Allagash Coolship Cerise - Allagash Brewing Company

largadeer

California

3.38/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

3 of 5 coolship beers shared by dsgolovin. Thanks, David.

This bottle exploded upon opening. Pours a muddy, watery pink with no head. Looks thin and generally unappealing.

Mild, somewhat bland aroma. Faintly lactic and funky with subtle cherry notes that are both sweet and tart; light plastic notes. Nothing bad here, but it could use more kick.

Palate is good but not great. Fairly thin mouthfeel, bordering on watery - tannins from the fruit save the finish, which is fairly bland otherwise. It's decently tart, and the fruit does come through more on the palate than it does on the nose.

This is decent, but it doesn't have the depth of flavor that Balaton does.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 04:36:11 | More by largadeer

MasterSki

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Part of our Coolship showdown - bottle generously provided by Reagan1984. Served in a Cantillon tulip, and sampled side-by-side with a 2009 Cantillon 100% Kriek.

A - Quick-dissolving white foam settles to a thin collar, a few wisps, and tiny specks of lace. Lightly hazed orange-pink/salmon body.

S - Largely cherries, with some pie crust sweetness, slight cheesy funk, a touch of lemon, and some lactic sourness. Quite delicate and understated - I let this warm for quite a while it never seemed to get very intense.

T - Taste is quite similar. A muted collection of wild flavors - lactic acidity, hint of oak, some vanilla and stone fruit malt flavors, and light sourness in the finish - plus some sweet cherries. The unexpected 8.1% ABV doesn't really show up here.

M - Medium-light body, low carbonation, dry texture, and a hint of alcohol warmth that reveals the bizarrely high ABV.

D - Easy to drink, difficult to acquire, and pretty underwhelming compared to its Belgian brethren. Probably my least favorite of the Coolships. I'm also puzzled by the unusually high alcohol content, particularly compared to other lambic and even other Allagash offerings.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 05:37:24 | More by MasterSki

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.53/5  rDev -16%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

With the acidic taste of cherries well on display, Allagash's Coolship Cerise borrows the taste of hard candies and cough drop to complement the fruit flavor with sweetness, tartness, and balance.

Pouring with a hazy redish hue that may resemble mauve that tilts to the pinkish, orange side. The oddly compelling coloration releases a dainty white lace that breaks about the surface before succumbing to the acidity and alcohol underneath.

The nose is dominated by ripe cherry scents with background notes of tart candies, dusty woods, mild mushroom and lactic cheese, limes, and crab apples. There's the musty scent of decaying woods, earthy, and saddle leather that rides along the true cherry scent.

Flavors also manifest the ripe cherry taste with a juicy and vibrant taste like that found in hard candies and cough drops. Aided by the crusty sweetness of marzipan, powdered sugar, and light butter, there's a fascinating bridge of flavors that extend to lactic buttermilk, leather, must, sea salt, earthen woods, and mild mushroom brine. The odd combination of cherry to earth seem like there's two beers living in one bottle.

Light bodied and whole heartedly acidic, the early cherry sharpness and tartness provides a refreshing introduction to the palate while a light and almost watery mid palate exposes some metallic flavor/textures that grow into the finish. The mild warmth no where nearly reveals the brunt of 8.5% abv.

Where the cherry flavor isn't as integrated as I would have wished, nor does it display the aged and dried cherry taste that more traditional krieks do; the pedio-forward aged character stands alone and doesn't embrace the fruit at least not yet. I would love to see this beer after a year or two of melding inside the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 18:18:35 | More by BEERchitect

BearsOnAcid

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Darker pink body; sort of glowing

Muddled cherry and a woody pit aroma. Lemon, some funk, and bandaid.

