Allagash Tripel Reserve

Brewed by Allagash Brewing Company
Style: Abbey Tripel
Portland, Maine USA

Bottle. Pours a large, pitted, creamy white head. Clingy. Hazy yellow body. Lemon-citrus aroma with coriander, light vanilla and bread. Crisp pale malt flavor, more Belgian spice, smooth wheat malt. Moderate (too much for me) alcohol is distracting and detracting. Light, crisp body. Lots of alcohol that lingers. Overall this beer has lots of potential, but the abundant alcohol distracts.

12 oz bottle. Cloudy yellow-golden with a heavy lacing, meringue-sparkling white head. Heavy coriander nose with light grain and lemon. Taste is startingly boozy without the burn, heavy vanilla with some wheat and grain. Dryish with heavy booze on the aftertaste, but again, it’s gentle and only warms the chest. Might be better with food. Burp revealed a nice rush of citrus (sort of kiwi-mango) that wasn’t previously present in the mouth. Misses the mark, wide right.

Pours from the brown 22oz. "bomber" bottle marked batch #134 a stunningly beautiful golden hue, a cloudy, slightly orange color that is almost too pretty to drink. Of course, the standard large foamy Belgian head fills almost half the tulip glass, with a pillar of carbonation rising from the center of the glass where the stem meets the bowl. The aroma is of sweet citrus fruit, candy & sugar. 1st sip is of sweet candied citrus fruit (orange, lemon, tangerine) peel & honey, followed by a surprisingly dry, white wine-like finish. The citrus peel flavor reappears on the swallow & lingers tantalizingly afterwards. There is a champagne sparkle on the tongue. Drinkability is off the charts...it should almost be against the law for a 9% abv beer to go down this smoothly & easily. Overall...wow, Wow, WOW!!! This is about as good as it gets in the beer world!!!

Batch #133. The nose is really spicy with notes of clove, but light, and vanilla. Pours a hazy golden with white head. Flavor has notes of grapefruit, coriander and bananas. Has a bitter finish.

750mL courtesy of my main man and super Texan, Cavie! Pours big hazy orange like a Belgian white. The aroma is light but hints of esters, malt, and orange peel. The flavor is much stronger and is big esters, tangy oranges, and spicy malt. The mouthfeel is high carbonation and medium body. This baby is way too smooth for a tripel.

Source: Extra in trade from Ray Appearance: Dark straw, golden, with 3 fingers white head. Aroma: Bananas, apple, nice. Flavor: Fruity, off-dry. Pretty nice. Palate: Medium carbonation. Overall: Tasty tripel. Like it a little drier but solid brew.

Great Pac NW Hwy 101 Family/Beer Trip 2009
Aroma: Nice Belgian yeast and malt aroma nice candy fruitiness.
Appearance: Dark Golden yellow in color, Clear with a light head.
Flavor: Nice Belgian triple lots of fruit flavors spices and wonderful yeast.
Palate: Dry Belgian Finish, with a Great Mouthfeel.
Overall: Tasty triple this was a wonderful beer.

750ml bottle, batch 133, sparkling golden color, with a thick creamy white head, leaving a curtain of lacing, yeasty, fruity, spicy nose of ripe apples, pears, light candied lemon peels and coriander, with some honeyed pale, toasted malt notes, and a candy sugar, hint of honey sweetness in the aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a yeasty, fruity, stewed, ripe apple, pear, nice honeyed pale malt, doughy character, with some candied lemon peel, coriander spicy flavors, with a sweet candyish sugar note, and a hint of vanilla bean accent, leading towards a sweet malty, honeyish, candyish, lingering hop bitterness finish.