Allagash Curieux

Bottle aged one year: Luminous golden. Brilliant clarity. Lathery and rocky white froth deposits intricate patches of lace with every sip. Brightly herbal aromatics with notes of plaster, dried pineapple, straw-tinged malt, vanillin, and unripe peaches dusted with black pepper. Touch of minerals. Fluffy and compact carbonation. Impeccably conditioned. Barrel-derived charred sugars clasp the palate and beautifully contrast with the Tripel elements and abundance of dried tropical fruits (coconut, pineapple, mango). Nutty oak and straw-tinged malt lay an extremely soft and clean foundation for the fruity esters which gracefully glide over the palate. Salty tannins awaken the palate and deepen the complexity. Peppery alcohol imparts dryness and bolsters the spicy phenolics, but is masterfully cloaked. Complementary sherry exudes ever so subtly and enhances the chewiness of the well-aged cakey malt, but the oxidation never dulls or tarnishes any of the resounding luster. Succulent fresh peach flavors and textures also help allay the papery oxidation, as do the palate-coating silky-vanilla barrel extractives and plastery yeast character. Sappy residuals interact with the malt sweetness and salty tannins to yield a sumptuous black-licorice effect. Closes creamy and moistly full with vanilla-infused caramel flavors which linger alongside a well-developed cakey malt fullness and a soft and understated brush of oak. Flawlessly attenuated. I’ve always thought highly of this beer but don’t recall it ever being so integrated and nuanced. The year of aging has obviously worked its magic.

I had the Curieux on draft at Monks in Philadelphia. This was a very interesting tripel. It had a very oaky taste at the start b8ut as it warmed I started to note more vanilla and subtle fruitness. Overall I was left impressed with this tripel from Allagash.

(Bottle) Pours golden. Bourbon and yeast in aroma with tones of vanilla, coco nut and butter. Also some fruits and spices with notes of oranges, pepper, parsley and hint of apricot. Rather sweet nose. Buttery, yeasty and herbal flavour with tones of vanilla, coco nut, oregano, grapes and some subtle fruitiness. Lingering bourbon-ish, alcohol warming aftertaste. Medium to full body. Nice.

750 mL bottle. Pours cloudy golden orange with nice off-white head. The aroma has very distinct bourbon, as well as the typical yeasty (banana, zest) notes I would expect from a good tripel. The bourbon isn’t as assertive in the flavor as it is in the nose, but it is definitely there. Banana bread and honey dominate, but some woody and smoky tones come in the finish and add a bit of a tart twang. Some clove and other spices emerge as it gets warmer. This is actually a pretty good brew.

Golden with a small but lasting white head. Vineous aroma with wood and bourbon. Sweet flavour with lots of bourbon and a dry finish. Re-rated out of (excuse the pun) curiosity. Feb 2007 bottle in April 2009. There is alcohol and a little raisin in a completely bourbon dominated nose. Flavour is smooth and fruity, but above all, bourbon. There isn’t a lot of triple character, in fact there isn’t much other than bourbon. Guess I posted the right rating the first time :) (same score)

Bright cloudy orange in color with nice head. Aroma and flavor were rich of malt and spicy sweetness, and the bourbon was definitely noticeable. It was pretty powerful and the alcohol was slightly evident.

Not the nicest color, a cloudy orangish yellow, but the smell makes up for it--sour fruity and a bit spicy. There’s a soft caramelly sweetness right away that surprised me with a sour bite coming in later.

750. radiant golden orange hue with a slight haze to it. pouring this one into such a small glass its hard to get a good head to form but the color is white and it looks quite fluffy. nose displays lots of bourbon and it is jim beam for sure (i’d know that smell anywhere) also some soft coconut(?) aroma. the mout feel is all triple and nice rich with atouch of soft sweetness, plenty of that yeastiness that you find in belgians with a nice spicy hop flavor and a fair amount of alcohol on the finish. bourbon flavor comes into play throughout this one and is intertwined with every aspect of this beer and it pays off. me likey.