Fox Leap
Allagash Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

Tasting Glass
Look: Hazy rust red, pouring a 1 finger head which dissipated into light lacing a a mediumish ring. Lots of effervescence

Smell: Fresh tart cherries, little bit of yeast, oak, citric acid

Taste: Medium tartness. cherry and yeast funk lead to mellow oak and malty finish.

Feel: Light-med body with moderate carbonation.

Overall: Matches what the bottle describes

Bottled March 11, 2020. Pours a very attractive, glowing orange / pink / light rust color that is hard to describe, but that looks really good. Plenty of effervescent, long lasting head. Really nice looking beer, especially in a sunlit room.

The cherries come through on the nose, and are accompanied by a medium amount of funk. The bourbon barrels are subtle if there at all.

Taste is wonderful. It takes a deft touch to bring different flavors together in a way where each note complements the other without losing balance, and Allagash has definitely done that here. Cherries, oak, medium sour funk, and a surprisingly creamy mouthfeel. Do I have a style bias towards wild ales? Yes. Do I also have one towards Allagash? Also yes. That said, I'd have to think that even without those biases, this is a very good beer.

Excellent. Darker brown and red hued body. Rich cherry flesh, not so much that perfumey cherry skin. Light caramel, medium acetic acidity, crisp lemon and a bit of leathery funk. Medium body and carbonation. Very tasty, good balance, not overwhelming

 

Pours a orangish red with fine pink head.

Smell is tart with notes of cherries, oak, almond, rosehip, lime, carnberries and rosehip soup.

Taste is tart with nice acidity and a slight hint of sweetness. Notes of cherries, cherry jam, almonds, rosehip, lemon and lemon peel. Dry and vinous with quite a bit of oak and red wine. Excellent balance and expertly hidden alcohol.

Mouthfeel is medium with effevescent carbonation.

Overall, a tremendous sour, as usual with Allagash.

 

 

375 mL bottle. Clear red with a big, fleeting white head. Smells of oak, vanilla, cherry, hints of bourbon. Tastes of sweet cherry tempered by sourness. Bourbon dulls the sourness and amplifies the sweet cherry pie flavors. Oaky finish. Medium body. Well balanced sour cherry and barrel character. Nice.

 

 

 

Appearance: The cap pops vigorously and pours auburn colored with a one finger head that fades to a film; shards of lace

Smell: Tart cherry with strong oak aromatics; Bourbon undertones complement

Taste: Tart cherry tones forward with minimal sweetness; earthy oak tones build, through the middle, with just a hint of Bourbon in the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with high carbonation

Overall: Despite the overcarbonation, the flavors here are really nice; the cherry is tart, the oak is pronounced and the Bourbon complements rather than dominates

Cherry brown body, dark cream ring. Wonderfully deep cherry and wood aromas with bourbon, molasses, toasted caramel, brown sugar and malt in the nose. Taste takes it that next step, really giving the drinker a sour note without become acidic or overwhelming, cherry skins, fruit and juice all present powerfully, bourbon barrel grants earth, wood tannins, and vibrant dark elements like a kiss of char besides that in the nose. Has some vanilla and pie notes too, wonderfully complex. Feel is sour, medium-heavy bodied, yet smooth and full. One of the best by allagash in a long time, bravo!

 

 

Corked 375ml bottle dated 3/11/2020. Beautiful appearance, color, head, and lacing. Clear and delicate aroma of cherries with perhaps a hint of those bourbon barrels. Taste is not so sour (just right for me), with a light fruitiness just the right amount of tart cherries, and any bourbon is just a hint in the taste. Notes on bottle say it is a blend where only one part of the wild ale is aged for 12 months in bourbon barrels, the other part soured for 18 months in stainless tank. Then blended and aged on local balaton and montmorency cherries for an additional four months. Feel is very nice. Overall, this is one of the best Allagash brews that I've had (and I've had most of them). I guess I'll be going back to pick up a few more although the price was the highest I've seen for any of their 375ml bottles.