Allagash Musette

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

Grapes, marzipan, vanilla, caramel and toasted malts greet the nose. Hazy brown body is topped by a decent white head that recedes to a lasting cover with some sudsy lace. Grapes, vanilla, bourbon, toffee and toasted malts are all notable in the very sweet flavour. Medium full body with moderate carbonation. Alcohol never apparent. Going away party.

Bottle. Really didn’t like this one. Drain pour. For the price, I was expecting a much better beer. No discernable bourbon flavor.

ack! shoot me. I do like/love and/or really appreciate Allagash. I think they produce some very high quality product. This is obviously just that for some, but I must have a super intollerance when it comes to bourbon barrel aged beers. Just couldn’t quite make my way past it. I tried sneaking up on it, jumping, spinning around, telling it I was leaving for the night and would see it tomorrow... still hit me in the mouth.

Color is a deep semi-transparent copper. Faint head that leaves no lace. Vanilla, spices, and a bit of banana on the nose. Smooth mouthfeel, slight carbonation. Flavor is spices - maybe cinnamon and sweet caramel. A really good beer.

The body of this beer is a dark orange/red heavy amber and it holds a diminishing thumb thick white head that is quite creamy and made up of very small bubbles. <P> Aroma, lightly yeasty, pineapple, bourbon, oak and sweet fruity malt. Very nice aroma with a nice range of distinct smells. <P> Fore is very oak laded. Has a woody spiciness to it in fact. The bourbon is fainter here, but some of that wood/bourbon mix that, to me, approximates pineapple is present here. Some earthy malt makes it feel a tad dusty, but in more of a barnyard funk way. It’s very soft on the tongue. More fruity notes pop as it warms up more.

750. Pours a deep cloudy brown with a very thin, very short-lived off-shite head. The usual spectrum of caramel and dark amber highlights for a Scotch. Doesn’t smell like much, some dark caramely malt and maybe a dash of candi sugar (?). Very subdued attack; medium body, nearly still, fairly neutral flavors at first. Rich peaty malt with some nice wood smoke as the finish fades out. Good stuff. Not really so sure it merits $20/750, but it’s a good beer and worth trying once.

2006 Bottle. Pours a hazy dark amber with a strong off-white head. Very spicy aroma with hints of figs and caramel. This had a slightly tangy finish and was still pretty bitter. The oak had a nice presence and made this feel really dry. The alcohol was still really strong, might improve a bunch in the next few months.

Sharing with my family on Thanksgiving, and my 31st birthday. Pours a muddy amber brown with hints of red and a bubbly tan head with a large amount of carbonation clinging to the glass. Aroma is dark fruits, sweet but toasty malts, and an apparent alcohol. The flavor is enjoyable with a lighter malt sweetness trailed by a tangy carbonation which gives way to a warming alcohol sting. Some spiced flavors and yeast presance are noticed and a nice medium bodied tangy finish appears at the end.