Summer Ale
Allagash Brewing Company

 

 

 

Bottle from Belmont Party.

Poured hazy amber color with a large fizzy white head that was mostly lasting with good lacing. Moderate yeasty orange citrus aroma. Light to medium body. Medium citrus sweet flavor with a medium sweet finish of moderate duration.

My expectations where met.

Into a pint glass, pours an amber gold at bottom tapering to darker copper amber at top, with slight head at first fading to patchy film and bubbles. Aroma is not all too assertive at first, warmed to find bready malt and spice, a bit of yeast, kind of stuffy, still subdued, but pleasant nonetheless. Taste has a pretty strong yeasty front, a definite wheatiness to it, not completely a good thing, kind of has a shy earthiness to it. A sweet malt tries kind of peeks in here and there, wish it were more assertive. A slightly light medium body with much carbonation, a little distracting, and finished dry. Kind of an odd duck, wish I could like it more.

Sampled at Cook's Lobster in Bailey, Maine. Poured an amber tinged orange. Clearer than expected with pretty white head. Great lacing and retention. Spicy nose. This one had a very "clean" taste. There were faint citrus, spicy, and grassy malts, but they were subdued. Light mouthfeel that left a dryness. Very good summer brew for watching the sun set over lobster pots.

Brownish-orange with a large, initially bubbly head, which settles in a light covering cream. Freshly cut tangerines and lemon meringue pie in the nose. Soft and supple Belgian yeast which invokes a dry and funky, saison-like character and complements the array of fruits quite well. Pretty delicious if you ask me, althought the aroma is a bit light and the flavor is a bit sweet.

This brew is a dark orange colour with a tight white head of fine-streamed little bubbles. The aroma is all wheat, yeast nuances, coriander, and other spices. Light, airy, and summery. The taste is one-dimensional but nice. Soft carbonation leads to a light mouthfeel and the drinkability is OK. Good, but I won't search it out again.

Pours a yellowish-tan color with off-white head that dissipates quickly and leaves behind only traces of lacing. Aromas of yeast, wheat, and alcohol seem to dominate; not very impressive. The taste is milder than might be expected for this style with more of a balanced malt/hop profile. There is a lingering bitterness that develops in the aftertaste that is rather nice. However, due to it's mild character, this beer did not really appeal to me the way other Allagash selections have. I had one bottle of this and have not wanted another since (this is a summer seasonal selection, mind you).

poured a deep amber, slightly cloudy color with modest white head. Fell to a thin ring but had a nice stickiness along the sides of the glass. Smell is nice a spicy with strongs notes of cloves and corriander. Taste is very refreshing with moderate spiciness and some light malt notes detected. Finishes very smooth with a slight dryness that beckons for another taste. A very easy drinking beer that went down very nicely on a suprisingly warm September afternoon. Not quite what I was expecting, but I really enjoyed this beer.

Appearance: Pours a light amber, slightly hazy body with a small white head and some scattered lacing

Smell: Belgian yeast, banana and some coriander

Taste: Relatively neutral start, with a bit of banana, a bit of orange and a smidge of coriander herbaciousness; finish has a nice touch of subtle hoppy bitterness

Mouthfeel: Medium/light bodied with plenty of carbonation

Drinkability: Not one of the more complex Belgian style beers out there, this is nonetheless a wonderfully drinkable lighter style beer; perfect when the weather is hot

Awfully cloudy, perhaps because of the style. But it was sampled on-tap so there was no bottling conditioning going on. Otherwise, very light and gold in color. Nose was fairly malty, but not much else. Flavor did have some nice sugars going on as well. Malt come through as very rich and sweet. Some fruits (bananas) and cloves were wandering around the edges too. This beer was fairly light on the tongue and struck me as quite refreshing to drink over an extended and delayed session.

Pours a hazy radiant yellow with tinges of gold. 1/2 inch off-white rocky head and lots of lace. Smells of citrusy orange peel, light spice and wheat malt.

Tastes of orange peel and lightly sweet wheat malt. Grainy and sweet. Lightly bitter spice. Peppery finish. Sweet and sticky mouth surprisingly. Nice stuff. Good summer brew from Maine, for a change...

A pretty decent brew from Allagash...

Pours slightly hazy light orange with a short creamy head, moderate lacing, and robust carbonation. Smells are a little subdued with minor yeasty malty notes and citrus. Taste is a bit stronger, bit better than the nose. Malts and light citrus, creamy and smooth. Very drinkable. I highly enjoyed slugging a few of these down.

Pours a hazy orange with little white head that disappears pretty quickly.

Smell is heavily yeasty with a slight spicy sensation on top of a big citrus scent.

Flavor is lots of pale malty flavors with a bit of spice. The yeast dominates the flavor, but I'm not sure I love this yeast. Finishes spicy and quite dry.

Mouthfeel is somewhat watery, but it holds up okay.

Overall: Not terrible, but I don't really like this one too much. The yeasty flavors just don't really hit for me, and it turns out to be just kind of average.

Tasted on a Friday after work.
Poured from bottle cloudy orangish brown color. Small head with carbonation bubbles. Citrus and spice smell. Weak mouth feel. Smooth malt taste with a spice and citrus finish. Not a huge fan of Belgian Pale Ales, prefer Blue Moon over this.

Belgian Pale Ale, that's what it is!! Now that I figured the style, it's a bit easier to review. I've only had one other of this same style and have liked both of them. Poured an average head, cloudy tangerine color, little lacing. Smells of spices, clove, and light citrus. Nice aftertaste and easy enough to drink to be a session beer. Just bought one as a single for $1.29 and was well worth the purchase.

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a tulip glass. Slightly hazy peach coloring with copious fine carbonation and a foamy white head.
Nose had elements of banana and clove, coriander, and fruity esters. As it warmed a bit of alcohol phenolics became noticeable.
The taste was pretty decent although the phenolics were even more prevalent. Decent levels of peppery spices, candy sugar, and fruity sweetness layered over a sweet malt base provided for an enjoyable experience with each pull.
The feel was medium/full in body with a lushness derived from the abundant carbonation.
Overall, this was a nice summertime after dinner beer to enjoy near the pool at the end of a hot day. Not a top tier Belgian pale ale but worth keeping on hand as a refresher.

Very little head on the pour, a little disapointing. What head did form was nearly white. Body a medium pale yellow orange that is a little hazy.

An attractive "belgian" nose to this one with clove and fleeting banana. A good smell, but not much else to it. A nice refreshing, simple taste. Basically a typical hefe with a belgian yeast taste to it. A little citrusy with a bit of bready malts. Finishes with a bit of a sharp bite.

A little thin in the mouthfeel area with a good kick from the carbonation. Could be a bit heavier. With the strong hefe and belgian influence one almost expects a heavy body. Drinkability is what this beer is about though. Light and crisp and doesn't sit heavy. They do call it a summer ale and typically this is when it should be enjoyed.

Pours a cloudy, pale yellow with a small white head that dissapates quickly, somewhat dissapointing looking. Smell is fruity belgian yeast esters with a hint of bready malt. Taste is mix of fruity yeast esters and a light malt profile that tastes like bread/crackers, you get a slight hint of spices like corriander and clove but it fades quicktly. The mouthfeel is smooth and moderate to highly carbonated. The drinkability is quite high, i could drink this all night, its decently flavorful and complex but extremely refreshing. Kind of like a toned down and more carbonated version of the speciale reserve.