Allagash Odyssey

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

C&C 750, October 2006 bottling. Alcohol listed at 10.3 % on the label. Dark brown with a beige head. Nose is sweet, raisin and molasses, light wood and a hint of smoky peat. Strong flavors of brown sugar and raisin, mild bourbon, hints of peat. Sweet, warming finish. Very good!

Corked and caged, from boboski. Bottled in October 2006, sampled in late November 2007. Strong vanilla and oak aroma, trace smoke and a memory of bourbon. Faint alcohol. Deep amber-brown/mahogany is nearly opaque, with a large, immobile soapy beige head. Crisp taste is yeasty, ripely fruity with alcohol but little burn, warming smoke with vanilla and oak/bourbon. Slightly acidic. Medium-fullish body and somewhat numbing. Compares with an Abt/Quad, has some Orvallish notes but the latter still wins out. Very dry aftertaste and calming effect, alcohol well-hidden and brew well-crafted, but overall complexity still can’t cover for a somewhat uninteresting taste.

Sample from a 750 ml bottle shared by Tmoney99 at the Cincy gathering. Pours a hazy brown color with a small frothy off white head. There is alot going on with the nose; big malt presence, sugar, bourbon, oak, dark fruits. The flavor leans heavily to the caramel/toffee malt side with dark fruits and bourbon infused oak. Medium/full mouthfeel and very smooth. I enjoyed this quite a bit. Thanks Tom.

750 mL bottle, caged and corked, bottle October 2006, received via trade with porterhouse. Pours murky, lightly particulate brown with a small, frothy, light brown head, mostly lasting with fair lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (cookie, caramel, toffee), average hops (perfume), average yeast (dough, earth) with notes of subdued alcohol, wood, date, apple, and vanilla. Full bodied, sticky texture, lively carbonation, and a slightly bitter finish. Long duration, moderate sweetness, acidity, and bitterness.

Bottle from trade. Very dark beer. Light foamy tan head. Aroma of licorice root, oak and dark Christmas spice. Some initial smoke taste. Woody almost aged softened cedar, oak and wine flavour. Residual sourness. Intriguing spice is the most interesting characteristic.

750ml bottle, Oct 2006 batch. Very nice looking rocky brown head, on top of a dark brown body. Hugely sweet nose, with notes of candy sugar, juniper berries, some tree sap, dominant but not overbearing bourbon note, and some toasty Belgian yeast, heavy phenolics. Very nice aroma, with the oak note very prominant. Sweet sugary bouron and oak flavor, with a lot of fruit and berry notes. Body isnt huge for 10%, but it’s decently frothy and sticky. It’s nice to have something from Allagash that isn’t another strong golden ale. Odyssey is probably one of the better Allagash beers I’ve had.

A brown pour with a light off red head and light tan lacing. A raisiny aroma. A very warm offering that really enhances the flavor of dried fruits. Just a tiny bit agressive on the carbonation but the palate is rich and smooth. An excellent offering.

October 2006 bottling, sampled September 2007. Deep red-brown body, thick tan head leaving great lacing. Effervescent carbonation. Strong oak aroma with potent vanilla, in addition to dark fruit, toast, and a touch of sour pineapple. Strong oak body, vinous, with toast and a long, tannic oak finish. Prickly alcohol. Toffee. After several sips a chocolaty characteristic develops beneath the heavy, buttery, slightly sour oakiness. Very good beer, borderline excellent.