Allagash Coolship Cerise - Allagash Brewing Company

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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