Allagash Odyssey

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

Bottle at the GBBF White Horse Babblebelt bash. Murky, deep brown colour. Rather slight aroma for a big beer - soft fruity malt with some woody edges. Dried fruit, licorice and treacle toffee on the palate. More vinous, woody notes come through. An interesting beer but I have to admit I was expecting more.

February 2005 Bottling, Sampled January 2006
Pours quite dark, as I am pouring it, it shows a deep amber-brown color that is pretty clear. The beer sits a dark espresso color and is topped by frothy tan colored head that is initially two-fingers thick. As I pour this beer I immediately get notes of oak and alcohol mixed together. The oak is definitely the dominant note here, it smells woody with mixed notes of buttery oak, and hints of vanilla, and some sort of note that reminds me of cola. Underneath the oak is a nice fruitiness that reminds me of raisins. The combination of the vanilla oak notes and the malt remind me of some sort of fresh bready pastry or muffin perhaps.

The taste is initially quite dry up front, but has a certain fullness and amount of body to it, that seems like it might be contributed from the oak & tannins. The body has a soft creaminess to it that is accentuated by a soft vanilla note. This beer hides its alcohol quite well, and even the oak is not so egregious as to be overwhelming. The oak is definitely pretty prominent here, buttery oak is foremost, but there is a woody almost nutty note as well. As in the aroma I get a certain note here that reminds me of cola, interesting and it seems to work here.

While the oak is not too dominant in this beer, I think that it is a bit too much. There is not enough of the rich beer notes that I would like to see. The malt is too subtle underneath the oak; perhaps a bit of caramel and a certain fullness that I would attribute to malt character. This is certainly drinkable, and I would even want a few more bottles of this to age for a couple of years.

Bottle, Hazy brown colour with a beige head. Malty and fruity aroma with some hints of oak. Fruity flavor with hints dark fruits and oak. Dry and a warming finish.

Deep reddish beer with a beige head. Malty, dark fruit sweet aroma with a spicy, almost medicinal touch. Malty flavor with a wood and whisky note, and a light alcohol finish.

Bottle. Brown colour with a beige head. caramel malty, whiskey, wood aroma and a sweet light alcoholic fruity, whiskey taste. Medium body with a dry finish.

Bottle. Clear orange red coloured with a beige head. Sweet aroma of wood, bourbon and fruits. Flavour of wood, bourbon and fruits.

Pours a hazy dark brown with a light brown head. Sweet and quite "heavy" Lots of oak and whiskey. Some warming alcohol. Strong bourbon finish. Very nice. Best Allagash to date.

(Bottle 75 cl) Very unclear dark brown with a creamy, off-white head. Vinous and quite sophisticated nose. Full-bodied with great flavours of oak and bourbon. Discreet bitterness. Superb. 270106