Allagash Grand Cru - Allagash Brewing Company

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BA SCORE
92
exceptional
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548 Ratings

THE BROS
92
exceptional
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rAvg: 4.11
pDev: 9.98%
Reviews: 452
Hads: 96

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Brewed by:
Allagash Brewing Company

Maine, United States

Style | ABV
Belgian Strong Dark Ale | 7.20% ABV

Availability: Winter. bottle (421), on-tap (30), cask (1).

Notes:
Grand Cru is brewed with a touch of peated malt and spiced with coriander, sweet orange peel and a hint of anise. It is deep golden in color, full bodied and has hints of smoke and licorice in the taste and aroma. The malty, warming finish is perfect for colder weather.

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Reviews

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Reviews by the Alström Bros:

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.73/5 rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Beer review from BA Mag Dec 2007.

You've probably seen the term "grand cru" in the wine world to denote wines from favorable terroir. Although the same concept of terroir can also be applied to beer, in the beer world the term is loosely applied to special release Belgian-style ales--it's not a specific beer style.

Pours turbid, dark and dirty amber, with a slightly off-white foamy head--nice stickage. Very aromatic with soft and powdery spices--cardamom and nutmeg come to mind--and a splash of orange and fresh grainy malts. Smooth, medium-bodied and creamy on the palate--thanks to a lively carbonation. Zesty smacking of hops. Fruity and sweet with a solid malty base, suggestions of citrus fruits (more orange), bready malts and hint of smoke. Spicy with a dusting of black pepper, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and yeast. Apple and pear flavors hand in the back with some alcohol and mild esters, with some green banana towards the finish. Biscuity and a bit doughy with a coarse, somewhat dry finish that's tannic and yeasty.

Though it's a bit rough around the edges due to bottle-conditioning and spices, it's delicious, full of character and a nice change of scenery from the typical winter seasonal releases. For a cleaner experience, we recommend that you store this beer cool for several days, allowing things to settle, and decant slowly in order to leave as much of the sediment in the bottle as possible--if you want a spicier experience, decant the sediment.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2010 13:46:36 | More by BeerAdvocate

Jason

Massachusetts

4.5/5 rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: Brown 750 ml magnum with “Batch #1” on the label. A blurb about the beer, pairing suggestions as directions on how to pour the beer on the side.

Appearance: Mildly hazed sunset amber with a big and fast frothing light tan head, rocky and dense the head sticks in large clumps.

Smell: Clovey allspice, anise, orange peel, herbal medicinal phenolic, slight alcoholic esters, candied fruit and a powdery yeast make up the aroma.

Taste: Aggressive carbonation, crisp and flowing with a well textured mouth feel. Dry toasted biscuity malt character, goes a touch husk in the finish. Spicy palate with lots of clovey allspice, orange peel, mild medicinal phenols and a peppery end. Hops are nearly negligible though would be in the way if they were too noticeable. Fruity with a candied fruit flavour, deceivingly mild alcoholic esters and a powdery almost musty yeast lingers in the after taste.

Notes: This one gets quite dry the longer it ages and the alcohol seems to mellow out a bit also which makes for a perfect summer time brew even though this is a winter seasonal. Next time it comes around or if you see it on the shelf buy a few and cellar them for a few or several months.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2002 12:13:48 | More by Jason

More User Reviews:

wgfxkmf

North Carolina

3.25/5 rDev -20.9%

05-18-2013 03:13:41 | More by wgfxkmf

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.25/5 rDev +3.4%

05-16-2013 16:10:14 | More by Slatetank

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4.25/5 rDev +3.4%

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4/5 rDev -2.7%

05-13-2013 00:25:32 | More by DrunkinYogi

thegerm87

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3.75/5 rDev -8.8%

05-11-2013 14:40:47 | More by thegerm87

MickeyHops

California

3.75/5 rDev -8.8%

05-10-2013 05:07:32 | More by MickeyHops

Zach136

Georgia

4/5 rDev -2.7%

05-04-2013 16:10:57 | More by Zach136

Kreaux

Texas

4/5 rDev -2.7%

04-28-2013 02:13:51 | More by Kreaux

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

3.5/5 rDev -14.8%

04-27-2013 16:28:20 | More by Jason1337

chinchill

South Carolina

3.3/5 rDev -19.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

on tap at Duckworths (NC)

Pour is a bit light for the style. The clear amber body is covered by a bone head that has great retention

Mouthfeel: near medium body with appropriate, medium carbonation.

Taste and Aroma: Plenty of alcohol esters and Belgian yeast. Also rather sweet. Wild yeast in the flavor that is not apparent in the nose.

O: unusual for style, this Belgian ale was disappointing but should appeal more to folks who like wild yeast in their beers more than I do.

Serving type: on-tap

04-20-2013 18:29:58 | More by chinchill