Nancy
Allagash Brewing Company

NancyNancy
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From:
Allagash Brewing Company
 
Maine, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
Ranked #146
ABV:
6.3%
Score:
95
Ranked #1,556
Avg:
4.28 | pDev: 7.71%
Reviews:
99
Ratings:
734
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 13, 2023
Added:
May 14, 2014
Wants:
  87
Gots:
  164
This beer is a sour red ale fermented with Maine cherries and Brettanomyces in stainless for almost a year. The cherries were a blend of Balaton and Montmorrency and added at a rate of 2lbs per gallon. Copper in color, Nancy has an aroma of cherries, bread crust and a touch of cinnamon. The flavor is a medley of tart cherry, citrus and pie spice. We think you'll dig it!
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Pahn:
Photo of Pahn
Reviewed by Pahn from New York

4.38/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
12oz bottle into a red wine glass.

Appearance: Beautiful glowing orange that is either slightly red tinged or I'm having some sort of visual placebo effect. No head retention or lacing, but none expected really.

Smell: Funky and fresh, sort of like barnyard on a nice day--and you're not by the stables, you're in the garden where they grow the citrus fruit on the farm. Supremely pleasant... I really feel like it transports me somewhere outdoors, late afternoon, cool breeze blowing, lots of light aromas in the air but nothing jarring.

To be specific, slightly acetic, very citrusy, good amount of sweet cherry, and a mix of mineraly/airy aroma that's hard to describe but contributes to the florid bullshit I said in the previous paragraph. Tangy but not dirty brett.

Taste: Even more subtle and pleasant than the aroma: nice cherry undercurrent, just tart enough to remind you that beer can be both sour and good. Puckering in a lemon/grapefruit way, which boosts the faint citrus flavors in the beer. Through the backend you can really pick up some lactic sourness, with a full creamy mouthfeel intruding on the overall tart juiciness. Lingering sour prickliness.

This is a fine wild ale, showing both restraint and straightforward flavor (subtle brett and bugs, direct, pronounced cherry that still isn't dominating or distracting). True to Allagash's roots and tradition, this is like the best of Belgium's strong pale ales or saisons: there's stuff happening here, but it's happening such that you're invited to relax and explore it. You take a long sip, sit back, and enjoy all the graceful flavor, focusing on whatever you wish.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied. Juicy and tart with a lactic creaminess at the end. Not particularly dry, and not even that sour, just some lingering sharpness.

Overall: This is a beautiful beer. It tastes like something some old master craftsman family has been making and perfecting for generations. Not as adventurous as Russian River's standbys, and certainly nowhere near the expansive complexity of Cantillion and Drie Fonteinen, but for my taste maybe more enjoyable than all of those. Drinking it is almost peaceful.
Nov 10, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of LeRose
Reviewed by LeRose from Massachusetts

4.27/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
A 2016 vintage bottle.

It pours a brassy coppery color with a short and fleeting soap bubbly head. Not unusual for the style. Fairly clear until the last little bit of the pour, but no excessive sediment or chunks.

The smell is mellow and pleasant. Bready, not particularly funky but it's definitely there and more assertive as the beer sits, but never overpowering. Mild cherry that is not medicinal or candy-like, a hint of green apple, slight sour, some spiciness as yet undefined. A little faint citrusy note floats above. Generally, it's pretty laid back.

Taste is just fantastic. Opens with cherry, a more clearly defined but mellow Brett profile, pleasant level of sourness. A bit of breadiness serves as the anchor, in my opinion. Then the aromatics come to play - cherry and berry fruity, a little apple, light lemon, and the undefined spice emerges as cinnamon that shows up late in the taste. There's a light touch of sweetness. It's a little cherry pie-like, but funkified.

Feel is light, the flavor lingers a little long on the tongue, but the little spicy fruity earrh carryover just calls for another sip. No bitterness, sour well within sanity, modestly carbonated, end result is refreshing.

No idea what this tasted like fresh, but it is tasting pretty incredible now. I can't say how much or if it has mellowed. I suspect the color is a tad degraded and maybe it was more clear when new. The flavors are pleasing and extremely well-integrated. Actually happy that I have another bottle.
Feb 13, 2023
Photo of elNopalero
Reviewed by elNopalero from Michigan

4.62/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bottled July 10, 2014. Purchased in 2020. Enjoyed February, 2022.

Cage and cork opens with ease. I almost expect a gusher, but it’s just a gentle pop and a nicely effervescent, rose-tan tinged pour. Some sediment escaped into the glass as well.

The nose has a tart cherry nose, only subdued, with some hints of stone fruit must. I don’t get anything overpowering, or funky even given the age on this. Sour sip, so pucker up! Drying, acidic finish, but not overbearing. Warms nicely, and gives a more floral notes as it does. I didn’t have an opportunity to try this one fresh, but it seems to have held up nicely.
Jul 20, 2022
 
Rated: 3.96 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Dec 06, 2021
Photo of duras
Reviewed by duras from New York

1/5  rDev -76.6%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1
Let me start by saying I am a huge fan of sours. I have been all over Europe including Belgium, France, Germany and I have had many good sours. Often times an American sour is described as having many subtle notes of different types of flavors. This sour beer is no exception. However, in line with the tradition of American sours you cannot taste any of the flavors because the beer is over soured. I am not sure why breweries continue to make these beers and people continue to buy them. This beer is a perfect example of how not to make a sour beer
Nov 17, 2021
Photo of Pru
Reviewed by Pru from Massachusetts

