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BAM
Allagash Brewing Company
Beer Geek Stats
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- From:
- Allagash Brewing Company
- Maine, United States
- Style:
- Belgian Pale Strong Ale
- ABV:
- 9%
- Score:
- 90
- Avg:
- 4.07 | pDev: 6.63%
- Reviews:
- 3
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Oct 18, 2014
- Added:
- Aug 31, 2012
- Wants:
- 2
- Gots:
- 0
The Origin of BAT + BAM
If there's one thing that's distinctly Belgian, it's that way they have of imbuing each batch of beer with a sense of history. For this year’s Allagash / BeerAdvocate collaboration brew, we tried to do the same. First, we got our base going: a 9-percent, 35-IBU (International Bittering Units) beer made with Pilsner malt, honey malt and rye, Northern Brewer bittering hops, and Mt. Hood and Czech Saaz as late additions. One-third of that base beer was destined for a Herradura tequila barrel, where it sat for three months. The rest was aged for three months in barrels with a more complicated history—they were Jim Beam bourbon barrels before Allagash used them for Curieux (their barrel-aged Tripel); then the barrels were used by two different mead makers, Artesano in Vermont and Maine Mead Works in Portland. The resulting two beers offer nuanced flavors that are unique to this batch, thanks to the rich history of the wood it was aged in—and what's more Belgian that that?
BAT
The base beer, an Amber of sorts, aged for three months in a tequila barrel. Smoky, with some nutty and dried fruit character.
BAM
The same base beer used in BAT, aged for three months in two mead barrels, which lend a chardonnay-like nose, some tropical fruit character, honey and some toasted oak flavor. Beers from the two barrels were blended into one final batch.
If there's one thing that's distinctly Belgian, it's that way they have of imbuing each batch of beer with a sense of history. For this year’s Allagash / BeerAdvocate collaboration brew, we tried to do the same. First, we got our base going: a 9-percent, 35-IBU (International Bittering Units) beer made with Pilsner malt, honey malt and rye, Northern Brewer bittering hops, and Mt. Hood and Czech Saaz as late additions. One-third of that base beer was destined for a Herradura tequila barrel, where it sat for three months. The rest was aged for three months in barrels with a more complicated history—they were Jim Beam bourbon barrels before Allagash used them for Curieux (their barrel-aged Tripel); then the barrels were used by two different mead makers, Artesano in Vermont and Maine Mead Works in Portland. The resulting two beers offer nuanced flavors that are unique to this batch, thanks to the rich history of the wood it was aged in—and what's more Belgian that that?
BAT
The base beer, an Amber of sorts, aged for three months in a tequila barrel. Smoky, with some nutty and dried fruit character.
BAM
The same base beer used in BAT, aged for three months in two mead barrels, which lend a chardonnay-like nose, some tropical fruit character, honey and some toasted oak flavor. Beers from the two barrels were blended into one final batch.
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Ratings by asafarc2:
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by MasterSki from Canada (ON)
3.77/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.77/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
On-tap at Bar on Buena. Served in a tulip.
A - Off-white foam settles to a solid cap, leaving behind splotchy lacing. Hazed orange-brown body that is evocative of cider.
S - Smells a lot like a Belgian amber, Belgian yeast, nebulous fruity notes, some bready malt, mild earthy hopping, and light oak. Quite a bit sweeter than BAT, which I'm guessing is from the mead barrels, although I don't think I could have guessed that blind.
T - Again, the barrel-aging is quite understated, with the base Belgian amber dominating the flavor profile. Tangy yeast, some vague stone and citrus fruits, bready malts, and light oak. Perhaps a bit of honey, either from mead or malt.
M - Dry, medium-full body, with lower carbonation. A bit of alcohol shows up and lends some warmth.
D - Not bad, but sort of underwhelming. It's a somewhat generic Belgian amber with only faint barrel characteristics (particularly compared to BAT). No major flaws, but not a beer I'd reach for often.
May 29, 2013A - Off-white foam settles to a solid cap, leaving behind splotchy lacing. Hazed orange-brown body that is evocative of cider.
S - Smells a lot like a Belgian amber, Belgian yeast, nebulous fruity notes, some bready malt, mild earthy hopping, and light oak. Quite a bit sweeter than BAT, which I'm guessing is from the mead barrels, although I don't think I could have guessed that blind.
T - Again, the barrel-aging is quite understated, with the base Belgian amber dominating the flavor profile. Tangy yeast, some vague stone and citrus fruits, bready malts, and light oak. Perhaps a bit of honey, either from mead or malt.
M - Dry, medium-full body, with lower carbonation. A bit of alcohol shows up and lends some warmth.
D - Not bad, but sort of underwhelming. It's a somewhat generic Belgian amber with only faint barrel characteristics (particularly compared to BAT). No major flaws, but not a beer I'd reach for often.
Reviewed by TheBrewo from New York
3.82/5 rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.82/5 rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
This brew was served from the tap at The Blind Tiger in New York, NY into a stemless chalice. It glowed a reddish golden amber, showing a half finger tall head of stark white bubbles. A ghostly film was left across the top, but lacing appeared minimal. There was a heavy haze to the clarity, but no sediment was noted. Carbonation appeared average. The aroma showed nice oak barrels, honey and and maple sweetness, heavy malts of wheat and pales alike, and a final milky, lactic sweetness to cut the seriousness of wood. Our first impression was that there was nice fruity sweetness to the flavoring, with a hearty souring grain mash to the back. As we sipped, sugary sweetness of violet grapes and old apples started things off. These prepared the palate for the onslaught of booze to the peak, with fusel ethanol boxing hard against caramel malts, coin, and bittering magic marker phenols. The finish gave more apple sweetness, peppery booze, and black cherry sweetness. The aftertaste breathed of honey, booze, pale and caramel grain, metallic coin, and mineral water. The body was medium, and the carbonation was medium. There was drying bite through the middle, with chalky, bone dry astringency on the back. Slurp, cream, and froth were all nice. The abv was appropriate, and the beer drank okay.
Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the sweetness through the taste. This is seriously tested throughout the taste, with hearty strength to the malty backbone and boozy bite. The final flavoring, however, ends up nicely balancing the sweetness to this bitterness. While the blend is nice, BAM is weaker in overt punch when compared directly to Allagash’s other special offerings.
Nov 20, 2012Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the sweetness through the taste. This is seriously tested throughout the taste, with hearty strength to the malty backbone and boozy bite. The final flavoring, however, ends up nicely balancing the sweetness to this bitterness. While the blend is nice, BAM is weaker in overt punch when compared directly to Allagash’s other special offerings.
BAM from Allagash Brewing Company
Beer rating:
90 out of
100 with
22 ratings
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