Clear deep amber color with a thin creamy white head. Strong spicy aroma. Very spicy flavor with hints of coriander.

Batch 8. Resin, caramel and licorice aromas. Deep amber in appearance with long lasting, finely-formed head. Spicy and malty with lively carbonation. Long caramel and alcohol finish.

Bottle: Poured a slightly cloudy copper brown color ale with a huge off-white foamy head with perfect retention. Aroma is quite the spice mix with some Belgian yeast and caramel malt. Taste is also very interesting at first with some spices and caramel crating a huge full body beer (which seems to be more then 7.5%) with a slight bitter finish with some great medium funky yeast. I found the aftertaste was a bit thin and watery which would be my only complaint. Great Belgian…

Murky, oily looking pour of an orange/amber body that produces a nice head of creamy off white which sheets the sides of the glass in Brussels lace.. Deep fruity yeasty aroma. Bread dough and spices. Complex malt and spice flavors are well blended and balanced. The sweetness is not overdone and in the middle is a nice acidic interlude. Re sampled 5/06 at Noogfest This sample left an impression of being a bit thinner and would score a point lower in palate and a point overall, but I will leave the rating unchanged.

2004 12 oz bottle
As it decants I begin to smile. What a beautiful pour; dark caramel brown with lots of dark yellow and slight golden tinges. Small light beige head. Aroma of light yeast, caramel and dark candi sugar. Lightly spicy cinnamon and hops. Flavor is quite yeasty and malty, but it’s got enough dryness from the yeast to balance it. The carbonation is a bit too much, but still, the flavor stays lightly sweet and full of chewy toffee. Chocolate fudge and belgian yeast on the finish, with a medium , quite carbonated body. Interesting. this stuff begs another sample. Rerate. Here’s another sample. Slight notes of cork, I’m picking up on, and it’s quite unfiltered but there is a very off-note near the finish. A harsh alcohol/bitterness, highly sharp and astringent. Overall, the flavor is good, but does not compare to the strength or sheer quality of Southampton Grand Cru, a comparable beer to this. This is certainly a wonderful beer, but it dosent have all the yeast nuances, subtle spices integrated perfectly with the malt and perfect mouthfeel like the SH Grand Cru.
2006 draught
Very easy drinking, was the first thing that jumped out. Not overly spiced, with some nuttiness, typical yeast acidity from Allagash and plenty of soft, yellow fruits and a nice honey-vanilla maltiness. Reserved aroma, however, very clean with just some malt sugars and light esters breaking through. I really like the restraint. Strong appeal of texture, with unfiltered malt and yeast suppleness and engaging carbonation. Hopefully it ages well, as I’ve got some very old bottles.

2004 offering. Paid $1.49 for a 12-oz single. Appearance is murky brown with a tan head. Scent is candy, caramel, fruit- lotsa fruit. Lovely! Flavor has passionfruit and licorice in it... malty, maybe some cherry. Alcohol is hidden behind the licorice flavor. Has a hint of cinnamon in there as well. A nice offering.

Bottle. Batch 8. Amber color with a big creamy off-white head. Slight malt and yeast aroma, but nothing really there. Spice dominates the flavor with some malt backing and some yeast. But this beer is dry - very dry - extremely dry. Low residual sugar. Probably the best thing I’ve had from Allagash so far, but to me that’s not saying much. Could use some time.

sweet malts., orange and spices aroma. Nice taste of pears and banana, with alcool warming you up. Good body.

Amber color. Corky aroma, spicy (coriander). Good body, smooth; malt, caramel, a very light smokey note, very well balanced. A very good one.