Cuvée D'Industrial
Allagash Brewing Company

 

Bottled 5/3/17

Man, what an absolutely absurd blend of barrels we have on this one. 24 barrels and many of different origins, even something as insane as aquavit. Wow, I'm definitely excited for this one. This is the last of the bottles I picked up when my friend and I did the Cellar Tour a few months back. Let's pop this open

Pours a cloudy brownish orange with 2 fingers of off white head that quickly fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this is all barrel in the nose, super tannic but still balanced. I'm picking up on aromas of charred oak, tannic red wine, vanilla, black cherry, old leather, toasted coconut, spiced rum, white wine vinegar, biscuity malt, and burnt caramel

It's a bit brighter in taste than the aroma would lead you to believe, though still with plenty of barrel. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting tart white grape, sweet rum, charred oak, apple skin, lemon juice, straw, bready malt, light molasses, and brown sugar. The swallow brings notes of spiced rum, pear skin, lemon juice, golden raisin, molasses, brown sugar, tannic red wine, tart white grape, toasted coconut, and burnt caramel

A medium body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a slick and sharp beer. Finishes mostly dry with a boozy note, but in an elegant way

This one is super out there, but I enjoyed the hell out of it. There's just so much going on. I wonder how this was fresh

 

 

Appearance - The beer poured the color of liquid gold with little visible carbonation.

Smell - The rum nose gave me the feeling that I should already be passed out of a basement floor.

Taste - The profile was lemony was hints of honeydew melon with a rum backbone. A sour beer with rum makes me think of what sour paint thinner might be like. There was a nice tartness to the profile, but I did not need the rum. The funk would have been enough for me.

Mouthfeel - Little carbonation from the aging makes the beer feel unusually flat. Still, there was viscosity.

Overall - I did not dislike the beer as much as I expected. The rum aging did the beer a disservice.

Pours a slightly hazy golden color with an off-white head that dissipates quickly, per the style. This is a gorgeous beer. The funky notes lead the nose, as expected, and there’s also oak and vanilla notes - and an unexpected malt note. On second thought, given the color, it’s not surprising this beer has a more significant malt component.

The taste is all about the funky flavors and the vanilla and oak melding with the malt flavor to yield a wild ale that is balanced with a substantial body and all the requisite funky, fruity flavors.

This beer is perfectly executed, which is not surprising given the brewery and their prowess.

 

 

This might be the best beer that I have personally had in Allagash's small corked bottle American wild ale series. I've bought no less than a dozen of these various beers, and this one produce the most expensive champagne-like drinking experience.

Had poured into a tall white wine glass in sub-30 degree weather, sitting in a hot tub. Bottle was aged 3 years, stamped 2015.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Funky, lime, lemon, oak, caramel malt, ginger