Allagash FV 13 - Allagash Brewing Company

Brewsephus

Massachusetts

3.33/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Poured from tap at Allagash Brewery into tulip glass.

Pours a rich burgundy going into mahogany, with a small white head. Smells of sour cherries, green apple, oak. First flavors that hit your tongue are unripe apple, cooking spices, with a sherry finish. There is a little funk here, light barnyard, hay, biscuit and bread flavor. The finish is harsh. Cloying acetic quality burns the back of your throat. This is not a jaw cramping sour but more of a slow heartburn quality. Vomit flavor? Mouthfeel is fine, its certainly not viscous or vinuous. Carbonation is ok. The tour guide said it best when he described when he would have this beer: "I could drink one glass, with a friend, in front of a fire, while discussing Chomsky."

Serving type: on-tap

03-05-2013 12:42:56 | More by Brewsephus

stealth

Minnesota

4.75/5  rDev +10%

05-21-2013 05:13:34 | More by stealth

NoLeafClover44

Delaware

4.05/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

375mL bottle poured into an Allagash chalice. Bottled 12/21/12.

A - Pours a nice chestnut brown with a three finger pillow of vanilla head. As the head dies, serious lacing remains. Impressive looking, especially considering how difficult it is to refine the carbonation levels on a beer like this. Well done.

S - Smells of dried banana chips, granny smith apple, and coriander. Some bretty funk plays well off the fruity aroma. Graham cracker malts balance.

T - Lactic sourness hits the tongue first. Contributing notes of cherry, pear, and apple cider vinegar. Vanilla and oak add subtle balance to the powerful sour flavors. The slightest bit of astringency lingers after each sip.

M - Crisp, tannic feel. Carbonation is right where it should be. Bubbly, but not overly so.

O - I can't say I have had a bad beer from Allagash and this is no exception. Powerful fruity sour notes make for a deliciously complex brew. I would rate it higher if not for the slightly astringent aftertaste (I am particularly sensitive to this in some Brett beers). I would recommend this to a friend, but at $1/oz. I probably won't rush back to the store to grab more.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 00:54:49 | More by NoLeafClover44

RichD

Rhode Island

4.44/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Corked and caged 12.7 oz bottle dated 11/29/2012 poured into an Allagash glass.

A: Initially when I poured this it appeared that it was going to be a dark blonde color. As the glass filled up it became a reddish brown color. Looks nice.

S: Smells of oak and some tart. I pick up some green apple and maybe some pear. I didn't really pick up any alcohol, no real hop presence and maybe a little bit of malts.

T: Man, this is delicious. Some tart and green apple are the stars of this show. Some pear is picked up as well. The oak and vanilla really add another dimension to this brew. As someone who is just getting into wild ales, this is a very solid beer. I get the tart from the yeast, as well as the fruit and wood character.

M: A pretty medium mouthfeel. The carbonation is ideal and the finish is dry and crisp. The lack of alcohol present really makes this an enjoyable experience.

Overall: As my first full bottle of the American Wild Ale style, I can truly say that I'm extremely impressed. I'm a supporter of Allagash and everything they do, so it was only natural that my first experience with my style would be brewed by them. Their coolship program is definitely paying dividends and I really can't wait to crack open the Cerise I have.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 00:53:42 | More by RichD

geocool

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +10%

05-20-2013 23:16:26 | More by geocool

drabmuh

Maryland

4/5  rDev -7.4%

05-19-2013 17:35:23 | More by drabmuh

SilentNature

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -19%

05-19-2013 06:56:11 | More by SilentNature

kojevergas

California

3.88/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Cost was $16.00 at my go-to bottle shop here in SoCal. 12.7 fl oz brown glass bottle with hood and wire cap over a cork served into a Mitchells of Lancaster flared stem-tulip in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are very high; I believe this is my first Allagash sour (as in sour, not just funky). Bottled 11/29/12; it's about 6 months old now. "Ale aged in oak barrels." 8.9% ABV confirmed.

Served chilled; I don't like my sours too cold. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

As I unwrap the cage, I notice the cork has some artwork on it. Interesting. Cork sits in the bottle until I pull it out. Cork comes out easily by hand, yielding a satisfying pop but the beer doesn't rise; carbonation seems perfect so far.

A: Pours a two finger white colour head. Thickness is okay. No lacing as the head recedes. Light cream. It isn't particularly frothy. The head seems somewhat thin and rather gentle. Retention is decent for the ABV - about 3 minutes. Body colour is a gorgeous vibrant orange-gold. Translucent but not transparent; at best I can see the shadow of my finger on the opposite side of the glass when looking through the beer. It's looking classy and understated for a sour; I'm looking forward to trying it.