Pretty consistent flavor from the aroma. Light cherry. Lactic sourness; not too strong. Bitter funk bite on the finish and more cherries. Definitely not as good as the balaton version.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 21:54:05 | More by BearsOnAcid

cosmicevan

New York

3.63/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

thank you a million to Gary for sending these our way...shared with Mike and Scott side-by-side with Red and Balaton.

a - murky orange with a thin head that was gone quick leaving a thin ring of fizziness on the surface.

s - some funky acetone. cherries are there, but not like in the balaton.

t - very funky. dark cherry. the booze is a bit evident compared to the other 2...and this is the strongest and it tastes it.

m - good carbonation. sour and musty.

o - overall unique and different. not something i need again and my clear least favorite of the three. the cherry flavoring is really overshadowed by the cherry flavor of the balaton which is more to my liking.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 02:27:09 | More by cosmicevan

Sean9689

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thank you, Alex. This was part of the Coolship tasting.

A - Pours golden yellow, white head, spotty lace, thin collar.

S - Musk, barynard, fruity cherry notes, light wood, medium level of sour/tart notes. Pretty much funk/tart/sour notes and cherries, which is what I was expecting.

T - Sour fruit, cherries, bretty funk, light hay. Pretty much a back and forth between sour cherries/fruit and funk/sour/tart notes with some almonds in there as well. Finish is dry tartness.

M - Light, soft carbonation, dry finish.

O - A solid American Wild, but this didn't really blow me out of the water. For the low bottle count and how hard these are to obtain, I would just go for something else in the style category. Decent.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 17:03:05 | More by Sean9689

womencantsail

California

3.78/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a nice pink color with an off-white head. The cherries certainly come through. A bit of a cherry pie type aroma along with oak and grass. A bit on the sweet side. The flavor does have a significant cherry component, but it’s also a bit watery. Lightly sweet with a mild lemon tartness. Not much in the way of depth or complexity, but easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 20:26:25 | More by womencantsail

SPLITGRIN

Kentucky

3.83/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy light apple cider orange red in color. There is plenty of sediment throughout the body and a short off white head that sticks around but only as a skim.

Nose is great with grainy, powdery tartness that really makes you anticipate the first sip. Some sweetness comes through as well as a bit vinegar in the backdrop.

As soon as the first sip hits my tongue I am welcomed by a bit of a surprise. There is distinct tartness but it doesn't come with any fruit at all. It is very vinegar based and incredibly dry. It is buttery and waxy with some lingering oak tones to the flavor profile. This sour beer almost comes through as oily if that is really possible. While this is not a bad brew at all it really isn't what I am looking for in a sour brew let alone a cerise.

Overall solid but I won't be seeking it out again anytime soon.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 00:52:18 | More by SPLITGRIN

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Huge thanks to sideshowe for sharing this rare gem!

Pours a hazy dark orange color with a one finger off-white head that slowly settles into a lasting ring.  Spotty lacing left behind.

Earthy, musty aroma with lots of barnyard/horsey character.  Hints of oak, funky bugs, lactic acid and cobweb followed by faint fruit and acetic vinegar.  I was expecting the nose to be bursting with cherry but it's pretty subtle.  Smells pretty good with some nice funk but kind of one dimensional.

Medium bodied with a tart, lactic funk that isn't acetic or harsh.  Decently sour but not too much do.  More funky than anything else with a slight acetic quality.  Just a touch of vinegar in the finish but not solent like.  Not very sweet with the cherries again being slightly integrated.  Subtle vinous character with some fruit skin and cherry pit.  Finishes dry with some lingering acidity.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 00:13:39 | More by corby112

brewandbbq

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

375ml bottle from 2011.

Pours hazy copper with a pinkish hue and a half inch head of white. A mostly solid skim coat remained on the surface for the duration with zero lacing.

Barnyard funk and light cherry notes lead off the nose. Sour apples, citric acid, cider vinegar and light fecal follow through.

Light bodied with a crisp, sharp mouthfeel.

Bright, drying acid and mild cherries start the palate. Shades of cut grass, grapefruit, and sour citrus follow through.

Finishes with acid-laced red fruit and a wheaty twang.

The base beer is exceptional with a very clean acid and just enough funk to keep things interesting. The cherry component is seriously lacking though.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 00:47:49 | More by brewandbbq

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Shared by Thorpe429 alongside several other Allagash sour/wild ales. Thank you very much, Mike!

