FV 13
Allagash Brewing Company
Beer Geek Stats:
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- Style:
- American Wild Ale
Ranked #104 - ABV:
- 8.9%
- Score:
- 96
Ranked #818 - Avg:
- 4.31 | pDev: 9.05%
- Reviews:
- 127
- Ratings:
- From:
- Allagash Brewing Company
- Maine, United States
- Avail:
- Rotating
- Wants
- 164
- Gots
- 204
SCORE
96
World-Class
96
World-Class
Notes:
FV 13 marks our first venture into the world of foudre beers. Foudres are giant oak tanks used for aging (this one holds 2700 gallons.) FV 13 is a blend of wild yeast and bacteria, a base beer with lots of malt character, and about four years of patience.
Reviews: 127
| Ratings: 781
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Reviews by wisrarebeer:
4.26/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
More User Reviews:
3.9/5 rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
This is a special treat. The bottle is almost 3 years old; let's see how it held up. 375 ml bottle into a champagne flute.
A - Slightly hazy burnt orange. That is all. But it's bright! The off-white head was minimal and now there's a thin film around the top. Plenty of bubbles streaming up the side of the flute.
N - Tons of tartness on the nose. It's overpowering everything else. There are some fruits hiding around the edges, but they're having a hard time overcoming that tartness.
T - You know I think I might have waited too long. It's tart, but the flavor is a little flat. There is some carbonation, but not much. It's definitely tasty; I get the remnants of tartness and some sweet fruit: white cherries, apples, clementines.
M - Again, this is a bit on the dead side. It's definitely lingering, but it's thin and a bit flat. Ah well.
O - I get the feeling this could have been a real winner when it was a little younger, but she's a tad past her prime.
981 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
This is a special treat. The bottle is almost 3 years old; let's see how it held up. 375 ml bottle into a champagne flute.
A - Slightly hazy burnt orange. That is all. But it's bright! The off-white head was minimal and now there's a thin film around the top. Plenty of bubbles streaming up the side of the flute.
N - Tons of tartness on the nose. It's overpowering everything else. There are some fruits hiding around the edges, but they're having a hard time overcoming that tartness.
T - You know I think I might have waited too long. It's tart, but the flavor is a little flat. There is some carbonation, but not much. It's definitely tasty; I get the remnants of tartness and some sweet fruit: white cherries, apples, clementines.
M - Again, this is a bit on the dead side. It's definitely lingering, but it's thin and a bit flat. Ah well.
O - I get the feeling this could have been a real winner when it was a little younger, but she's a tad past her prime.
981 characters
4.25/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3.91/5 rDev -9.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.38/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 375ml corked and caged bottle into a snifter
A: Pours a ruddy golden brown color. There is a small, light tan head which fades quickly to a ring of foam. Very light lacing.
S: A lemony tart vinegar aroma is the first thing I pick up, followed by some barnyard funk. Wet hay and cotton round out the smell.
T: Less tart than the aroma. The focus is instead on the funky flavors. Horse blanket and wet hay are prominent. A little bit of apple vinegar and lemon-citrus provides a tart counterpoint to the funk. Light notes of cider lend a sweetness to the beer. The finish is medium-length and dry.
M: Fairly dry, especially in the finish which is reminiscent of champagne. Carbonation is both sharp and foamy.
O: A fantastic beer. More funky than tart, but a good amount of both.
796 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 375ml corked and caged bottle into a snifter
A: Pours a ruddy golden brown color. There is a small, light tan head which fades quickly to a ring of foam. Very light lacing.
S: A lemony tart vinegar aroma is the first thing I pick up, followed by some barnyard funk. Wet hay and cotton round out the smell.
T: Less tart than the aroma. The focus is instead on the funky flavors. Horse blanket and wet hay are prominent. A little bit of apple vinegar and lemon-citrus provides a tart counterpoint to the funk. Light notes of cider lend a sweetness to the beer. The finish is medium-length and dry.
M: Fairly dry, especially in the finish which is reminiscent of champagne. Carbonation is both sharp and foamy.
