Tripel Ale (Allagash)

Slowly but surely I'll make my way through all of Allagash's bottled offerings. The Tripel is one of four available in 12 ounce bottles. The others are the White, Dubbel and the Grand Cru. Its tripel time...

Label reads:

"Our golden hued 9% ABV tripel ale is marked by passion fruit and herbal notes in the aroma, with suggestion of honey surfacing from its complex palate. Perfect as an aperitif or compliment to fine cuisine."

From the Allagash site:

"This golden hued ale is marked by passion fruit and herbal notes in the aroma, with subtle suggestions of banana and honey surfacing from its deep and complex palate. The Tripel's finish is remarkably long and soothing."

Pours a sunny orange color thats a bit opaque. On top is a thin head that may have been bigger and badder if I had let the bottle warm up for a bit longer. 

Smells sweet and sugary with some clove and banana coming through. Some alcohol notes come through along with some herbal or medicinal smells.

Such a delicious beer. Lots of sweetness marked with bitterness that finishes at the tip of the tongue. Very crisp and quite juicy and refreshing (apple juice?). The stomach warming effects add a nice little sensation that definitely rounds out a quite enjoyable drinking experience. In plain words, the Tripel is outstanding. I'll need to get a corked bottle and age it a bit and see just how good this one can get.

BEER FACTS

Name: Tripel Ale

Style: Tripel

Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company

Location: Portland, Maine, USA

Container: 12 oz. bottle

Malts: ?
Hops: ?

ABV: 9%

IBU’s: ?

Brewed in Maine

Dubbel Reserve Ale (Allagash)

The Allagash Dubbel Reserve is the same beer (as far as I know) as the Allagash Dubbel that you can purchase in four packs. However, each bottle is corked and labeled with a particular batch number. This enables you to age a few bottles and attempt to taste some subtle differences between the batches. I'm not really sure how old "Batch 71" is but my guess is that it is a fairly recent release. I didn't age this for more than maybe a month so I don't even considered it "cellared". More than anything I just wanted to compare the corked with the capped.

Pours a beautiful amber, slightly reddish hue with a very nice, thick fluffy head. Carbonation is a little less than I remember the small bottle having. A Belgian chalice sure can present a beer nicely. 

Smell is burnt sugar, toast and strong sweet malt. There are also hints of molasses and caramel in the nose. 

Taste is smooth and the initial flavors seem to be a little less intense. Definitely a lot of malty sweetness but the rich fruit flavors are a lot more hidden. The spiciness of the yeast makes itself present along with burnt sugar and toast that are also present in the smell. Feels like silk in your mouth, very easy drinking beer. 

Overall I love this beer. Its definitely one of my favorites here in Maine. I think I need to buy a few different batches and cellar them for some time and have a nice little "Dubbel Party" sometime in the future.

BEER FACTS

Name: Dubbel Reserve Ale (Batch #71)

Style: Dubbel

Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company

Location: Portland, Maine, USA

Container: 750 ml. bottle

Malts: 7 different ones
Hops: ?

ABV: 7%

IBU’s: ?

Brewed in Maine

Dubbel Ale (Allagash)

The Belgian Dubbel, Tim Webb's Good Beer Guide Belgium says this about the Abbey-style:

"A typical dubbel should be copper-brown to dark brown in color, contain some caramelised malts and be re-fermented in the bottle. It may have some candied sweetness. Bitterness may vary from soft to obvious. 

At the sweeter, lighter end they are much like strong brown ales anywhere. The more interesting ones are black and brackish like a strong porter, with elements of stewed tea."

The Allagash Dubbel label states:

"This dark-amber Belgian style ale is hand brewed with 7 different malts, a special sugar and our Belgian yeast. The result is a unique beer with a complex malty taste and a remarkably clean finish. "

I say: 

"It pours a very dark mahogany color. Light can't penetrate this color. The head of the beer leaves some thin lacing on the side of the glass and some swirls of foam remain on top of the beer. 

The smell is rich in malt and small hints of caramel. The smell of this one opens up as it warms a bit. There is definitely some dark fruit and some of that familiar Belgian yeast coming through.

Taste is very reminiscent of some of those great beers I had over in Belgium. The ones with names I can't remember and I can never seem to find here. Tastes of tart and dried fruit along with that great Belgian yeast at first. The finish is sweet and compliments the initial slight bitter taste. It has nice soft mouthfeel that leads to a remarkably easy drinking beer."