The beer is light pink with a thin white head. The aroma offers sweet cherries with a touch of yeast and oak. The flavor is cherries, cherry pie, crust. A touch of lemon and vinegar in the finish. mild tartness and acidity in the finish. Subtle lactic presence. Fairly thin and light in body, with alcohol presence well disguised. A decent fruit sour ale, but again, not in the same echelon as the Belgian greats of this ilk.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 17:47:27 | More by Huhzubendah

Thorpe429

Illinois

4/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in an Allagash coolship tumbler. Nose is less cherry heavy than the Balaton. More funk and acidity. Funky earth in the background. Super dry. This was one of the better ones of the Coolship Series, though was by no means my favorite. The background funk was a nice addition to the cherry.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 20:12:38 | More by Thorpe429

bishopdc0

Maine

4.05/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I realized I had this under the wrong beer and I am here to correct it.

Shared a bottler with my wife. We couldn't wait.

It pours with a big amount of carbonation. My wife notes it resembles champagne. It subsides and the beer is reddish pink.

The aroma is sweet and has the tartness from the cherries and is a very nice sour.

The taste is very nice sour but not puckering reminds me of zwanze 11 with cherries instead of pinot. The carbonation is very pleasant tickles the tongue and releases the tart flavors which leaves a earthy flavor nice

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2011 00:52:32 | More by bishopdc0

koopa

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours an attractive cloudy straw (borderline blonde) with a small head that displays little to no retention or lace.

Smell: Loads of band aid phenol...probably the strongest band aid note I've ever smelled in a beer sample. Slight lemon tinge, a hint of cherry, and a good dose of barnyard funk.

Taste: Light cherry, slight apricot note, moderate barnyard funk, and a load of band aid.

Mouthfeel: Thin side of medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability: Smooth easy drinking wild ale.

While I took the strong band aid note to be a sign of a flaw in the brewing process, I must say that it didn't completely take away from the brew which was still fairly enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

06-21-2010 03:41:03 | More by koopa

Brez07

Maine

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this a few weeks back along with Balaton. 375ml bottle split in two Allagash glasses. Dated 1/18/11

A:  Pinkish rose in color, slightly cloudy from dregs but was translucent on the first pour.  Bubbly white 1 finger head which dissipates within a minute.  Ring of foam around the glass

S:  Nose is cherry skins, but a little lighter on the tart side of things.  Some hay/grain.  Has a gueuzey funk about it

T:  Very spritzy, seltzer like.  Cherry fruit flavor is somewhat muted, but does come out so more as the beer warms.  Finish is funky with some yeast profile

M:  Light bodied, full of carbonation.  Dry finish

D:  Not quite as good as I was expecting, but still a great spontaneous beer

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2012 22:41:48 | More by Brez07

drabmuh

Maryland

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

One of my favorites of the night, served along side all the rest of these things. Beer is amber to pink and mostly clear with a white head.

Aroma is nice, funk and sour with some fruitiness sneaking through.

Light in body, airy on the palate, nice fruitiness to the whole thing, interesting beer overall, I'd have it again. The finish is tart and dry, a nice combination.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 18:17:44 | More by drabmuh

tehzachatak

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

from notes from last weekend. 375 mL bottle poured into a Coolship tumbler. cork shot off with an absurd amount of velocity, could have probably broken a window. most recent batch... will check date on my other bottle and update review when i'm around my cellar.

A - absolutely flippin' gorgeous. pours a brilliant bright red with slight cloudiness and about half a finger of sort of fluffy, wool-like fizzing white head. recedes without leaving much lacing. the color is just incredible, like a fresh kriek at its very, very best.

S - a lot of fruity cherry and sweetness. lemon rind. not a lot of "sourness" in the nose, definitely some (but not a TON of) funk. maybe even a little yeastiness. to style if you're reviewing this as a kriek, probably not fantastic, because it's a lot sweeter in the nose with less complexity, but i really liked it nevertheless.