4.17/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Orange pour. Tastes like oranges and cherries. The tartness is nice with the sour cherry taste. Carbonation is on the lighter side and allows the tart taste to linger. Not bad
Sep 15, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by atlbravsrno1 from Maine

Aug 25, 2021
 
Rated: 4.42 by jordanginsberg from Louisiana

Oct 13, 2020
 
Rated: 4.55 by bigpoppa67 from Wisconsin

Sep 18, 2020
 
Rated: 4.19 by BeerBucks from New York

Aug 16, 2020
 
Rated: 4.21 by dsshuck from Delaware

Jun 20, 2020
 
Rated: 4.18 by Handz from Rhode Island

Apr 15, 2020
 
Rated: 3.99 by SierraNevallagash from Maine

Mar 19, 2020
Photo of mushroomcloud
Reviewed by mushroomcloud from Texas

4.52/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
12.7oz corked and caged bottle with a packaging date of April 18, 2019. Opened 2-28-20.
Nice pop upon uncorking, 1/4" white head goes for a short ride before settling in as a ring and islands. Peach flesh colored ale, opaque with visible carbonation streaming up and maintaining a fine bead on the ring of foam.
Instant funky brett in the nostrils followed quickly by a tart cherry aroma. Classic aromas of mild horse blanket and a touch of the medicine cabinet.
Whoa, TART...sour explosion on the palate! Cherries, tart and sour cherries. Underlying spiciness, like a spice rack type - the slightest hint of cinnamon. Perfume-y and floral. Lemon, cranberry suggestions...tart/bitter skins.
Medium body and medium-high carbonation. Clean finish - the tartness somehow lingers without coating the tongue...clean is the best description but definitely not quick.
Outstanding. There's so much going on here between smells, tastes, and feels -- complex and a great experience.
Feb 29, 2020
Photo of Tony210
Reviewed by Tony210 from New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Pours a clear light reddish yellow color, big foamy head that fades quickly. Has a nice cherry /funky /sour aroma. Very nice semi sweet cherry flavor, like a sweet tart, has a gentle tartness to it accompanied by a light funkiness. Has a crisp acidity to it with a sustained tart sour finish. Overall a very enjoyable Brett with a gentle sourness, perfect for the sour novice. Would drink again.

2/27/20
500 ml bottle - thanks Adam!
4.25 rating
Feb 28, 2020
Photo of mynie
Reviewed by mynie from Maryland

4.74/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Bought off the shelf in Baltimore. It costs a dollar an ounce, but, heck I deserve to pay way too much money for the hobby that's slowly killing me.

The pour is splendid: a bright, filtered orange that looks like fire or sunshine or some other nice thing you associate with autumnal colors.

The aroma is tart, organic cherries with pleasantly smooth brett. Breadier and less sharp than most fruited wild ales, which allows for a much deeper and more pleasant complexity to shine through.

Tastes, wonderfully, like it smells. Sweetness up front, a wonderful and variegated mix of bread and fruit. The middle is a bit sharper but never too sharp, with tart brett mingling excellently with lightly sour cherries. The finish has a mild heft with a bit of spice, leaving you wanting another sip.
Feb 19, 2020
Photo of Rug
Reviewed by Rug from Massachusetts

4.67/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Bottled 4/18/19

Wow, this pours a really beautiful burnt orange with pink highlights, a finger of thin white head with streaming carbonation that just never stops, lacing throughout & beautiful presentation. Audible fizzy carbonation when I move my glass

The aroma is not as fruit forward as I would've expected. It's subtle cherry, maybe strawberry tartness, but the funk leads the way here. A real nice wet hay thing with notes of leather and, most surprisingly, wood, considering this was not barrel aged

The front end of the sip is heavy on the cherries, tart and bright with a clean brett sour that imparts citrus notes, namely lime. Cherry/berry mid palate with a mild spice likely from the yeast, but the finish comes back to that funk. Ooooo, that funk. Absolutley complements the cherries, and the leather-like quality is elevated

Highly highly highly carbonated brew here, drinks as light as can be but without compromising flavor. Coats the mouth for a bit after the swallow but is downright refreshing

Well I'll be damned, this is one of the best beers I've ever tasted. I saw it on the shelf and bought it on an impulse without having known much, but I certainly plan to come back to this one for special occasions. Truly one for the ages!
Feb 04, 2020
 
Rated: 4.29 by LeftHanded666 from New York

Jan 06, 2020
 
Rated: 4.4 by jaxon53 from Connecticut

Jan 05, 2020
Photo of Lucular
Reviewed by Lucular from Maryland

4.45/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
12.7 oz bottle. Nice "pop" from the cork but thankfully no gushing. Pours a cloudy yellow with a large, billowy off-white head that eventually fades completely. There is a lot of barnyard funk in the aroma and flavor. It is very sour with less cherry than I expected - my wife thought it tasted more like peach. Very dry and a ton of flavor for the 5.7% abv. Reminds me of a funkier, less fruity New Glarus wild fermentation sour. Overall it's delicious but I wish it had a little more cherry flavor.
Jan 03, 2020
Nancy from Allagash Brewing Company
Beer rating: 95 out of 100 with 734 ratings