Coolship Cerise
Allagash Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

Bottled January 2022

Yet another bottle from my trip to Allagash. Oh man, I’m excited for this one. For some perspective, Allagash’s Nancy, a cherry Wild Ale, is my third favorite beer of all time. Now, this is basically that, but more directly inspired by Lambic. I know that will turn up the funk which sounds great to me, but I hope the cherries here are just as present. Let’s pop it open and find out

Pours a cloudy ruby red with 2 fingers of pinkish white head that fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

Oh yeah, the nose is very funky but the cherry is right up front with it. I’m picking up on aromas of sour cherry, lemon juice, graham cracker, wet hay, honey, sharp oak, crabapple, light brown sugar, and red wine vinegar

In taste it leans a bit more into the funk than I would’ve preferred, but that’s just the nature of the style and it’s awesome regardless. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting black cherry, sharp oak, old leather, wet hay, vanilla, dark bread, apple skin, and light lemon juice. The swallow brings notes of black cherry, graham cracker, lemon juice, sharp oak, crabapple, light leather, wet hay, cinnamon, and light apricot

A medium body pairs with moderate carbonation, resulting in a sharp and tart beer. Finishes mostly dry and incredibly refreshing

Well, it may not hit Nancy levels, but this is damn awesome as well. Allagash can do no wrong in the funk game

 

 

Nucleated Tulip
Look: Hazy bright red body, pouring a 1 finger head, pinkish in color. Dissipated into a ring and lacing
Smell: Funky, musty almost, cherries, hint of malt, citric acid
Taste: Cherry tartness upfront, stone fruit, hint of ethanol and some funk on the finish. Leaves a sour cherry note in the mouth
Feel: Gentle carbonation, light body
Overall: Its good and interesting. The funk isn't too bad. Sour cherry notes are definitely there. Would definitely buy again

 

Pours a beautiful burgundy hue. Smell of musty cherries on the nose along with some baking spices. It has a pie/cobbler fragrance as well. Some cinnamon and vanilla, perhaps a touch of graham cracker as well. Tartness from the cherries is the central player here along with that mustiness. Get some funk from the underlying lambic that provides some nice depth. There's acidity here but it's not over the top. A very nice rendition!

 

 

Garnett red pour with a pearl white cap. Aromas of tart cherry, balaton stronger, dark oak, vanillins, faint vinous influences, and earthy spice. The taste is much the same, but has more an emphasis on the tart cherry where the nose was the barrel. Feel is tart, lightly sour, medium bodied, and very smooth and clean but the funk finally shows here in the finish. Want more funk, especially in taste, but a good kriek

 

 

Poured red with full clarity. Heavy cherry pie filling at the nose. Very sweet, the juicy and tart cherries are endless. The taste was very bone dry with the vinous flavors of red wine and followed by tart cherries. Acidity is there but doesn’t overwhelm the palate. As it warmed a little, cherries became far more pronounced with hints of spices coming through. Mouthfeel is light bodied, no harshness from the acidity. Seriously everything about this beer I loved. The balance of flavors yet tons of cherries, and the acidity kept reined in. Outstanding.

Look: It pours red and clear. It has a pink head with low head retention.

Smell: It has strong sour cherry aromas up front with leather and goat.

Taste: It has sour cherry flavors up front with leather and goat. There is a twinge of sweetness.

Feel: It has a medium body with a tart finish and a tinge of sweetness.

Overall, a strong cherry tart presentation with other flavors and aromas in support.

12.7oz corked and caged in February 2021. Opened 1/30/22.
Nice pop upon uncorking. 1/2" white head, audibly sizzles away quickly to a ring and island formation. Glowing red with a purple tint and limited visibility. Very nice looking. No lacing. Vinous nose, tart cherry fruit - red cherry. Tons of tart cherry flavor, a bit of funk, and what I perceive as a soft baking spice. Bright entry, light body, high carbonation with a tart and dry finish. Very Good to Outstanding.

375ml bottle poured into a tumbler. This bottle was aged for approximately 3 years.

A: Tawny colored and cloudy with a definite pinkish hue. Rocky off white head retains very well.

S: Ultra funky on the nose, like a washed-rind cheese. Farmy. Mildly medicinal. Undercurrent of tart cherry. Rose petal. Soft but pervasive oakiness and vague spices.

M: As in the nose, there is a lot of cheesy and farmy funk up front. Cherries snap into focus and really pop on the mid palate. Soft but apparent oakiness. Nutmeg and suggestions of pie spice. A little medicinal. Moderate acidity. A bit of graham cracker. Well balanced finish of cherry, funk, and spice.

M: Medium-light body. Fluffy, soft, and effervescent. Moderately tannic, from both oak and fruit skin.

O: Impressive. It's been some time since I've had a fresh bottle, but I don't remember the funk level being as strong when younger. The cheesy/farmy nature of it does back off after an initial boldness, and it really comes into balance. Lots of funk and spice complexity from the wild fermentation along with a great sharp 'fresh' cherry character. The Allagash Coolship series can do no wrong. It's some of the best American lambic-style ale you'll ever come across.

Poured from 500mL corked & caged bottle into my BeerAdvocate teku. Packaged February 2021.

Appearance: very, very pink with a light haze and a finger of frothy foam that dissipates pretty quickly. The color is just wild!

Smell: quite tart with a bit of oakiness and with a cherry character that just starts to peek through at the end. If you stop and savor the smell, the cherry character really starts to develop. Great.

Taste: bracingly tart up front with an underlying sweetness. The underlying cherry character is excellent, although to be honest I think this would be better with the tartness turned down a notch. That being said, it's an excellent sour.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a light carbonation and a refreshing fizziness, if not much in the way of creaminess.

