Allagash - Old HLT

Stored in the cellar at the in-laws in Maine. Purchased sometime in 2012 and has a Nov 2011 bottled date. 

There is barely any cherry taste left. Mildly tart and finishes with barely any aftertaste. Carbonation is still good.  Should have drank them all last year. I have one bottle left and may leave it to see what happens for another year. 

Allagash - FV 13

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Woo this is tart. Starts off a little sweet and then... bam. Tart cherry. Carbonation is perfect for the style. Not too sweet, tartness fades so its not ridiculous to drink the whole bottle.

Only downside was the price, but it wasn't too much more expensive than the Old HLT that I purchased at the brewery. Recommended if you see it. 

Allagash at Meridian Pint

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Part of yet another DC beer week event. There was a crazy amount of Allagash on tap, including two vintages of Confluence, some barrel aged beers, one coolship beer and other beers I had not heard of.

Goulschip - on the right Definitely tart. That's all I really get. It's brewed with pumpkin and an assortment of other things, but its just tart. Definitely enoyable though. (And the first Allagash coolship beer I've had). Yakuza - on the left Tripel dry hopped with sorachi ace & cascade hops It doesn't seem as sweet as I remember their standard tripel. I didn't get too much out of the dry hopping. Nice enough. Saison Mihm - (Not Pictured) This was really enjoyable. Dry and slightly spicy. Recommended. Confuence 2011 - (Not Pictured) Something didn't come together for me on this. The brett is more pronounced, but its not as "bright" as I remembered. Maybe better fresh?

Allagash - Old HLT

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Purchased after a tour at Allagash

Botttled in Nov 2011. Not very tart. I was expecting something a little more tart and cherry. Heavy carbonation. Nice enough. I have three more bottles to go through, we'll see how it holds up.

Allagash - Odyssey

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Oooh. I like it. It finishes fairly dry. Reminds me a little of the 2010 Fluxus. I'd definitely buy a bottle. Very interesting.

Allagash Tour & Odds and Ends

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

On our most recent trip to Maine, we stopped by the Allagash brewery one afternoon for a tour and tasting.

The tasting was pretty standard, as brewery tours go. They poured samples of White, Triple, Curieux and Victor. I hadn't had Victor yet. It tasted like a dry dubbel. Others in our party were pretty overwhelmed by the Curieux. I think I probably had the equivalent of 3 beers from the tasting (as I took much of Mandy's leftovers).

After the tasting, they took us on a tour of the brewery floor and the barrel aging room (first picture above). They actually had two separate barrel rooms, one that held Curieux and Bourbon Black, one with everything else. Each room had a distinct smell (whiskey in the first, more musty in the second). I geeked out too much in the second room and forgot to take a picture. There were barrels of various Coolships and other beers with ridiculous names, which the guide said would probably never be released.

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Before we left for Maine, we met some friends at Meridian Pint, where there were 10 million Allagash beers on tap. [no pictures]

Bourbon Black: Very good. The bourbon was subtle. Very good.
Confluence: This was really delicious. Slightly funky and lemony. I would definitely get this again. Downside: bottles are usually $18 around here.
Victoria: Sweet. The aftertaste was reminiscent of wine. Eh.

Allagash Fluxus 2011

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

This had really prickly carbonation. It was mildly sweet/caramel and slightly bitter. A slightly musty aroma.

It was decent enough. I had higher expectations after loving the Fluxus 2010.

Allagash Dubbel

From Joe Drinks Dinner and Stuff

Wedding Beer #5

Thanks Sara!!

More sugary molasses flavor than dark fruit going on. Definitely enjoyable.

Bonus Mandy Thoughts:
It has an aftertaste of coffee grounds.

Allagash Interlude

On tap at max's taphouse

Fairly similar to the goose island dominque.

Slightly tart with a hint of sweetness. Slightly funky. Pretty enjoyable.

Allagash Fluxus 2010

Almost tastes like a magic marker. In a good way.

I really liked this and would highly recommend picking up a bottle if you should run across one.

Allagash Black

Billed as a "belgian style stout" but it comes off tasting a lot like a mix between a porter and a stout. I'm further confused by the fact that beer advocate classifies it as a belgian strong dark ale.

Plenty of carbonation. A mild bitter coffee and chocolate taste. I don't really get a lot from the belgian yeast used. Shrug.

Allagash Curieux

The bourbon barrels have definitely left there mark here. Lots of boozy vanilla flavor. Almost more along the lines of a sparkling white whine than a beer. I guess that's what you get when you age a triple ale for who knows how long.