T - sweet cherries, some lemon, mild tartness. very little to no acetic character. more citrus-sour, but again, not particularly tart. a little lactic character at the end. slightly vinous. a touch of oak. mild funk remiscent of the aroma of wild mushrooms or compost - i know it is odd i am describing this as a FLAVOR, but i can't think of any other way to do it. funk is DIFFERENT than any belgian lambic i've ever had - seems like this is something distinct to Allagash as i got a little of this in Red as well. again, i did not find this very complex - still pretty tasty, but not necessarily exactly what i'm looking for.

M - insanely drinkable, not a "I need tums" sour beer. the sweetness keeps the body from being hopelessly thin for now, but i'm worried that as this ages, that's what's going to result - a hopelessly thin beer. carbonation is low-ish and fine. little bite of alcohol at the end that is unlike anything i've ever experienced in a lambic before..

O - this is a completely cromulent beer, and i did very much enjoy drinking it - just want to get this out there first, hence my 4.25 overall. however, there are some things i am very confused about.

first - it is immensely sweet as compared to pretty much every fruit lambic i've ever had. perhaps this is how fruit lambic IS super fresh, and i just haven't had that experience, but i found it weird. i'd say Allagash should sit on these after refermentation for longer, but unfortunately, i do not have the feeling this will age well. i also wonder if this has to do with the cherry blend used - it is my sense from Allagash's description that they are sweet and sour cherries, not just sour ones, and i feel the beer probably suffers from this (one of the reasons i'm so interested in getting my hands on a Balaton). this beer simply does not remind me very much of a kriek.

also, i'm really confused about the 8.1% ABV, which seems like it may have manifested itself in a few places, and again wonder if this is a result of more sugars from fruit being introduced with sweeter cherries?

i think they should keep working on the recipe, as i'm not sure i'll continue to do whatever it takes to get more of these, as i do with Red, but i did enjoy it. this review attempted to be as closely to style as possible, hence the lower score as compared to my enjoyment, which was quite high.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 04:08:08 | More by tehzachatak

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to DrEntropy for sharing.

Bottled 1/18/2011

Light fizzy head, pink grapefruit color, hazy.

Nose blend of sour fruit malt, lambic like, plenty of cherry, balotin like cherry, bit of oak and vanilla rounding.

Taste nice tart malts, funky, wild funk, light cough syrup, tons of cherry, juicy a bit and very dry, hint of vanilla oak, light grapefruit and dry bready malts. Dry super dry with tart cherry and funk finish.

Mouth is lighter bodied, decent carb.

Overall weird and funky but nice, good funk and tart chery blend.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 01:06:30 | More by jlindros

andrewinski1

Maine

4.3/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a chalice. The color or blood orange with a bit of haze (I was careful with the yeast). There is a large head upon pouring and makes champagne-like fizz. The head doesn't last long, though.

I find most of the Allagash sours dominate with the distinct yeast aroma, this is full of cherry first, with a slight touch of sweetness. There is lots of clean tartness to round out the aroma.

The taste is dry and tart. The cherry flavor is subtle, especially compared to the aroma. This one is particularly full of oak flavor as well. This has a pretty nice balance, aided by the higher ABV.

This drinks nice light and crisp.

I like this one, it's very drinkable and refreshing. If not for the higher ABV I'd say this is very much like a Belgian version.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 06:03:30 | More by andrewinski1

tony223366

California

4.3/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: tons of action in this brew. Head is about 1 finger and quickly dissipates to a light coating. Lots and lots of small bubble action. That I like. It's an interesting color. It's golden/amber mixed with pink. I'm guessing that's from the cherries. Really foggy.

S: I get some definite funk which I'm psyched about. It's more gum bag than horse blanket because of that great acidic sour quality. The cherries are absolutely present. It's incredibly inviting.

