Century Ale Brett Saison
Allagash Brewing Company

4.38/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled January 2016, consumed 3.5 years after. I hope it hasn’t gone off in that time. Moderate cork pop, pours a dark amber with some yeasties summer around & a nice Full off white head. At first whiff it was very funky but soon become much more pleasant: citrus, bread dough & wheat. Taste is a nice balance of salty, sweet, bitter & sour. Fairly complex flavor profile: pear, lemon, moderate funk, leather, spices, pepper, hops, biscuit & various ripe fruit. Lots of bubble action, no alcohol flavor, medium viscosity. There’s a lot going on here. Tart & refreshing & delicious.

 586 characters

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Poured into a tulip glass to a bright light orange topped by a finger of dense white head which fades quickly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of light sourness and oak with some fruity white wine notes and some slight spice
T: Taste is tart up front with some slight funk and leather with some fruity notes. Slight white wine like presence as well. Hints of spice at times with a nice pleasing tartness throughout. Swallow is more earth and leather with some lingering tartness, spice and fruit.
M: This beer has a light body but is not watery with effervescent and slightly prickly carbonation. The tartness and acidity gives this one a pleasant dry finish.
O: Overall this is a really nice farmhouse style ale with some nice tartness and flavor complexity. Very well done and pretty nicely balanced as well. Definitely worth a try.

 886 characters

4.11/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Tasted in a Spiegelau saison glass from a 375 ml bottle on March 19, 2017. Look is golden. Smell is citrus, passion fruit and cracker malts. Taste is fruit and biscuit malt. Feel is dry and somewhat tart.

 208 characters

4.07/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottled 1/20/16, so not as fresh as I typically like saisons. 8% so I'm guessing it's held up well enough though...

Pours murky orange-yellow with a solid finger of white head.

Nose is sour lemon and pear. Funky and inviting.

Taste is an immediate lemony zing that drops off into dry, biscuity passion fruit. Medium sourness. Definitely tart.

Mouthfeel is simulatenously slick and dry. Mouth-coating but smooth. An interesting beer.

Overall, similar to Allagash Nancy but a little more one-note. Lemon-dominant but balanced nicely enough by some breadiness.

8.5/10

 572 characters

4.35/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Look: It pours golden with a white head. It has plenty of Belgian lace on the side. Clarity is good.

Smell: The aromas are highlighted by the brett with leather being the strongest aroma and barnhouse being in the background. It also has aromas of lemon, spicy notes, and some fruit. There are some subtle grainy notes as well that are not to distinct.

Taste: The flavors are full of tartness. The flavors are highlighted by fruit and lemon with spicy pepper, leather. There is an initial bitterness that fades as the tart flavors take over.

Feel: It has a light body towards the moderate side with a dry finish. There is also quite a bit of carbonation as well.

Overall this is a highlight of the Brett with a complex mixture of hops and malts with the brett being dominant in the flavor and the other flavors provide a solid backbone.

 844 characters

4.59/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

These guys continue to amaze me. Pours with vigor and settles to a large white head with almost clear golden yellow. A nice citrus tartness with a bit of spice and funk to match in the aroma. Really nice. Flavor matches aroma nicely with a bit of bitterness and a little more peppery pop. Lively carbonations really allows the subtleties comes through nicely.

 359 characters

4.26/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A: Pours a lively and spritzy clear gold with everlasting tiny bubbles surfacing into what looks like a perfectly smooth fluffy white pillow of a head that persists.

A: A perfect blend of acidity and farmhouse funk! A bit of granny smith apples and spice. I could smell this forever and be perfectly content.

F: Starts with sweet and sour apples, nice and tart, then moves into a bit of that classic barnyard funk. Some might say sweaty horse, but I've never tasted a sweaty horse so I couldn't tell you. It finishes a bit metallic, which to me is the only negative about this beer. That may be due to its 11 month age, but who am I to say for sure.

F: Hits the tongue like an overload of suds, bubbling up in every corner of the mouth. Very light feeling and tart at first, creamy for just a second, then ends dry and quickly at that. Refreshing, but pretty bitter which stays until the next sip. Quite the orchestra of senses.

