Allagash Tenth (10th) Anniversary Ale

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

Lusterless lemon pour with a creamy, ivory head. From start to finish, this brew simply exemplifies the use of spice additions. The nose is bright and full of coriander, orange peel, vanilla, hay, earth, apricot, peach ...the list goes on. The body is absolutely lush and creamy, softly carbonated - perfect in a word. More peach and apricot fruitiness layers with sweet bready and honey glazed malts. Insanely drinkable for a 10% ABV brew. Allagash does it again - brilliant. (Re-rate: I had this again last night (7/3/06) for the third time and can find no fault in it. A perfect beer that is at its prime right now. Hopefully the guys at Allagash decide to brew this one again!)

Cloudy golden pour topped with a big, white head. Lacing formed intricate, long-lasting patterns on the inside of the glass. The aroma was a blend of coriander, orange and apricot. Those come through in the flavor though the orange is more of orange peel. There are also hints of lemon, banana and pepper at the finish. The body is thick, but not cloying making for a memorably creamy palate. Long finish of flavors, dry and spicy. Superb Belgian strong ale.

This beer is basically a witbier on steroids. It is brewed with unmalted wheat, coriander, and orange peel, but has twice the amount of alcohol of a traditional witbier. Tenth Anniversary comes in at a mighty 10% abv. This is a wonderful beer to sip and savor, and makes a wonderful aperitif beer. Allagash Tenth Anniversary Ale pours to a hazy deep golden to orange color, with a thick and creamy white head, and a vibrant carbonation. The nose on this beer is fantastic with lots of zesty aromas of orange and citrus, paired with some peppery aromas of coriander and alcohol. The palate on this beer is firm, with lots of good sweet malt and tart wheat malt flavor. This is paired with a very nice under tone of candied orange peel flavor. Tenth Anniversary Ale finishes with more good sweet/wheat malt and orange flavor up front, then ends with some nice peppery flavors of coriander and alcohol that linger. Marketed in caged and corked 750 ml bottles, retailing for $6-$7 a bottle, Tenth Anniversary Ale is a great tribute to their flagship Allagash White, and is a great beer to enjoy with or without food.

Dull gold. Puffy ring of foam surrounds a scattered center of bubbles. Dynamic aroma of fennel, coriander, floral hops, mandarin oranges, and assorted melon. Touch of alcohol, banana, and candy sugar. Soft, semi-fuzzy carbonation. Wet and slippery. Classy medley of clove and slick melon flavors. Explosively juicy, complex hop notes and soft whispers of sweet orange peels buoy the ensuing candy sugar prominence, which yields an overly meaty, flabby center. Oak provides understated notes of vanillin and rhubarb, but the sting of the alcohol and punctual coriander far outweigh the tight tannin hug. Alcohol warmth is cut by a flash of apple skin acidity, but enough remains to bolster the coriander heat. Mashed bananas compound the body’s flabbiness. More attenuated than it seems, as the alcohol and oak provide a gentle brush of dryness. Finishes moistly full with dribbles of wetness amid a clinching push of dessert apples dusted with coriander. The lack of oak/tannins/dryness cause the sweetness to flare up at times, but it otherwise teems with straightforward elegance and complexity. Happy Anniversary, gang!

Now this is living, work all day pop open a 750 of 10th Anniversary beer from one of my favorite breweries and sit outside and enjoy it all. Gold color with an awesome looking egg shell colored head, almost too beautiful to drink, yeah right. Aroma of mellow malts, grass and hay. The head doesn’t budge an inch. Taste is a bit sweeter though and definatly warming. Flavors of rich grains, subtle white pepper and coriander and sugar. The hops are so sublime and perfectly done. This may be called a witbier but I call it a masterpiece. Magnifique.

clouded gold pour with a pocked head that is concise. yeasty lemon banana and meringue nose, this is lovely, simply lovely. i could sniff this for hours. caramel orange peel greatness, love this flavor, liquid sex, oh shit, cool cream flavor with salt pork. lemony finish a cedar quality. damn, thanks, TAR.

Explodes out of the bottle, pours with a three-finger off-white head that fades slowly leaving some lace. Cloudy amber color. Medium bodied and medium carbonation. Nose is orange peel. Complex flavor, on the sweet side some citrus but not bitter, the high ABV is not noticable, one of the best wits I have had - expensive $12.99 for a 750ml bottle from Downeast beverage Portland, Me.

Turbid gold pour with huge, creamy white head. Aroma of lovely perfumy florals, spices, coriander, hopcit. Tastes floral and spicy, with hopcit and some Bretty elements. Very smooth, with a silky palate, bold flavor, good complexity and balance. Well hidden alcohol. I recommend this one with Bell peppers dipped in ranch dressing.