T: Whoa. First off congrats to Allagash. This is a really complicated brew. Tons of layers. First thing that strikes me is the funk. Not quite as dominant immediately as the aroma would have lead me to believe. I do get some malt but it immediately turns to a nice acetic sourness. Nice even balance between that funk and the sour. The cherries are surprisingly difficult for me to zero in on. The flavors are primarily sour funk. Great dry finish with a touch of stale-ness. The oak is most present on the finish.

M: Very light body with some prickly carbonation. Turns frothy in the mouth. Puckers the mouth a bit.

O: Allagash has done something special. It's not quite perfect but it's close. I love the bottle and the little card you can get that describes the coolship process. Keep it up!

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 03:24:21 | More by tony223366

Patrickbrusil

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A true gem from Allagash. This fantastic sour is all that and more. Great carbonation, beautiful rose color, incredible cherry melon smell that is quite earthy and robust.

A great lingering tartness just sticks around and begs for more.

Allagash is on the verge of something truly special on this side of the pond and I'm for one excited.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 05:01:06 | More by Patrickbrusil

Seanniek91

New Hampshire

4.39/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served from a 375ml corked and caged bottle into a Coolship tumbler. Served at about 50 degrees.

Opened the bottle with a very vigorous POP!

Appearance- Beautiful pinkish/red color with zero head. The color is beautiful.

Smell- Cherry, funky wild yeast, oak, vanilla, lemon rind, something chemical. Smells sweeter rather than tart. Very funky.

Taste- Wow! Tart cherries up front, some Vicks tasting funkyness, oak, and piney earthyness. Finish is pure cherry and lemon. Sour, but not aggressive.

Mouthfeel- Very carbonated with moderate sourness. Not overly aggressive tartness (no tart faces made). Clean and crisp and refreshing.

Overall- Damn good cherry wild. Yet another great Allagash wild!

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 02:58:31 | More by Seanniek91

grub

Ontario (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

lantern corps beer summit 2010 - day 2, oct 9/2010. Jw347 contributed this one. thanks john!

375ml corked and caged bottle.

pours super hazy muddy pale gold. a few white bubbles manage to cling to the edges of the glass, but disappear quickly and leave no lace.

aroma is great. spiced sour cherry. horse blanket. bit of leather. white bread and cracker. the spice component is much higher than any of the other sours we've tasted today, and certainly higher than most i've ever had. light alcohol. almond. earthy. light vanilla component.

taste is great. a lot like the aroma, with the addition of cider vinegar and more dominant spiced cherry. light alcohol. medium-low bitterness level. low acidity.

mouthfeel is good. medium body with a dry finish. medium-low carbonation level.

drinkability is great. good depth. love the spiced cherry character. nice restrained funk. great!

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2011 15:27:03 | More by grub

mdfb79

New York

4.47/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From 09/09/11 notes. Got to try several pours of this in the VIP Forum at Nigh of the Funk. Poured from 375ml bottles.

a - Pours a murky orange-red color with an inch or so of white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of spices, cinnamon almost, sour fruits, sour raspberries, cherries, and light oak. Little bit of brett and funk, but more sour than funky. Still, an amazing nose.

t - Tastes of funky brett, sour fruits, especially raspberries and dark fruits, oak, light spice, lactic notes. A ton of brett and way funkier than the nose. Big fan of the taste and a step up from the nose.

m - Medium body and high carbonation. Little bit dry and very easy to drink for over 8% ABV.

o - Overall this was one of my favorite beers of the weekend. Ton of sour fruit in the nose and sour fruit and funky brett in the taste. Would love to have this one again sometime.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2011 20:55:06 | More by mdfb79

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

4.93/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #57 (October 2011):

Insane aroma of fresh cherry cobbler. How is this possible? Magic?! We can smell the alcohol, but it’s not overly boozy; less than a hint of warmth. A slice of epic in a bottle! Proof that spontaneous fermentation can be harnessed by an american brewer, and brought to this level of greatness.

LOOK: Dirty peach

SMELL: Musty cherries, pie crust, spice, esters

TASTE: Dry, semi-tart, oaky, sour cherries, lemon, vinous, herbal, hay, medicinal

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 21:53:17 | More by BeerAdvocate