O: I love this beer! I was unable to try One-T or Little Brett, but I would assume this falls around that spectrum based on descriptions read. Again, the only thing preventing me from calling this amazing was the metallic aftertaste. Otherwise, a very delicious funky and tart Saison. Cheers!

 1,225 characters

3.63/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Brief impressions from a bottle:

White cap over a hazy yellow body. Head lasts a good 4-7 minutes. Leaves even lacing on the sides of the glass as it recedes.

AROMA: Biscuit malt, lemony twang, wheat, perfumey floral hops, crackery malts, pilsner malts and a kiss of tropical fruit character. Lime.

Aromatic intensity is above average.

TASTE: A hint if lemon and lime citrus with some soft twang. Brettanomyces come off clean, lacking the wild funkiness that usually draws drinkers to brettanomyces beers. Wheat and Pilsner malts comprise the malt foundation. Hopping is floral and a bit grassy.

Not as crackery as the aroma suggested. Not starchy at all.

Balanced and well built, with good depth of flavour and interesting hop flavours, bordering on fruity for a saison.

TEXTURE: More refreshing than most beers in the style, which is to say it isn't as dry as a more crackery malt emphatic build would render it. Well-carbonated.

OVERALL: Allagash delivers yet again with this true to style (if not tradition) saison, which will cater to fans of the style that aren't too brettanomyces forward (contrary to this beer's name and branding). I'd adore another glass; this is solid stuff.

B (3.63) / GOOD

 1,211 characters

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a cloudy yellow-orange body with light, soapy head that quickly died. Funky yeast and tropical fruits first hit me in the aroma and then some mild funk. Smooth, funky, has a light and easy mouthfeel thanks to the yeast and has this sweetness that strikes me as tropical fruit and a bit of breadiness give body some heft. Balanced saison that is an easy drinker and lightens up on the funk and goes for more sweetness.

 427 characters

4.05/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

01/2016 bottling served cold in a teku

Appearance: darker than straw colored with a nice foamy head of pure white. Classic Allagash saison look here

Nose: lacto sourness but not too tart, damp cellar, wet sock, quite funky and musty, slight hop character but nothing that jumps out.

Taste: dry, grassy, funky, bright and refreshing on the palate, very smooth and soft carbonation, candied oranges, lemons, hay, barnyard funk, medium mouthfeel

Overall: Nice little Brett saison from Allagash. This is my 700th beer on BA. Cheers!

 532 characters

4.89/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

L: orange gold small white head that just covers the beer as you rdink almost no lacing
S: lemon, lime, asian pear, wheat
T: asian pear, lemon, biscuit, and tart
F: feels good
O: awesome beer worth a try. complex but refreshing. easy drinking for 8 %

 250 characters

4.19/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Pours a hazy gold with a thick head. Lacing throughout.

Smell: There's a tart smell up front. You can pick up some of the brett funk and earthy qualities. There is some underlying general fruitiness.

Taste: I like this. Lightly tart. I'm getting a light biscuity grainy taste. The yeasts stand out though. Subtle earthiness, lemon tartness, the esters blend right in. Flavors of funk and light candy esters remain on the tongue for a few seconds.

Mouthfeel: Effervescent beer. The mouth feel is great. It's well carbonated, but smooth, not prickly at all. End is smooth, though tastes linger the feel.

Overall: This is good. The funk and sourness are wonderful with the earthy yeast and hop qualities.

 738 characters

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

look: hazy Honey Gold. Fat swath of white head and messy lacing.
smell: Citrusy with a slight funk.
taste: Citrus funk, a bit of sweet yeasty thing with a mostly dry finish.

 174 characters

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 375 cork and cage into a stemmed tulip, the beer is a slightly hazy, deep golden color with a steady flow of carbonation in the body, and a solid, fluffy, foamy, off-white head. Aromas of toast and crackers, solid sour profile, tart white grape, lemon zest, and a rich funk of berries and citrus. Flavors are tart and sour forward, very crisp and acidic, with a forward blend of lemon zest, orange peel, and white grape must, followed by a tangy and sour twist on the palate, highlights of fruity esters, and all of this on a cracker backbone. Subtle bitterness at the end of the palate, which helps highlight the crisp, clean body. The aftertaste is sour and fruity, puckering the taste buds, but also making the mouth water. Great beer.

