Allagash Brewing Company Summer Ale

Summer Ale

 

Allagash Brewing Company in Portland, Maine, United States 🇺🇸

  Belgian Style - Blonde / Pale / Amber Summer Out of Production
Score
6.51
ABV: 5.0% IBU: - Ticks: 9
Allagash Speciale Reserve is a refreshing, light-copper colored beer brewed in the tradition of the Belgian ales of Brabant. We brew it in limited quantities each spring, and its distinctive toasted malt flavor, and herbal and fruit bouquet make it a perfect beer for a warm summer day. Suggested Food Pairings: Enjoy Allagash Speciale Reserve on its own, or with a light appetizer. Also try pairing it with shellfish, such as the traditional Belgian dish, Moules-frites .

Serving/Pouring Suggestions: Allagash Speciale Reserve is re-fermented in the bottle in the traditional Methode Champenoise, and therefore contains a natural yeast sediment. Allow the bottle to rest upright for a few minutes prior to serving, then carefully decant the beer off the yeast.

Style: Brabant Style Ale (Belgian Pale)
Available In: 750 ml Bottle - Seasonal
Alcohol Content: 5% ABV
Original Gravity: 1047
Recommended Serving Temperature: 45-60 degrees F
Recommended Cellaring Temperature: 55 degrees F (Not recommended for long periods of cellaring)
 

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8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

12 oz bottle pours an off white creamy head, color is hazy apricot. Aroma is sweet malty, followed by a like taste. Nice carbonation. Very similar to their White Beer.

Tried from Bottle on 22 Aug 2005 at 17:07


5.6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5.5

Bottle. Speciale Reserve batch 9. Amber with a nice white head. Some citrus, yeast, and spice in the aroma. Lot’s of wheat and clove flavors with some citrus. Way too much cloves. Heavy carbonation. Some sweetness, but also a wheat bite. Finishes with a bit of cookie sweetness.

Tried from Bottle on 13 Aug 2005 at 21:50


6.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Given my fairly low assessment of Allagash in general this was a decent beer - I am surprised that it is retired. +++ Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer poured an amber color with a medium sized tan head. There was a sweet, sugary scent with a hint of spice. The flavor was sweet and malty with a hint of spice. The mouthfeel was relative thick. There is a tanginess on the finish that was pleasant and very Belgian.

Tried from Bottle on 09 Oct 2004 at 20:56


7.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Batch #9. Poured cloudy yellow-orange with an off-white head and plenty of sediment in the body. Vinous, apple peel aroma. I expected this to be sweet but was surprised by the very strong estery nature of the body- lots of earthy, bready flavors with apple peel and spice. Flavor is in common with many Tripels but the alcohol content of this beer is lower, leading to a smooth, creamy sip. Good stuff!

Tried on 13 Feb 2004 at 00:49


5
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5

Nice spicey nose with a nice white head. The taste is not what i would expect. a watered down blanche with little caracter.

Tried on 04 Dec 2003 at 18:45


7.1
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

2003 bottle Reserve SpecialePours a soft orange with some deeper tones of gold and light beige. Mostly clouded. Big off-white head. Fairly faint aroma of the typical Allagash belgian yeast, but has a nice almost nutty malt aroma. Begins fairly light, low carbonation and lots of yeasty flavor, body is light to medium, prone to wateriness, but a good dry toffee malt is slightly apparent. A bit of spiciness and a fairly light, airy texture. I think this beer is underated, as it is not trying to be a super imperial ultra deluxe premium crazily malted/hopped beer, but the balance is there (could use a bit more sweet malt) and it is very subtle. Pleasant honey spice aftertaste that lingers. Well made. 2004 bottle Summer Ale Is it me or does this stuff not really taste the same? Much fruitier, good light yeast notes, lightly chewy and very pleasant.

Tried from Bottle on 21 Nov 2003 at 21:07


5.5
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 3 | Texture - 2 | Overall - 5

Well, i've been waiting for this one. My favourite brewery up north here, and this is the second to last one i've yet to try! Batch #4, which should be nice as everyone else seems to be rating Batch #8. I've had it for a while, and hopefully some new flavours will emerge! Great orange colour with a frothy white head. Tons of those small bubbles rising from the sides and bottom, definately what I want to see from a belgie style. The aroma is a bit of yeast, some fruit and a hint of spice. The taste is very drying and other than that not much. A major disapointment. In retrospect, it is very similiar to the one bottle of Orval I've had thus far. Great looking, decent smelling, but with absolutely no taste other than - drying. This shouldn't be a speciale and this shouldn't be from Allagash. I love them, and if you want to judge them,don't try this one!

Tried from Bottle on 11 Jul 2003 at 18:34


6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

[batch #1] I'm not sure quite what's so special about this, considering the fact that everything else by Allagash that I've had has been much better. The appearance is a perfectly clear golden, but this head is small and quickly and completely disappears - the aroma is a bit musty, as others have pointed out, but isn't all that inviting - the flavor is thin - there is some yeastiness present, with just a tiny kiss of malts, and a slight tartness that lasts into the watery finish - I think the best way to describe this beer is as a watered-down trippel - as seasonals go, I think this would be sub-par even as a summer ale, and as a winter ale is certainly doesn't stack up at all (good thing I'm trying it now, it's at least slightly enjoyable in the warm weather).

Tried on 10 Jun 2003 at 19:54


6.9
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Notably spicy aroma, and drinks just a little bigger than true session style.

Tried on 27 Aug 2001 at 09:40