Allagash Tenth (10th) Anniversary Ale

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

beer decants a fizzy, slightly hazed gold, with some tan notes. big head retains well and leaves lots of lace. nose is somewhat sweet and bready, with notes of boozy rum and citrus peel. very round nose. vanilla oak notes become more prominent as beer warms. flavor is mostly sweet, with spicy notes well-intigrated. a bit of alcohol warmth in the finish. definate notes of oak in the finish. very nice beer is both complex and smooth. the cellar time seems to have been very nice to it.

Hazy yellow/gold. Fluffy white top. Apple, other light fruit, must, spice, alcohol, subtle vanilla. Medium/full, balanced body. Unique brew. Very nice.

Damn... first bottle I’ve ever had to explode on me when not expecting it... joy of joys.... Nice thick gold body with a nice white head. Honey hop aroma, light dough, some fruits as banana and apple, yeast. Taste is outstanding, smooth and creamy, hops with a nice spice and good malt balance. Clean ending, overall an extremely nicely done beer.

Hazy golden orange with a huge, expanding off-white head. The initial wafts indicate plenty of fresh, yeast dough with undercurrents of orange and honey. Closer inspection yields more dough, loads of honey, orange and lemon juice, sweet apples, some grainy, nutty malt character and it finishes with a mild, but evident, earthy hop oil bitterness that adds a spark to the olfactory. Not much alcohol in the nose. The body is smooth and creamy with just enough carbonation to keep the tongue happy. The flavors show off all the sweet, fruity malt elements and the fairly pronounced yeast elements. The finish is warm and fairly bright with a slight, but lasting, bitterness. Probably a little past it’s prime, but still a damn fine beer. Thanks Ken.

25 oz bottle. This was the biggest gusher that I’ve ever experienced. The cork sounded like a rifle blast and a geyser like eruption about two feet high ensued. Very big mess on the floor and half the bottle wasted. After I managed to grab my glass, it poured a slightly hazy orangish gold colored body under a minimal off-white head. Minimal visible carbonation, I guess it was lost in the eruption mostly. Flavor is fruity and yeasty with lots of Belgian spicing. Cloves and coriander most prominantly with a peppery yeastiness. The malt is quite bready and chewy. The alcohol made it’s presence known on the finish but it was pretty minimal for a 10% beer. Mouthfeel is wonderful though. Soft but lively carbonation on the tongue. Great rounded full bodied creamy texture. Overall, this would have been a really great experience were it not for wasting half of a fifteen dollar bottle on the floor.

Overall a very good Witbier if that is you style. For a big beer like this, I had been excepting it to be South Hampton Double Wit and it wasn’t. Still a very good beer. Appearance: This beer was a gusher from the movement our friend popped the cork, the beer pour as head and settled into a cloudy light lemon color with tons of carbonation. Smell: The aroma is a sweet malt juicy fruity citrus orange, cloves, coriander, yeast wheat aroma. It’s both a mouthful to say a smell. Taste: I like the citrus and spice both ginger and lemon clove, the malt wheat character seemed more thin than I was hoping but did display a hint of breadiness; and the alcohol did show through a bit. Over all, worth a taste. Mouthfeel: Medium to full body and very fluffy yet move across the palate with silky ease. Drinkability: It didn’t quite do it for me but I am not typically a big Whit fan. I did like much more than most. It was easy drinking but the 10.% ABV and the spiciness did not make it terribly refreshing, a standard I usually expect in a Whit. Hope this is helpful. Cheers!

Bottle, huge thanks to my santa. This one was on my list ever since, in a forum thread about your dream beers, I mentioned that my beer would be a chocolately, rich, silky white. This was recommended, and definitely came through on that promise. Aroma is fabulous; a mix of a typical fruity wit, with strong nuttiness (almonds, cashews), marzipan, coconut, chocolate, lemon. Extraordinary in that regard. The flavor too offers a stunning richness, delicacy and complexity, especially as it warms. While it is very fruity cold, the warmth tones the fruitiness down and brings -- in addition to aromas noticed before -- vanilla, gentle oak, and a amaretto liqeuor like finish, that goes down very smooth for 10%. Superb. Thank you, Santa!

From C&C 750. Pours a yellow/orange with white head. Nose is soft, sweet with yellow cake batter. Flavor follow with an alcohol bite in the finish. Smooth palate.