 752 characters

4.06/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Golden/ orange color with white head lively carb. Aroma is barnyard funk, yeast, slight lemon, pepper, passionfruit, hay. Taste is initially brett funk and saison yeast with some cracker and hay. Hint of lemon, then plenty of passionfruit some citrus a touch herbal and grassy. The finish is an odd lingering fruit sweet/ tartness. It just sort of sits on the tongue, I would either want it to be more dry or more tart on the finish. Great effervescence and mouthfeel to style. Overall, good Brett saison, but the finish was just weird.

 536 characters

3.42/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Pours a golden orange. Very fluffy white 2 finger head. Leaves cloudy chunks of lacing on glass. Very bubbly, very lively.

Smell is crackers, toast, apples, some grass. Nice funky notes in the back end. Grassy notes definitely stand out more as it warms.

Taste is initially a fruity, Apple profile at first. Then there goes that funky saison taste with some lemony citrus and more grassy notes.

Mouthfeel is pretty moderate to heavy carbonation.

 448 characters

3.33/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours a cloudy orange. Nice voluminous off white head that persists well. Very Brett forward scent of hay, some barnyard funk and general mustiness. Fruity background scent of lemon zest and peaches.

Taste begins with some orchard fruity flavor then turns heavily to the brett yeast derived flavors. Grassy and hay notes gives way to a horsey, lemony and mineral quality. Finishes with clove like phenols that slightly medicinal. I'm surprised by how thin the beer tastes. I imagine the finishing gravity is amazingly low give the dry thin feel, but the carbonation does not help provide the more creamy consistency of many Belgian influenced bottle conditioned beers.

Unique, but the medicinal flavor and thin mouthfeel detract. Hops seem to have faded as well.

 766 characters

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Split with JLindros.

A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a clear golden hue with a thin white head that fades to leave thin wisps.

S - Aromas of great grassy notes, nice funky brett. Really good grassy hops, there is a nice saison yeast as well. Good funky backbone.

T - Taste is similar to the nose and has nice grassy hops, light fruity esters, green apple skins, light fruits, cracker malts, light bubblegum.

M - Mouthfeel is nicely carbonated, good crispness, alcohol hidden well.

O - Overall this was a rather solid, surprised the grassy hops were still there.

Serving Type: bottle

 600 characters

4.27/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Split with rudzud

Big foamy creamy head fades semi slowly, nice foamy lacing, hazy yellow orange color.

Nose typical Brett funk, little tart flemmy, little sour funk, little citrus lemony fruit like, light grassy hop character, plenty of grassy notes, little farmhouse funk, lemongrass, touch of toasted biscuity.

Taste brings a little sweet malt, gassy toasted grainy malt, little gristy doughy like, little wheat, into some mild grassy hops, light bitterness, little leafy hop too, into mild lemony citrus rind, a little stone fruit passion fruit thing, fair funk. Finish little sticky but dry, lingering fruit and mild Brett funk, just a touch flemmy and acidic.

Mouth is med bod, decent carb, not really flemmy.

Overall surprisingly pretty good, nice base gristy grassy malt, nice hop profile blended nicely, little tart funk that drinks very nicely.

 859 characters

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

-on tap in a small tulip: pale yellow and hazy with a Brett nose. A nuanced, lemony saison with prominent Brett funk. Worth the effort . Very finely fizzed.

 157 characters

3.66/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

No label information. Century Ale is brewed in the style of a Saison / Farmhouse Ale, available in 12.7 fl oz. bottles and on limited draft.

Poured from a 12.7 fl oz. bottle to a tulip glass.