Overall: cherry is hands-down my favorite fruit adjunct when it comes to beer, and this beer handles it very well. I am extremely pleased to be drinking this beer.

these coolship beers from allagash have been extraordinary, so i was jazzed when my brother broke out this one for brunch the other day, one i have not encountered before! cherry spontaneous beer, well oak aged, and subtle and nuanced as they come, everything in its place, a level of refinement rarely seen from american made beers in this vein, thoroughly impressive top to bottom. i think the abv must change from batch to batch on this, i dont recall it being as strong as it is listed here, but i could be wrong. the color is epic, stained glass to jewel toned rose red, stunning visually with high clarity even to the very bottom of the bottle where the dregs usually live. its a little fizzy but doesnt really hang on to its head, still, it looks epic, this color and saturation are gorgeous. the nose is at first tangy, but as wild as it is bacterial to me, funky without being a brett bomb either, a cool mix of whatever atmospheric goodies took root here. the cherry adds tartness too, a pie vibe, even a little earthy spiciness from the oak and the fruit together, some sturdy tannins, a hint of cinnamon, even black pepper in here, and a little jammy fruity sweetness as well, my mouth waters insanely for this. the flavor is cherry and ferment together, a little less lambic-esque than it smells, but its in that realm, well developed wet bretty funkiness, sharp slightly citric acidity, but nothing overly intense, and this stays sort of juicy and plush and vinous on the palate to me, mediated well by all the oak. the cherry is as natural as can be, but also really intensely flavored in here, and the spice profile it brings is amazing. off dry to finish, light on the carbonation, maybe a tad thin feeling if i am being critical, but this is special beer, tip of the quality spear as far as i am concerned. huge thanks to my brother for sharing, this is a banger!

 

12.7 ounce bottle.
Packaged February, 2021.
I believe I had this on tap at Novare Res years ago at their first or second Zwanze Day.

Moderate to vigorous pour yields a 1/16 inch white head over a maroonish pink body with no lacing as the head disappeared almost instantly.

Nose of cherry, slight funk, and a bit of citrus.

Taste is a near perfect blend of cherry and citrus with a wonderfully tart finish.

Feel is also topnotch, belying the lackluster appearance.

Overall, cheers to Allagash, as they've had most of their sours dialed in for years and this is no exception.

 

on draft at the brewery

bright dark pink in color, white head. Great natural cherry flavor, just a touch funky. The sourness is not overpowering with the fruit, great balance, not too acidic tasting. Crisp short finish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Consumed 6/24/19

A: Pink orange with some undertones of gold - mostly clear, some slight haze - pours with a small white head, quickly fades to virtually nothing, but retains a small collar

S: Cherry flesh and cherry skin - oak barrel and some oak funk - tart cherry, just a slight hint of cherry sweetness - acidity and some damp, lactic notes - lights hints of barnyard funk, hints of vinegar - pale malts, touch of grain

T: Not as rich in cherry flavor as I would have guessed from the aroma, but some tart cherry flesh and skin - more funky tartness - sharp acidity is more prominent than the lactic sourness - maybe a spritz of lemon - some light sweetness from the cherries - lots of oak and it lingers into the aftertaste - some pale and caramel malts - finishes with more acidity

M: Medium body, prickly sourness, low carbonation

O: With cherries on top

Allagash Coolship beers are always worth the price tag (and often worth the drive) if you are looking for something spontaneously fermented that does not taste like a science experiment. The cherries are fairly subtle, at least compared to the raspberries in Coolship Red, but it works.

Thanks to ActonBrewer for sending this bottle back in the day! Reviewed from (very) long-standing notes. Poured from the 375mL bottle into an El Catador Barrel-Aged glass. 2012 vintage bottle, consumed on 9/28/17.

A: Hazy gold with highlights of pink and orange. A thin white head fades away quickly atop an average amount of visible carbonation.

S: A nice big funk and lactic tart. Cheesy and barnyard, sour cherries, and malic acid. A big Lactobacillus and maybe some Pediococcus funk. Oak tannin dryness. Appealing and fairly nuanced here.

T: Tart cherries, and some serious Lacto, Pedio, and barnyard funk. Oak tannin dryness, malic acid, and light biscuit malts. More sour cherries and lactic acid at the swallow. There’s a mild warm spicy dryness in the immediate hang – almost cinnamon, but not that dry. It mixes with the oak and I'm having trouble pulling them apart.

M: A light body, with fairly low carbonation sensation. Low alcohol presence.

O: Pretty tasty, but also a pretty big funk - at least with this long in the bottle. Nice fresh cherry flavor, and it melds well with the funk and woody barrel character. Maybe a little more funky and less fruity than some others of the Fruit Lambic/Kriek style, but still balanced. Enjoyable for sure.

 

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass. Vintage 2018.

Slightly opaque body appearance with a very grapefruit orange color. Virtually no head on creation and ho collar at all.

Very nice aroma. Large earth aroma on the nose of fresh tilled dirt and light cherry senses. Good pungent acidity and sourness, hints slightly wine like in character.

Palate is superb. Light tart rush of cherries on first sip with real special senses. Mid palate has a good brown flour and almost toast but real nice actually first sweet hint of cherry. Then a good sourness kicks in, but a more impressive clove and spicy peppery like finish to match. More kind of brown spices and interesting malt mix on the finish. Very tight playfully fizz that seems to bring out a pine needle like flavor.

Very impressive wild ale it's hard to put this one into words, but it is truly exceptional.