Curieux
Allagash Brewing Company

12 ounce bottle, bottled 08/21/24 stamped on the label. Big thanks to Brutaltruth for this one! Served in a Teku glass, the beer pours a slightly hazy gold color with about an inch off-white head. Head retention and lacing are both good. I like the aroma, the brew smells like vanilla, bourbon, orange peel, lemon and oak. For the most part I think the taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also some caramel, grainy malt and earthy flavors noticeable too. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's creamy and smooth with a nice amount of soft carbonation. I liked this one a lot and really surprised I haven't tried this one before. Will have to get some whenever I come across it!

Drinking straight from the bottle. This smells REALLLLY good. As a 10.2% ABV, it goes down smoother than any IPA ever would. If this was in gas stations and grocery stores, I'd hit this one every time.

Pours a transparent golden pale. Vanilla and oak on the nose. The bourbon barrel character kind of overwhelm the base tripel, less of that golden raisin and more vanilla, oak, and tannin.

 

Here's a review of a beer that I drank more frequently in the past but have not had lately. Time to see how this is nowadays. Poured into Belgian tulip glass from a 12 oz bottle, packaged 12/4/25.

Golden color with a slight haze, with a great deal of carbonation streaming from the bottom of the glass. There is a one inch white head that settles to a thin but persistent cap while drinking. Sheets of lacing on the glass.

Interesting aroma. Banana and clove-like spice on the nose, but also a cream-like component here, perhaps vanilla from the barrel aging.

On the palate I am picking up vanilla and lemon notes. There is a bit of sweetness also. There is a bit of hop bitterness that lasts well past the finish, also a bit of astringency that I think is a result of the barrel aging.

Medium body and lively carbonation. There is a bit of a very light astringent note that I sometimes get from aging on oak that provides some drying to the palate.

A very enjoyable take on a classic Belgian style. The barrel aging provides another layer of complexity but is done with a light touch so as not to overpower the base beer.

 

 

The bourbon barrel aging smooths out some of the raw characteristics of a typical Belgian ale. It becomes smoother and creamier, with some vanilla and caramel. Apple, apricot, orange juice, and subtle banana. Cinnamon, clove, and subtle bay leaf. A good, comforting wintry beer. More mellow and palatable than most Belgian ales, but not boring.

Bottle into my goblet equivalent: pours an opaque orange-tinged yellow-gold color with a thick, fluffy white head. Lots of lacing. Hoo boy, the esthers are apparent in the nose. Banana, lemon, and bubble gum all come through with ease. The taste is similar - those three flavors, but with a hit of bourbon barrel that gives it a bit more heft, since it is pretty airy otherwise. Cloves, yes. Body is on the mid side, creamy with a dry finish. I get some pear notes, but there is also something more... earthy on the finish. Nut-like, woody even. Interesting bit of shifting complexity there. Very smooth for the ABV.

Yeah, that oaken quality is really coming through as I go back to it. There is a vanilla note in there, too. These two are getting out in front now.

1/31/26 - (Bottle - Home) (Chicago, IL) Bottle Notes: Purchased at store temperature December 10, 2025 at Beer on the Wall Park Ridge for $5.69 including tax. Refrigerated upon returning home before opening this morning. 12 oz. bottled August 7, 2025 @ 1:50 PM. Belgian-Style golden ale aged in bourbon barrels, 10.2% ABV, bottle conditioned. Barrel-aged golden classic. Aging our award-winning golden ale in bourbon barrels layers it with subtle notes of vanilla, caramel, and oak. Brewed & Bottled by Allagash Brewing Company in Portland, Maine.

Appearance: Slow full bottle pour into a chalice yields a full egg white creamy head which leave generous lacing and a creamy bubbly cover over an unfiltered golden blond base with generous carbonation. 4.5

Aroma: Banana, clove, funky lemon, pear backed by a nice oak. Not getting bourbon early all I do get comes together great. 4.5

Taste: Here is the bourbon giving heft and a wakeup call, on equal terms with the banana, clove and funky lemon. Bourbon strengthens as this warms, leaving a wincing bitterness at times. 3.5

Mouthfeel: Slightly prickly carbonation, bourbon tasted more than felt as this feels under the 10.2% ABV. Creamy, medium plus body, lightly dry, any sweetness curb stomped by the heavier bourbon treatment. Growling harsh bourbon now dominates the finish. 3.75

Overall: I put the remaining glass in the freezer to regain the colder temps I like this best, The bourbon is too powerful over the lovely base, whereas an imperial stout base could hold its own and the bourbon could complement. Glad I tried, but would have loved the base without the barrel if given the option based on my initial cold drinking experience. 3.5

 

 

This is a fascinating brew. I think it's a good idea to add back some fresh trippel to the barrel aged beer. It definitely still has plenty of barrel character to spare.

Pours a very shimmery golden color with a bone white head that leaves warbley lacing all over the glass. Classy bottle design.

So much like bourbon and like barrel aged chardonay, immediately off the first whiff. Notes of overripe banana, white peach, chardonay grapes, apricot jam, pear, lemon, cantaloupe, pineapple and passion fruit are prominent, with a heavy astringent oak character prevalent throughout, leading into sweet notes of vanilla, caramel, coconut, clove, nutmeg, toffee, tobacco and roasted peanuts. Incredibly beautiful and complex nose on this one--just an absolute work of art.

That said, I wouldn't introduce a wine drinker to craft beer through this one. The palate is very bourbon barrel forward, to the point of being a little much for some.

I do like it, though. Strong initial underripe pear impression on the palate, rummy overripe banana and clove in the middle, sharp, silvery metallic zing, then an earthy, nutty roasted malt finish reminiscent of pecans and peanuts with a touch of toasted white oak. Very lively.

The mouthfeel is very astringent and that oaky astringency lingers for days, giving flickers of sweet bourbon. Medium-full bodied.

I find this to be a many splendored delicacy, but it's definitely a sipper. And not a crowd pleaser. You really get the bourbon on heavier swigs. Dank as hell.

86 B

 

Probably the smoothest and easiest drinking Tripel style beers that I have had. I am a bit ABV sensitive, but the 10.2% in this one is manifest in the smoothness, and not over

Look: slight haze, straw color, with a supporting head
Smell: vanilla and oak
Taste: hint of bourbon with pecan and oak
Finish: citrus

 

12 FL. OZ. bottle
Served in a snifter

This beer pours a golden hue with a slight haze to it. Suspended yeast is visible. It is topped with an inch of tan head that leaves spotty lacing.

Oak, vanilla, a touch of cinnamon.

I get some spiced pear. There is some vanilla and oak.

Lighter bodied with a smooth mouthfeel

Very nice beer

While on vacation in Folsom, CA, I discovered a very nice restaurant (Mandares) that had Curieux on tap: $9.50 for an 8oz pour, served in a stemless brandy-style glass.

Dark straw color, pretty clear, with a snow-white head of ~3/4", which held strong for several minutes. The aroma was strongly bourbon, with some typical Belgian ale banana notes, even while cold. The flavor was close to the aroma, leaning a bit towards oaked bourbon vanilla: lingering and slowly fading, with perhaps a little citrus on the finish A very elegant pour, with a decadent feel. I'm not a cigar smoker, but I could see this pairing well with one.

The mouth feel complemented the bourbon flavor: more body than most beers, with somewhat less carbonation.

Overall: A wonderful experience, enhancing a delicious meal. If you're in the Folsom/Sacramento area, it's definitely worth a drive for the opportunity to sample this on tap! Mandares is both a restaurant and a bar, so a food purchase is not required (although we both enjoyed our meals and shared dessert).