(Appearance) Pours a pale gold white head of a crisp, sudsy consistency over a golden straw body with very light haziness and ample, lively carbonation. Retention is below average and lacing is light and spotty. 3.25

(Smell) Cracker and pale malts with a subtle sweetness undertone, some mild funk, lemon and tangy light fruit juice. Potency is moderate. Enjoyable, but basic with little discernible Brett character coming through in the aroma. 3.5

(Taste) Tangy funk and tart juices over a delicate malt body of malted wheat, cracker malts and a touch of biscuit body. Notably more tangy and acidic than the aroma suggests, with apple skins and tart peach juice notes prevailing up front. Little to no hop character. Highly drinkable, arguably pedestrian malt and yeast character for a saison aside from the impact of the Brettanomyces. I found it a touch sweeter than desirable, despite the dryness on the finish. 3.75

(Mouthfeel) Texture is silky, slick, lightly residual, softly chewy, medium dry. Carbonation is moderate, generating a mild frothiness and a moderately crisp finish. Body is medium for the style, light/medium overall. Balance is slightly tangy and acidic over sweet. Alcohol presence is very low and there are no off characters. 3.75

(Overall) Brettanomyces seems to lend a bold, yet fairly subtle touch of tanginess, funk and sourness to a beer, making it a decent candidate to diversify the flavor in lighter-bodied styles, namely a saison. Unfortunately, the flavor impact of Brett matures slowly, which is very conflicting when the bottle instructs you to enjoy a beer with Brett as fresh as possible. Altogether, this was an enjoyable spin on a saison, which by itself wouldn't be anything exceptional, but the Brettanomyces does make a notable enjoyable impact on the beer, and makes for a tasty 12.7 ounces of ale. 3.75

Allagash Brewing Company's
Century Ale: A Brett Saison
3.66/5.00

 2,111 characters

3.76/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Bottled Feb 5, consumed Nov 14 of same year. Fridge temp. Nice light carmel color with 1 pinkie of white foam. Little hint of orange. Nice looker.
Nose is hint of Brett/barnyard. It smells like it should.
Medium light body, just what I like for the style. Properly carbonated.
First taste hit is acidic side of toung bite, bitter citrus, lot of yeast character. Finish is tart but not overpowering. As it warms I get a bit of herb and almost "dirt". No real fruit coming through.
Overall an enjoyable brew.

 506 characters

4.03/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Consumed 10/14/15

A: Medium gold with some tangerine tones - pours mostly clear with some haze - pours with a medium white head, fades quickly to a few wisps but keeps a medium sized collar, leaves spots and splotches of lacing

S: Saison yeast, Brett, and some citrus - lemon, hints of orange and passion fruit - some herbal and spicy notes - moderate amount of saison yeast, with some yeasty funk, clove, pepper, and some phenols - about as much Brett, with some dry, powdery funk, barnyard, earthy cellar, cherry skins - lightly tart overall - pale malts, wheat, light bread, crackers - touch of sweetness but mostly dry

T: Nicely balanced Brett saison, as advertised - not much citrus to speak of, mostly just hints of funky orange and grapefruit rinds and lemon - maybe a touch of passion fruit, but that might just be power of suggestion - some herbal and spicy hops- really nice amount of Brett, not a bomb, just enough to dry things out with some nice dry, earthy funk, musty flavors, barnyard, and tart cherry skin - saison yeast, with some yeasty funk, pepper, clove, and some spice - more earthiness - nice malt profile, with some pale malts, wheat, light bread - very low sweetness

M: Medium body, smooth, nicely carbonated, dry, clean finish

O: May or may not improve in a century

This is a deft use of Brett. Not surprising, coming from Allagash, but this is still tasty, and might even be worth the $13.50 price tag. If this becomes a rotating release, I will buy another next year.

 1,503 characters

4.08/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: A nice, frothy head forms on top of the hazy honey/golden liquid; the head grows rocky and leaves splotchy lacing behind

Smell: Oyster crackers, lemon, passion fruit, slight funk

Taste: Fruity, tart and bitter elements coalesce here, with crackery flavors underpinning the interplay; puckery flavors of lemon and passion fruit burst forward at the outset, with modest funk building through the middle; the finish is fairly dry, though the fruit flavors provide a hint of underlying sweetness

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: A hoppy Saison with Brett - not my favorite combination but well-brewed, just like everything else that Allagash releases

 692 characters

4.24/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

So if this wernt so expensive, i would be more pleased with it. Side by side with prairie brett c, this was more underwhelming. Coming in at 20 bucks, its a great brett ale but not for the price

 194 characters