Allagash Grand Cru

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

750 ml courtesy of Naka, shared with he and Nate. Batch 17. Rating #300. Pours orange red, hazy, off-white, fizzy head. Nice lacing. Nose is wit-esque. Spicy, of coriander, orange peel, touch of clove, some clean fruit, banana, orange-cutrusy type thing. Spice with lots of fruit. Clove, anise, coriander, orange peel, banana, lemon and orange. Lots of flavor exploding in my mouth. Dry ending with mild to moderate bitter. Well rounded and balanced. There is some caramel there, some toffee, but it is subtle and underlying, just showing itself to balance the brew out. Nice treat for 300. Thanks, Naka!

Shared w/ Nate and Juart. Batch 17. Pours a hazy honey color with an off-white thin head. A little bit of lacing. Has spicy coriander, vanilla, and some honey in the nose. Flavor is sweet honey, but a good bit of bitterness. Still got a lot of coriander and other spices. Medium body and kind of refreshing compared to a lot of other winter seasonals that I’ve had.

Batch 5!!! I really enjoyed this one...mixed reviews from me thus far for Allagash but this one impressed. Beautiful murky golden maroon with 1-inch head. Sticky...with lacing clinging to the side of the glass and a bitter aftertaste hanging on my palate. Dominate flavors of toffee, clove, banana and citrus. Didn’t really taste the smoke or licorice, which would have added a nice complexity but this was one that I enjoyed.

This beer was similar to a Belgian golden ale, except much more of a malty flavor. It was hearty and filling with a nice mouthfeel. Big head when poured.

750 ml bottle; nose of yeast, cloves, corriander, caramel, and a tiny funk note; lightly hazed copper with a big off-white head; flavor of peppery spices, caramel, and very, very light tartness.

Feb. 2007 - Beer poured amber orange, very small head, little lacing. Aroma was fruity and spicey. Flavor was fruity sweet, but much more subdued than your typical Belgian ale...but the change was welcome. Predominant flavors were peaches and pears, with some apple. Just the right amount of spiciness made this not boring, yet amazingly drinkable. Good beer!

Trappist Glass. Pours Reddish gold with a small vanishing head. Aroma of clove, citrus, and yeast. Taste is of sweet malts. Slightly bitter finish. Good flavors, but not terribly strong. Fairly dry. Nicely complex beer, but I wish it had a bit more flavor.

This beer is about balance, every character is a compliment of another. It’s cloudy in the glass, but the aromas are unrestricted notes of honey, spice, and roasted pumpkins. The palate is creamy and soft.