Allagash Tenth (10th) Anniversary Ale

Formerly brewed at Allagash Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Portland, Maine USA

Bottle sampled with Stegosaurus. Pours hazy golden orange with an off-white head. Aroma of spices, sweet malts and fruit. Flavor is fruit, carbonation, citrus, well um pretty damn good.

750 mL bottle, sampled a little less than a year after bottling: even well chilled, I had a gusher…though, thanks to some inside intelligence, I was at the sink and had a large glass ready to catch the outrageous flow, tragedy averted (all beer in the glass)…After the off-white foam recedes, the body shines with a pale gold luster. A strange, algae-looking lace is left throughout the glass. Soft, doughy esters pass softly through my nostrils with undertones of fruity alcohol and bubble gum. Floral notes are more evident in that last sniff right before the liquid hits the tongue, along with golden raisins, and freshly cracked spices (dull star anise, pepper) and yeast. Thick, full mouth feel with a steady and lingering carbonation on the tongue, delivering luscious oranges, hop resin and a nicely restrained vanilla bean sweetness. Given time, alcohol warmth is noticeable along with a deepening malty sweetness (figs, apple cider, candi sugar). The depth of flavour continues with lingering rose petals, honey suckle stamen, and a long hop bitterness. A special treat, from a special beer drinker and friend…T.rappistA.lesR.ule…thanks & cheers buddy – after a month and a half without I wasn’t sure that I would even like beer anymore…boy, was I mistaken!

Slightly aged sample Hazy yellow-orange; gushing to little white head, fast gone but leaving some lace. Very spicey nose, with some citrus, coriander (lots of it), bit of human sweat - fatty acids! Medicinal taste, dry but spicey. Complex, slightly spirity, but not pleasing. My drinking companion finds pumpkin, and I cannot fault that. Higher alcohols and esters - Curaçao peel? Oily, well-bodied. Alcohol is there, but relatively well hidden. Aftertaste yields more pumpking (very ripe). Is this beer, or an alcoholic tisane? Or pumpkin soup with a dash of poteen? Oops. Thanks for keeping this one for me, Jeremy - unfortunately, it will never be my Rob Todd favourite...

Deep yellow-golden coloured beer with a deep orange glow and with a quick disappearing off white head. Aroma is complex, hints of corriander, vanilla, baby food (Bambix), sweet milk bread, orange cake and toches of pumpkinseeds, ripe pumpkin flech and oeatmeal. Taste is sweet, pumpkin like, there is an outspoken corrianderish touch in the taste, and lots of mild curacao orageskin, oatmeal dough, peachpits and sweet milk bread. This beers has a massive and mild fruity caracter, but it laks crispiness and some refreshing accents. There is also some alcohol bitterness in the finale. Thanks a lot Joris for sharing this one with me.

Yeasty spicy nose with a hint of corriander. Gold color and fizzy head. This was a gusher when I popper the cork and we lost about 1/3 of the bottle. Sweet orangy tastes, like a nectarine. Spicy nutmeg end. Big body with an intense flavor, but well-balanced and smooth overall. Lots of alcohol. I really like this one. Nice.

Bottle. Small white head that mostly diminished, sparse lacing, cloudy, no visible carbonatioin, and a straw yellow hue. Nose was sweet, spicy, and oranges. Sweet, spicy, citrus, some vinuous, and some vanilla in the flavor. Smooth palate. Light-medium body.

Sample BI Indy gathering 2/25/06 - Flavor is banana, yeast, bread dough, and spice. Pours hazy yellow with big head and no lacing, was a gusher. Flavor matches aroma with the oak showing up. Palate is clean. A good brew.

Well- it exploded to 3/4s into our kitchen and started a not so funny Friday evening - but oh well, after cleaning the floor, the counter, the sink, the cabinets and shelves we were ready to rate what was left. Dark orange color. Intense oange nose, some alcohol detectable in the taste, but also sweet oranges, anis and vanilla with a nice light spicey finish.