Allagash Bourbon Black

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

Tap at Capone’s. Pours out black with a small brown head. Aroma of bourbon, chocolate, roasted malts and some dark fruits. Taste is complex and very well balanced, smooth velvety mouthfeel with bourbon, chocolate, roasted malts, dark fruits and some earthy notes on the finish. Very solid.

On tap at Capone’s. Black with a bourbon, chocolate, and roasted malts. Flavor of roasted malts, chocolate, and hint of bourbon. REally nice!

Draught at Capone’s: Aroma of chocolate, light bourbon, and light alcohol. Poured very dark brown in color with a large tan head that lasted throughout. Clear. Not sparkling. Good lacing. Flavor is medium sweet. Tastes of bourbon, chocolate, alcohol, and a hint of coffee. Medium body. Slightly chalky texture. Average carbonation. Sweet, chocolate, malt and light bourbon finish.

Draft, Tria, Philadelphia. Almost black, and few surprises; this is a good barrel aged stout, though not as intense as the Barrel Aged Gonzo. Nose and flavor of dark roasted malts, sweet chocolate, coffee, and whiskey.

Draft at EBF. Pours a black body with a tan head. Nice chocolate, vanilla, oak and some moderate bourbon with a big etoh bite. Some light roasted notes and fruity esters or etoh latent fruits. On a more interesting note Dany’s reviews crack me up. I have to send this guy some beer! What a character.
Earlier Rating: 3/1/2009 Total Score: 3.6
Draft at EBF. Pours a black body with a creamy tan head. Nice vinous bourbon body, actually its quite powerful in terms of etoh. Still i found it to be a bit thin and watery bourbon body. Malt bill was grainy and dry with some light oak in the finish. It was okay.

EBF NOTB. Almost black in color with a tan head. Aroma of chocolate, light roast, licorice, and vanilla. Taste of chocolate, light roast, licorice, oak/vanilla, and some ligh bourbon. Some light molasses and fruit. Some light belgian esters- medium bodied, overall pretty nice.

In short: A chocolaty stout/Belgian crossover. Nice beer but no improvement over the regular Allagash Black
How: Tap at Boston Extreme Beer Fest 2009
The look: Black body topped by a large tan head
In long: Light-medium roastiness (regular Black feels more roasted). Body is fluffy and a with a lively carbonation just like the regular Black. Alcohol a little apparent (no the case with the regular Black). Sweet dark fruits just like with the regular Black but a little less chocolaty than the regular Black. Some vanilla here that is not in the regular Black. All in all this is a decent stout/belgian crossover but the bourbon barrels aging does not add anything worthwhile over the regular Black. If anything I prefer the regular Black. There was nothing wrong the original beer so why did they lock it in a barrel for 10 months? I know. It’s because it’s a Black. They wouldn’t do that to the Allagash White, would they? Scandalous.

Draft, at Night of the Barrels 2/20/09. Pours very deep brown, capped with a moderate-sized brown head. Aroma of chocolate, vanilla, anise, and wood. Flavor is primarily chocolate, with black licorice, anise, vanilla, and dark fruit, with some highlights of oak and vanilla. Long chocolate finish, with hints of black licorice. Not bad.