O: A fantastic beer. More funky than tart, but a good amount of both.
796 characters
4.34/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Big thanks to Hugonaut13 for this one!
Dark copper body with loads of beading and a thick milky off-white head. Great lace.
Tremendous, vinous nose... red grape, the booze bill catches me off guard.
A creamy sense of tartness, sour grains... surprisingly wet on the palate. Extremely palatable with bits of astringent oak. Reminiscent of Supplication in some ways - strong red wine flavors that compliment a subtly tart flavor profile.
This is the real deal.
464 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Big thanks to Hugonaut13 for this one!
Dark copper body with loads of beading and a thick milky off-white head. Great lace.
Tremendous, vinous nose... red grape, the booze bill catches me off guard.
A creamy sense of tartness, sour grains... surprisingly wet on the palate. Extremely palatable with bits of astringent oak. Reminiscent of Supplication in some ways - strong red wine flavors that compliment a subtly tart flavor profile.
This is the real deal.
464 characters
3.99/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
May 2016 bottling.
Smells of raspberry jam, grape and vinegar.
Flavors are heavier handed than I expected. Sweet raspberry, grape, apple, lemon, lime, oak and vinegar. Moderate acetic acid burn. Some booze on the finish. Drying oak tannins and bready malt on the finish. Compared to the Belgians, more like a flanders than a lambic.
Excellent mouthfeel. Classic Allagash.
Well made beer but not my favorite style.
418 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
May 2016 bottling.
Smells of raspberry jam, grape and vinegar.
Flavors are heavier handed than I expected. Sweet raspberry, grape, apple, lemon, lime, oak and vinegar. Moderate acetic acid burn. Some booze on the finish. Drying oak tannins and bready malt on the finish. Compared to the Belgians, more like a flanders than a lambic.
Excellent mouthfeel. Classic Allagash.
Well made beer but not my favorite style.
418 characters
4.24/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
375ml, dated 11/29/2012, poured into an Allagash Coolship tumbler.
The beer pours a rich caramel color, medium amber, with slight orange hue that is very clear, with a handful bubbles rising to the top of the glass. A thick, soapy, off white head rises out of the glass, nearly 2 fingers high that has very, very good retention and leaves some sticky lace behind. The aroma is of light funk, tart cherry, soft oak, brown sugar and rich malted grain. It's not an overly complex aroma, but very nicely balanced and surprisingly malty, but not over the top, the sweetness and tartness play nicely together. The flavors are very similar, rich grain, tart cherry with a nice amount oak that brings out some caramel and brown sugar with some soft and light funk at the end. The mouthfeel is nice, lots of carbonation, but it reads very smoothly, coats the mouth well and finishes softly with a creamy touch and lightly dry sensation.
Verdict: A very nice Wild Ale from Allagash. Yet another success in their line of sour and wild ales, and one of the more peculiar wild ales I've tried to date with the malt character. Definitely worth trying.
1,140 characters
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
375ml, dated 11/29/2012, poured into an Allagash Coolship tumbler.
The beer pours a rich caramel color, medium amber, with slight orange hue that is very clear, with a handful bubbles rising to the top of the glass. A thick, soapy, off white head rises out of the glass, nearly 2 fingers high that has very, very good retention and leaves some sticky lace behind. The aroma is of light funk, tart cherry, soft oak, brown sugar and rich malted grain. It's not an overly complex aroma, but very nicely balanced and surprisingly malty, but not over the top, the sweetness and tartness play nicely together. The flavors are very similar, rich grain, tart cherry with a nice amount oak that brings out some caramel and brown sugar with some soft and light funk at the end. The mouthfeel is nice, lots of carbonation, but it reads very smoothly, coats the mouth well and finishes softly with a creamy touch and lightly dry sensation.
Verdict: A very nice Wild Ale from Allagash. Yet another success in their line of sour and wild ales, and one of the more peculiar wild ales I've tried to date with the malt character. Definitely worth trying.
1,140 characters
FV 13 from Allagash Brewing Company
Beer rating:
96 out of
100 with
781 ratings
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