Allagash Grand Cru

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

750ml bottle batch #15 @ O’brien’s Pub in San Diego. This is one of the few non barrel Allagash brews that I had not yet had, so I had to go for it. After popping the top I let it sit for about 15 minutes to warm up a bit, with the advice of ScottOAle who had just had some. Pours dark amber with a small white head. The aroma is powerfully sweet and nicely strong. The taste was sweet , with a slight fruit edge and potent for only 7.2%. I honestly can’t tell if the bitterness of Blind Pig slightly marred my palate for this brew.

Here’s the definitive proof that “Grand Cru” has just about as much meaning as the Easter Egg in Easter. Previously I had thought that it signaled some kind of caramel woody character, which I had found to be the consanguineous link between my sampled Grand Cru’s. Wrong. Allagash has thrown that idea away with their own interpretation of Grand Cru, which I think is much more of a South American delight then an immersive, curmudgeon wood-based variant. The head is thin but disruptive and volcanic. The spouting gases create a delicious miasma of orange, sweet orange marmalade, hops and a great deal of blank gaseousness. The real surprise is the second citrus partnered in with the aroma: lime. A pungent whiff of fresh lime (none of that Key Lime business) fresh cut and squeezed perfumes the air and brings a touch of the Southern Hemisphere to the top of the glass. Unlike its contemporaries, the Allagash Grand Cru is a very short burst of flavor pleasure, spearheading the experience with a lot of wheat, and a little pale lager corn syrup. But here again the chivalrous lime comes to the rescue atop a dimpled green horse, compensating for the bland and boring other flavors. It’s short, but quite delicious, especially after choking down so many thick and serious Grand Crus. Still, it wasn’t as intense. I think this would make for some amazing food pairings though with some gentler Thai or Vietnamese food. The lime, surrounded by other whispered flavors would go great with bean sprouts, lemon grass and I could even see the peanut based dishes and sauces being great in the shadow of this tropical bottle of beer. It is particular, to be sure, but it has its place. Poignant? No, but it occupies a niche few other beers do with its uniquely refreshing character that just screams dinner drinking.

750ml Bottle batch #14. Aroma is of apple sauce, bananas, mangoes, cloves, spices. Poured a dark, clear red body with a decent size head that stayed. Moderate carbonation. Taste is of banana, cloves , spices, yeast, passion fruit. Smooth. Very drinkable.

750mL bottle: Pours a cloudy brownish/dark tannish color, light brown medium sized head. Small bubbles, quickly diminishing. Very floral aroma, spices of corriander, some mild malts, pretty strong aroma. Malty spicy taste, taste of flowers, same spice as aroma (corriander?) Aftertaste of some spices, but milder, not overpowering. Nice spiced beer. Even better as it warms up.

Pours slightly hazy orange-brown color with a HUGE glob of thick tan foam. Decent lacing. Mild raisins and sweet bready malt in the aroma. More bready malt in the taste up front. Quite sweet and delicious. A little bit of oak and dry tart cherry in the aftertaste. Dry and alcoholic in the finish, with nutmeg and some light cinnamon is in there too. Now some raisins and maybe some spicy-peppery hops. Medium body and full carbonation. 750 ml bottle. Batch #5.

750 ml. batch #12. Cloudy orange color with a small white head. Yeasty sweet aromas of orange peel, citrus, and corriander. Carbonated on my tongue a little spicy on the tip but fades to a creaminess, sweet orange peel, pear, citrus, and corriander with a dry finish. Overall, pretty decent though nothing too great.

Batch #9. Courtesy of mikemac at the oak cafe. Pours a goldish amber color with a thin head. Aroma was a little spicy with some belgian and clovey aroma. Flavor was a little sweet easy on the tongue. I got a slight medicinal taste in this but it didnt hurt the taste that much. Bubbly on the tongue.

Dark Amber pour, large foamy off-white head that lasts. Spice aroma. Taste is a bit chalky, with a hint of spice. Not much in the finish. Enjoyable, but not outstanding.