Allagash Confluence Ale

Brewed by Allagash Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Ale
Portland, Maine USA

Clear amber with a thin white head. Mild earthy barnyard aromas with corn flakes. Medium body. Nice flavor mirrors the aroma, with grainy pale and pils malts, corn flakes, and some mild barnyard piss and dung. Brett lite.

Growler - a lovely hazy glowing golden beer - fizzy body - sticky lace - light sweetness and strong notes of mango and pineapple hit the nose first, followed by some mixed herbal and wildflower notes (lavender), and then the brett kicks it, adding light funky leather and sweaty character - the sweetness isn’t as high in the flavor as in the aroma, which is a good thing, but the mango and pineapple are there - however, the star of the show here is the moderate brett wildness and flinty character that pairs well with dry, bitter herbs, light spicy hops - crisp, dry finish - I would like to see more of the sweetness gone, leaving a bone dry beer, but I still really like this - I haven’t like their brett beers in the past, but this one is well done.

11 ounce goblet - $8.75 at Taco Mac in Kennesaw, Georgia. Appearance: Lightly hazed, dull, darkened yellow body with a thin, white head. Smell: Sweetish, funky, tart nose of thin hints of malts alongside wafting phenolic aromas, discarded fruit husks, leafy herbs, sour lemons, earthy hops, and some funky, stale sweat Brett notes. As it warms, some curious touches of white pepper and even mustard powder emerge. Taste: Delicate maltiness with some slight pilsner qualities and a few carefully administered drops of simple syrup. Then, all at once, it’s strongly phenolic, but it’s softened by some fruity tastes of ripe peaches, muscadine jelly, and melon. The flavor is punctuated by sporadic pops of tartness. Subtle Brett funkiness. Seemingly spicy, earthy hops provide a modest amount of hop bitterness. Eventually, a taste of sour lemon juice cut with still mineral water enters the picture. Light acidity. A hint of peppery alcohol and fresh florals and then it’s off to the dry, phenolic, vaguely fruity finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Fairly soft-textured mouthfeel. Drinkability: Reasonably complex and more than interesting enough to hold my attention throughout the full eleven ounces served to me. Each sip presents something a little bit different and duly requires a second sip, a third sip, etc. Recommended if you’re a fan of the sour ales and aren’t turned off by the price tag.

Bottle: The aroma consists of apple, brett, and faint floral notes. It pours a cloudy dull golden-orange with a moderate white head. The flavor starts with apple, yeast, and candi sugar. The finish has light-moderate floral notes and light brett. Light-medium bodied with lively, but soft, carbonation.

on tap at GLB ,golden pour,with a big tight white head.good lacing.aroma of pineapple and other citrus fruits as well as Brett.Flavor is a touch sour ,citrus ,spicy and the Brett. medium bodied ,good bittering , finish is dry and a little tart.

(750 ml bottle (Jan. ’09) from the brewery) Pours hazy blonde-amber with two fingers of pillowy off-white head that recede to a thin, lasting cap. Aroma of sourish citrus and yeast. Mouthfeel is fairly smooth, a bit airy but still with some heft. Nicely defined, weepy, persistent rings of lacing. Flavor of sourish citrus with lots of Brett. As it warms it gets a bit spicey/peppery towards the finish and the yeast taste becomes a little cheesier. A bit like a saison or even a tripel except for the Brett.

Bottle from South Bay Drugs: Poured with a thick topping of foam while the liquid is a pilsner like golden blonde color. There is a lot to say about the aroma since a wide variety of different elements come into play such as fresh ground pepper, coriander, tangerine, orange or lemon peel shavings as well as an zesty Irish springs soap scent. The flavor is soapy as well with a strong zest of soap and citrus peels ranging from orange to lime or even grapefruit. Truly interesting how these combinations of yeasts collide together and morph this Belgian ale into a Belgian on steroids yet there isn’t very high alcohol content to back it up.

Gold with a small white head. Funky Brett nose with a dash of Belgian funk, too. Flavor is lightly fruity with a dash of citrus on top of sweet malt. Light and easy to drink. Not bad.