweetness keep this from getting a higher mark.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2009 06:32:08 | More by berkey

craytonic

District of Columbia

4.38/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Beautiful Belgian pour, perfect and typical Allagash head, nice bubbles off the bottom of the glass.

Smell: Delicious, I get muscadines, not grapes. Also it smells of juice, not fermented juice, which I think throws off many tasters. Lots of fruit - I get apple, pear, cloves, muscadines, and Belgian yeast.

Taste: The grapes are more present on the palate, although I still get more white muscadine than chardonnay grape. A bit sweet for the style, probably from the grapes. Delicious.

Mouthfeel: Perfect creaminess and carbonation. Alcohol is not noticable at all.

Drinkability: This disappeared much faster than it should have, delicious brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2009 20:01:02 | More by craytonic

Brad007

Vermont

4.18/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a nice amber-gold color with a one-finger head into my goblet.

Aroma is full of grape and raisin in the nose with a bit of tartness as well.

Taste is sweet at first and then it gives in to a nice amount of grape and raisin in the middle. Tart and a bit sour on the mouth.

There's a subtle hint of dryness that coats the mouth and throat. Carbonation is just right and it finishes quite well.

It's a solid example of the style. The grape adds a dry finish to this ale. Otherwise, it's pretty solid for the style. You could cellar it as well as it is no longer being brewed.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2009 22:43:00 | More by Brad007

brdc

Wisconsin

4.45/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks cookin420 for this one.
Large corked bottle, no bottling date I could find, poured into a goblet.

Golden brew, somewhere in the middle of the golden spectrum, just slightly hazy, with a dense, creamy white head that is rather short but lasts a long time, and covers the sides of the glass on the beer's way down.
Aroma is quite fruity, acidic, tart at times, caramel, bread, grains are noticeable as well.
Rare spices can be observed, pepper the most obvious.
Medium bodied, quite creamy on the palate, with sweet tastes opening up, followed by tart and acidic notes, and a dry finish. Grapes, oranges,
white wine like acidity, grains.
This is a very interesting beer, one that I would be glad to have more if it had not been discontinued.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2009 23:55:11 | More by brdc

thekevlarkid

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Another one I sampled at the Beverage Warehouse, beside the Victor. Out of a bottle this brew was a slightly hazy amber/peach color with a slightly yellow-tinted head. The retention as a cap was good and the lacing very nice. The aroma was similar to the Victor, dry and bready malt, Belgian yeast, fruit esters, orange and grapes with some alcohol heat. The flavors were very similar but I liked it better than the Victor. Lots of orange and more fruity sweetness was the primary difference aiding in how drinkable I found it. I also thought the alcohol was better hidden. It reminded me of a rose champagne, fruity, highly carbonated and fizzy in the mouth only with a malty complexity. The body was medium and it was dry and rather acidic. Still expensive for what it was and not Allagash's best offering.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2009 20:24:41 | More by thekevlarkid

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750 ml corked and caged bottle. Purchased at Whole Foods in Chicago. Day 2 of epic DrJay visit tasting.

Pours a cloudy amber/orange colour, like juice, with a thin egg shell head forming, drops a bit of lace and drops to a thin ring rather quickly. Smell is neat, grapes, some wine, bready, wood, lightly sour fruits, apricots, a little musty, sweet and sugary. Taste is similar, some caramel and bready malts up front, grapes and a wine sharpness, vanilla and oak, some orange peel, malty finish, and a bit yeasty. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with high carbonation, pretty neat. The wine doesn't come through as good as I expected, but this was a pretty solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2009 22:50:18 | More by Viggo

SLeffler27

New York

4.13/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours as a crystal clear old gold with ample carbonation and a tall, white, rocky head that drops to a thin blanket, leaving rings of lace and a film with nice legs.

Opens with sweet, fresh apples, grapes, white wine, followed by straw, flowery grapefruit and a bit of leather. With complexity like this, one eagerly anticipates the flavors.

As anticipated, the flavors follow the aroma, though a bit less complex with tartness outweighing the bitter. A subtle, lingering finish improves with warmth as light alcohol and woody notes make themselves known.

Victoria coats the palate with a medium body, soft carbonation and moderate fumes of alcohol.

A fine selection for relaxing or any occasion.

Date consumed: 2 October 2008

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2009 14:35:55 | More by SLeffler27

DrJay

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2008 Biergotter Tasting - Day 2. Bottled courtesy of Viggo. Thanks!
Hazy and an orange/peach colour, this beer poured with a yellow/beige cap that formed some clumpy lacing that really stuck to the glass. Aromas were bready and yeasty, quite fruity with grapes and ripe oranges, delicate spices and a bit of alcohol. Mild bitterness, fruity peaches, malt and honey, biscuit and bread, with sweet apricots and light spice in the finish. Just a bit of alcohol flavour and warmth. Plenty of carbonation, medium bodied, a tad coarse in texture until the carbonation settled down. Pretty good. I'd gladly have this again.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2008 21:30:53 | More by DrJay

Gmann

New York

3.7/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy golden color with a small head that settled into nothingness, flat. The aroma is sweet, apricot, coriander, honey and green apple. The taste is of tropical fruit and coriander. Big spice profile, perhaps some white pepper. Some honey notes as well. I don't really pick up the white grapes as I did on the Victor. The brew has a moderate body, prickly carbonation, sweet and a bit sticky. A spicy BSPA for sure. Not really my bag but others might like it. I preferred the Victor over the Victoria.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2008 07:20:07 | More by Gmann

grub

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2008 Biergotter Tasting, Day 2: Stouts and Belgians. Viggo contributed this one, so thanks eric!

750ml bottle, corked and caged. sampled nov 28/08.

pours hazy orangey amber with a small fluffy cream coloured head. the head drops slowly and leaves lots of lace behind.

aroma is good. nice bright citrus. orange, apricot. touch of vanilla. light belgian spice - makes me think of a tripel. white grape.

taste is wacky. i was thinking tripel based on the aroma, but got something completely different. white grape. very light white bread malt character. touch of cracker. bit of light spice. orange marmalade. touch of caramel and honey sweetness.

mouthfeel is good. just under medium carbonation level. medium body.

drinkability is good. neat, with a nice balance. interesting stuff.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2008 21:55:26 | More by grub

hopdog

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml corked bottle share courtesy of egajdzis.

Poured a medium and hazy amber color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of grapes, caramel, yeast, vanilla and a little funkiness. Tastes of grapes, caramel, fruity and light yeast. A little on the sweeter side. Alcohol content hidden.

Notes from 5/4/06

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2008 20:19:34 | More by hopdog