I've seen this on tap a couple places around Portland, its a real treasure to find.

BEER FACTS

Name: Dubbel Ale

Style: Dubbel

Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company

Location: Portland, Maine, USA

Container: 12 oz. bottle

Malts: 7 different ones
Hops: ?

ABV: 7%

IBU’s: ?

Brewed in Maine

White (Allagash)

Allagash White is likely the most popular of the Allagash beers. Its on tap more places and most people in Maine have at least had the White even if they haven't had some of the other more unique Allagash creations.

Pours like a cloudy lemonade. Very light with the familiar haze of a witbier. The head is foamy and the yeast drips on top and stays. Be sure to follow the instructions on the bottle for best results (just like a true Belgian beer!).

Smells of sweet orange, clove and yeast along with some other spices I can't sort out. Its very hard to describe the smell of this beer in detail since I'd probably describe something that smells like this as smelling like a Belgian wheat beer.

First taste sets this beer apart from its counterparts. Its light, crisp and of course refreshing. It reminds me of sitting outside during the summer at the Porthole. They always have this on tap there. Allagash White is spicier than other witbiers and you really get a lot of flavor in every taste.

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This is a beer I definitely enjoy most when its warm out, but its been a long winter and I missed it. Its a super easy drinking beer with a really memorable taste.

Allagash White is a great Maine alternative to Blue Moon (brewed by Coors) and Hoegaarden (owned by InBev). If you like those beers and haven't tried this one, you need to pick some up or order a pint next time you see it on tap.

BEER FACTS

Name: Allagash White

Style: Witbier

Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company

Location: Portland, Maine, USA

Container: 12 oz. bottle

Malts: Wheat
Hops: ?

ABV: 5%

IBU’s: ?

Brewed in Maine

Q & A with Rob Tod (Allagash)

Allagash has been around for 13 years and in that rather short time it has become quite renowned for its original Belgian-style beers. Rob Tod is the man behind Allagash and the brewery that is synonymous with great beer here in Maine. Rob was nice enough to take some time and answer some questions I had about how he got to where he is and where Allagash is headed.

Cheers Rob!

(RHP) You had your first job at a brewery washing kegs for Otter Creek in Middlebury, Vermont. What was it that kept you involved with the brewing industry after starting at the very bottom rung of the brewery ladder? You must have sensed something…

(RT) I stumbled into the job (the first job I could get when I moved into town), and fell in love with everything I saw at the brewery pretty quickly. I loved the mechanical end, the “art” end of recipe formulation of brewing, and of course drinking the craft beers! Did not take more than a week or so.

(RHP) The beers you produce are not your average brew, ferment, bottle, ship variety. What is the most important thing people should know when they first come across Allagash beers?

(RT) We try to do our own thing at Allagash… Brew Belgian Style beers true to the Belgian character/tradition, but with our own house character. I get asked quite often which beer we based the White on when we started… The answer is that we did not try to duplicate any beers. We have always tried to work within the style guidelines, but try to add a unique twist to each beer. Why try to brew a beer someone else is brewing? So I’d say the most important message I’d like to communicate is that when they try one of our beers it is going to be a unique experience…

(RHP) I recently had a bottle of your Allagash Black, the most recent Allagash release, and really, really enjoyed it. Is it true that the Black will become a year round beer? (Please say yes!)

(RT) Originally it was going to be a “one-off”, and maybe be repeated annually. But, we loved it so much we decided to try to make it year round. We’re at capacity now and having trouble keeping up, but we’ll try to brew the Black a few times this year.

(RHP) Allagash produces beers that can take quite a while to become retail ready, with lots of work going into each batch along with aging, what is the Allagash beer that you are most satisfied seeing leave the brewery for distribution?

(RT) I like them all for different reasons (hard to choose a favorite!), but I find myself most often drinking the White. Seems to work for a lot of occasions!

(RHP) Mainers might not know that Allagash has a pretty loyal following all over the country. How many states does Allagash distribute to and where have you found success that you might not have expected?

(RT) I believe 21 states now scattered around the country, but mostly focused in the East. California, Chicago, NC and DC have been nice surprises in how the market has taken to the White.

For more about Allagash Brewing Company go HERE!