Allagash Avancé

Formerly brewed at Allagash Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Portland, Maine USA

Tap at Blind Tiger. Deep brown beer with no head at all and light pinkish highlights. Aroma is lightly berryish over a heavy oaky woodiness. Even more wood here than in the bourbon-aged four. Malts are quite subtle and dried out. A bit of plum and brown sugar, but the oak really clobbers this one to death. I think it was a good idea, but I don’t think it was terribly well executed.

Draught at EBF on 2/10/07
Dark, moderately hazy brown body has tan edges and a small dull-tan head that fades rather quickly to partial cover, leaving light lacing behind.
Soft, sumptuous malts lick the nose, delivering chocolate, sweet raisins, easygoing vanilla creaminess and only a slight streak of fruitiness that can not be noted as strawberry (which most certainly fully fermented). Oak gives a touch of zestiness, but the vinousness is very controlled, leaving a clean, smooth, Belgian yeastiness on the end. Toffee and more chocolate-covered raisins continue to ease the nose as a hint of acids are notable on the finish, after warming. Refreshingly dry, but extremely reserved (fitting well with the nature of the beer), it only seems to take the light prune/currant vinousness and run with it, adding just a hint of sourishness that is wrapped about dry caramel. Medium to medium-high strength of aroma, but not forceful in any way. Really a shame they arent going to release this. You could really sit down with a bottle and expand your mind! Alcohol not noted, other than some minor drying notes that are folded nicely in with the vinousness and light acidic dryness.
Aroma dosent prepare for the flavor, nor does having had Four or Bourbon Four. This is nothing like it. Not too much like a quadruppel, but maybe sweet enough to put you in the ballpark of something like westy 12. The yeast isn’t quite as refined and isolated in the flavor, as that one, of course, and the barrel adds light molasses/caramel/vanilla notes. But what really struck me the most is the absolute velvety softness of the texture/malt. Medium-sweet chocolate, with light dark fruit/berry notes and soft, comforting oakiness. Carbonation is low, allowing it to really stick to the palate, but a very light yeast tartness on the finish helps give it some balance. All sorts of chocolates, caramels and toffees can be discerned with warming/breathing. Sweeter than I remember four being, with less apparent alcohol and sharp esters. Probably more a Belgian Dark Strong, but the lines blur.

EBF 07. Pours a muddled dull dark copper with a slight lasting head. Aroma is slightly sour with some lacto, frutiy sweetness, but kept in check with some tart quality and some oak and vanilla. Nice full flavor with hints of strawberry, oak, vanilla, earthy phenols, spicy yeast, and a great crisp slightly tart finish. Light sour qualities from the acids in the fruit make this much better than the original Four. Completely different beer.

Tap at Boston EBF 2007. Cloudy copper body topped by a small beige head. Unless you piss in the barrels you really can’t make a bad beer if you base it on the excellent Allagash Four. Although this is the Allagash Four aged with strawberries I didn’t get much, if any, strawberry flavours. What I got was my faithful Allagash Four with an added unfocussed fruity tartness and a carbonation that seemed a bit too lively. The drinkability was increased but it wasn’t as round or deep as the original. Still very good but something tells me that it was put together without putting much thought into it. I mean, they even misspelled Avancée…

EBF 2007 - this is one of the first beers I tried at this event - unlike some of the other barrel-aged beers these guys brought, this one was not that overpoweringly woody - the regular Four is rather sweet, but the time spent in the barrels mellowed that out quite a bit - there is a gentle tart, almost sour quality to the beer, which most certainly comes from the strawberries (which are quite present, but far in the background), but one might almost mistake it for a little brett character (since it gives the beer a slight flemish sour character) - quite dry, with the wood coming in late - Four is a rather aggressive ale, but after aging on the fruit, it has become quite delicate, with slight white wine flavor (probably also from the fruit) - quite nice.

Tap at Blind Tiger: Deep amber pour, with a fading head. The aroma has a lot of oak character. Somewhat boozy and woody, with bourbon suggestions, but no strawberries. The flavor has lots of woody and oakey flavors, with underlying dark berry notes. Later on the palate there’s some toasted toffee followed by more smooth oak suggestions. A nice experiment, with an ideal amount of oak character.

Tap at Blind Tiger. Great great stuff. No head. Light strawberries, big oak, buttery and vanilla aroma. Tons of oak and a sweet, juicy finish. A small punch of tartness and a little funkiness makes this really interesting. Reminds me in a way of CL SFTO Wine Barrel. Delicious!

EBF 2007: Hazy brown with a loose tan head. Aroma, vanilla and caramel, some oak. Flavor, sweet and oaky, some caramel, yeast, a hint of strawberries, and bit of sourness. This did well, I wasn’t a very big fan of the Four, but this was almost a completely new beer.