Allagash Black

Brewed by Allagash Brewing Company
Style: Foreign Stout
Portland, Maine USA

Batch 4 from Sams in Durham. Black pour and a tan head that dissipates quickly. nose is chocolate with that belgian funk. slight roastiness in the back of the throat, but less than I would expect. It balances well. hops are slightly noticable, but rather subdued. slight alcohol warming.

75cl bottle from Pristine Liquors (Spring Hill, FL). Pours a dark black with a thick and foamy tan head. Good retention and lacing. Aroma is dark roasted malt, coffee, smoke, and ripe dark fruit. Flavor is rich and malty with smoky, nutty and coffee notes. Some hoppy bitterness throughout. Generally medium to full bodied with a lingering bitter coffee, nutty finish.

Pours a barely transparent dark mahogany with a spotty-lacing off-white head. Aroma of sweet roasty dark caramel and biscuity Belgian malts with a touch of fruity plums. Body starts with good fullness and carbonation with sticky sweet milk chocolatey flavors before a roasty bittersweet finish. Nicely balanced, flavorful and very drinkable.

Batch 4 C&C 750 from Wine Warehouse. Dark chocolate brown color appears black in the glass and shows a thin but fairly persistent head. Aroma is roasted grain, coffee, and a sweetness that is reminiscent of the candi sugar. The taste starts off with a simple roasted grain taste but expands into coffee, oak, hops and sour cherry. Highly effervescent, smouth mouthfeel, medium to full body.

corked 750 into sniffer. Not sure about the vintage, but my buddy gave it to me from his huge, specialty vintage cellar, so its probably not fresh (not at all a necessarily bad thing, just mentioning it for reference). Pretty thin bodied black pour with a strangely, nearly white head (puffy and lacing). Aroma is very subtle - vanilla, soft roasted malt, and some bittering hops. Flavor is also pretty soft, but very well balanced with notes of vanilla, oak, pretty bland hops, and some hints of dark cherry. Not getting much of the belgian candi sugar that is mentioned in the "Commercial description," but this may be responsible for the cherry notes I am getting. Medium to light body on the palate with pretty active carbonation (which is suiting to the BELGIAN in Belgian stout). Some alcohol warmth on the finish. Overall: good with a unique style that is very much like a hybrid between a stout and a Belgian ale - I’m guessing it is all ion the yeast?

Bottle. Nice head at pour quickly dissipates into a smooth, even film/sheen. Dark roasted malt nose. Sweet to start, with long bitter chocolate notes that don’t linger very long after swallowing. Quick finish.

pours jet black with a suprisingly light head (for a stout anyway). head dissipates quickly. nose is chocolate with that belgian funk. slight roastiness in the back of the throat, but less than I would expect. It balances well. hops are slightly noticable, but rather subdued. slight alcohol warming. overall a very interesting beer that I would drink lots of!

Nose is strong chocolate with light clove and peppery esters. Dense and mahogany-colored body with a white head, creating a nice contrast. Opens with loads of chocolate and rolls into dark-roasted coffee beans and a lightly bitter finish with some alcohol. Thin, slick palate.