Allagash Four

Brewed by Allagash Brewing Company
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Portland, Maine USA

Allagash Four pours to a beautiful, deep amber to ruby color with a tall, thick, creamy white head and a lively amount of carbonation. The nose on this beer is complex and inviting, with a multitude of aromas that invite you in. Waves of sweet malt, ripe fruit, earthy yeast notes, and peppery alcohol flood the nose. The palate is lush and full on the tongue with complex flavors that dance on the tongue. Sweet and caramel malt flavors play against an under tone of soft ripe fruit flavors, and spicy yeast flavors. There is so much going on in this beer, you really have to savor this one to let the taste buds soak it all in. Allagash Four finishes with more complex malt, fruit and yeast notes, then ends with some herbal hop bitterness, and peppery alcohol that warms as it goes down. Wow. The most impressive beer from Allagash I have ever tasted, and that is saying a lot because all Allagash beers are world class. This beer is phenomenal as is, but like any good Trappist style ale, this beer will only get better with age. Some of those "raw", potent flavors, will mellow with age, and become deeper and more complex. Retailing for $7 a bottle, this beer is a steal, and I suggest you purchase a few bottles to drink young, and a few for your beer cellar. This beer is a fantastic after dinner beer, and would work well with hearty fare, as well as strong and sharp cheeses.

750mL bottle. Murky orange brown with a medium light tan head. Honey, apples, and sweet malt in the aroma. Fig, raisin, appleskin, and honey. Cloying sweetness with a bit of estery spiciness in the finish. Mouthfeel is heavy, thick. I found it to be too sweet.

"HO hummmmm. Poured brown thin head disappreaed quickly. Tasted of honey, very sweet for a quad. Was to sweet for this style. to much alcohol flavor. Thin mouthfeel. "

Light brown/deep amber. Huge, dense off white head. Aroma- big yeast, malt, sugar, touch of dark fruit, subtle hops- all grow more intense as it warms. Flavor- balanced malt and hops, big yeast and sugar, pungent dark fruits, touch of alcohol, caramel roastiness creeping in as it warms. Full, rich body. Perfect carbonation. Caramel/alcohol/yeast aftertaste and finish. Excellent brew, excellent brewery. Start this one at 60’F. I hope they bottle the barrel aged version.

Had this at Vail Beer Fest. 2-oz sample in a snifter. The beer poured a murky medium-gold color without any head. The aroma was moderately malty with notes of roasted grain and cookie; light hoppy notes of pine, dry straw and green apple; light yeast notes of basement and barnyard with miscellaneous notes of vanilla, clove and insence. The flavor was moderately sweet and lightly bitter with an average-length, lightly bitter finish with cool green apple retros. The body was light-to-medium, the texture was watery and the carbonation was soft. I would like to have this again and spend a little more time with it—it’s pretty engaging.

Opened with a vigorous pop and dispensed a brilliantly clear ruby brown body under a thick off-white head that leaves beautiful sheets of lace as it falls. Caramel and dried fruit aroma. Smooth and full with a overall sweetness that avoids being cloying. Very nice brew although not a deeply complex one.

This bottled brew corked and caged poured a small sized head of finely sized mostly diminishing unnoted colored bubbles that left behind a fair lacing. The body contained unnoted carbonation, was unnoted and light caramel brown in color. Its aroma contained notes of brown malt chocolate and was different. Its mouth feel is initially tingly with a bubbly palate and a flavorful aftertaste. Its flavor contained mildly vinous mild roasted caramel malt notes. An excellent beer that I would buy again.

Brown with a thick tan head. Short retention. Aroma of port, cherry, caramel, courant, dark fruits and brown sugar. Taste is very pleasant but had a bit of a cherry medicinal taste. Not too bothersome. Good port palate similar to the Dubbel Reserve. Overall a nice effort but lacking in dimensions.