Northman
Allagash Brewing Company

 

 

 

Appearance: Arrives with an amber color verging on tea brown; the foamy head retains nicely and leaves a few strands behind

Smell: Dried fruit and apple brandy; oaky, as well

Taste: Bread and dried fruit, at the outset, with spice from the yeast building; after the swallow, the oak and apple brandy tones build; somewhat boozy in the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Overall: Allagash scores again, bringing apple brandy tones to a BSDA; there are few domestic brewers that can come close with the Belgian styles

 

 

 

this is a really interesting brew, a belgian strong ale aged in brandy barrels. its unique and delicious, crimson in color without anywhere near the anticipated viscosity given the abv and the barrel treatment, it looks almost thin in the glass, but the color is pretty and the head is active and tall and very classically belgian. brandy in the nose for sure, sweet and grapey, concentrated and fortified, a bit of booze and wet oak, and a somewhat mild belgian yeast strain on a richer but nicely fermented down grain base. heavy fruit from the brandy in the flavor, some wheat malt, white pepper and clove notes in the yeast, but somehow there is an odd and surprising lightness to the whole thing, despite its wintery flavors and strong alcohol content, it doesnt drink very heavy at all. sweet for a moment in the finish, then a flash of unexplained bitter, finally its dry, a curious trajectory but something memorable for sure. i have almost forgotten that allagash makes all these really cool belgian types and strong ales because their wild beers have been so amazing and have occupied so much of my attention. this is amazing stuff, really not much like it out there. somehow the grain is light in flavor and feel for what this is, there is very likely candy sugar or some other non grain fermentable responsible for that. awesome stuff.

 

 

Love this beer. Exactly what I expect a biere de garde to be, even with no noticeable funk. Very malty and bready with a fluffy mouthfeel. Would love to see what some brett would do...

Edit: Had no idea this was 10%... drinks like 6%

 

 

 

 

Apparently this is aged in calvados barrels and it shows nicely.

On tap. Off white head. Caramel brown color.

Nice barrel presence. Sweet and malty. Fruity. Figs, dried cherries, and plums. Raisins and caramel malt.

Medium bodied. Warming. Very nice feel to it.

Really solid beer. I could have drank a lot of this. The barrel flavors were great.

Cloudy dark amber color. Small head but with lasting rim bubbles and streaky lace.

Sweet caramel start. Notable alcohol to the nose.

Rich and sweet, like a doppelbock. It coats the tongue. There's enough bitterness to provide a smidgen of balance. Short and sweet aftertaste. It would make a great after dinner beer.

 

Decent beer but did not like the Calvados Barrel flavor.