Sm: Nice oak - not particularly deep or evocative but unmistakable. Has a definite barrel redolence. Plentiful lacto yeast notes; it doesn't come off as a lambic or a tart sour - just a lacto-bomb. It's pretty timid otherwise; little malt character and no detectable hop notes or alcohol. Hints of light wine - perhaps white wine or a fine sherry. Palpable acidity. Some buried cherry fruit. Fleeting vanilla. What little malt character does come through is just a mellow breadiness - there to support the finer notes but not to draw attention to itself. Not really tart at all. Not all that sour based on the aroma either. Mild in strength. This should be interesting.

T: Luxurious white cherry with some softening vanilla helping to balance the fairly high acidity. Sourness comes from pure lacto; not getting much tartness or funk here. Lightly cidery. Some rustic farmhouse notes on the climax. Bready malts comprise the unobtrusive plain foundation. Oak tones throughout. Notes of sherry/light white wine are subtly executed. Subtlety is definitely the objective here; its character is light and subdued. Not much complexity, but excellent balance. I do wish it were more sour - or at least a biteen tart. Light peach. Well-built for the style, if a bit wanting in terms of sour character. It could bring more to the table in terms of depth of flavour, but it's quite pleasant and enjoyable.

Mf: Moderately dry, evoking both sherry and crisp perry or cider. Perfect carbonation. Fairly high acidity. It's never biting or sharp. Very mellow and drinkable, suiting the flavour profile nicely. Smooth and approachable. Well executed for the style. Complements the flavour profile marvelously, but it doesn't feel custom-tailored to it.

Dr: Increasingly, it's becoming obvious to me that Allagash values subtlety in their "sours"; the subtlety here is masterful. Though it may not be as sour as I'd like, it's a well-balanced and well-executed beer for the style and I'd have it again if it weren't for the high pricetag. Definitely nice to try once, but it didn't blow me away like I hoped. There are better sours with wider availability to be had at a better price. Alcohol is very well concealed. Obscenely drinkable; I can't wait for the next sip. A lovely brew from Allagash, and one I'm glad to have gotten to try.

B+

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 02:07:26 | More by kojevergas

tdm168

North Carolina

4.06/5  rDev -6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to jtd1969 for sharing this one with me.

A - amber with a thin, off white lacing of head

S - apples, tart, sour

T - apple, pear, tart, a little bready, malty

M - medium bodied, well carbonated, crisp

This is a really nice beer. It's richly malty, estery, and tart. It's almost exactly what I want in a Wild Ale. This is definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 23:58:21 | More by tdm168

HopBrain

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%

05-18-2013 16:24:24 | More by HopBrain

ShemRahBoo

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%

05-18-2013 15:11:06 | More by ShemRahBoo

jtladner

District of Columbia

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%

05-18-2013 13:56:59 | More by jtladner

sneaks2210

New York

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%

05-18-2013 03:53:02 | More by sneaks2210

Jsmick

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +15.7%

05-17-2013 03:42:34 | More by Jsmick

cbeer88

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +10%

05-16-2013 19:36:32 | More by cbeer88

leftstagebrew

North Carolina

4.75/5  rDev +10%

05-16-2013 15:52:14 | More by leftstagebrew

idioteque

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%

05-16-2013 13:12:56 | More by idioteque

fehrminator

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev -1.6%

05-16-2013 01:03:47 | More by fehrminator

henskejk

California

4.14/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Served from bottle into Teku glass.

A - Nice amber color with light tan head that remains as the beer sits.

S - Very nice aroma with a little sweetness and fruity tartness as well as a bit of wood.

T - A blend of sweet and tart fruit flavor at the beginning that fades into a dry tartness. This blends with some oak presence. No alcohol flavor comes through. Some slight vinegar notes as it warms a bit.

M - Crisp and dry with a healthy dose of carbonation.

O - very enjoyable glad I picked up a bottle, good amount of sour in my opinion, not overwhelming.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 01:39:30 | More by henskejk

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev -1.6%

05-14-2013 23:08:11 | More by liamt07

enelson

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%

05-14-2013 21:27:33 | More by enelson

nquigley16

Massachusetts

4.65/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a wine glass from the bottle.

Pours a dark orange brown with a finger of head, pretty much the same color as the label. Smells extremely winey (in an amazing way). Sour, orange, oak, tannins, grapes, sour cherries. Tons of delicious dry fruity notes coming through on the nose. Taste is perfectly tart with lots of fruitiness and a slightly dry tannic finish that compliments the tiny bit of sweetness coming through. This is one fantastic beer, amazing balance and very complex. The yeast did an incredible job, but doesn't overpower the other flavors at all.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 22:19:59 | More by nquigley16

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4.25/5  rDev -1.6%

05-13-2013 02:37:49 | More by yourefragile

emottram

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev -1.6%

05-12-2013 22:14:21 | More by emottram

Aaron58

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +10%

05-12-2013 20:52:17 | More by Aaron58