Batch 69. Pours bright gold into a tulip. Nice medium head with lacing as it reluctantly and slightly recedes. Earth, hay and banana notes. Strong alcohol presense. Full mouthfeel. Lingering alcohol finish.

Slightly aged sample Hazy yellow-orange; gushing to little white head, fast gone but leaving some lace. Very spicey nose, with some citrus, coriander (lots of it), bit of human sweat - fatty acids! Medicinal taste, dry but spicey. Complex, slightly spirity, but not pleasing. My drinking companion finds pumpkin, and I cannot fault that. Higher alcohols and esters - Curaçao peel? Oily, well-bodied. Alcohol is there, but relatively well hidden. Aftertaste yields more pumpking (very ripe). Is this beer, or an alcoholic tisane? Or pumpkin soup with a dash of poteen? Oops. Thanks for keeping this one for me, Jeremy - unfortunately, it will never be my Rob Todd favourite...

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

Cloudy yellow colour with a white head. Lemon and cloves in the aroma. Flavor of lemon and some hints of cloves and yeast. Dry finish with some hints of cloves.

Bottle: Poured a clear amber color ale with a huge beige foamy head with excellent retention. Aroma of sweet malt, cookie dough with some alcohol hint is pretty interesting but I could have done without the alcohol hint. Taste is a bit sweeter then expected with lots of cookie dough and some dry raisins. I would have loved for this beer to have more attenuated sugars and a fruitier aroma à la Rocherfort 10 (I can’t really have an ABT without comparing it to the best). Body is above average but could have been more full and alcohol could be more hidden. Very interesting beer from Allagash but cannot honestly say that it compared to the world bests.

An unclear orange beer with a disappearing off-white head. The aroma is sweet with strong notes of bourbon as well as light light dusty hoppy notes. The flavor is very sweet with light notes of bourbon and wood, as well as a light alcohol burn.

Clear amber-foxy orange; dirty-ornge head, receding. Apricot champagne nose, very obvious alcohol, winey, some wood and white candi sugar. Dry, woody, caramel and fruity - but as to which fruit?? Retronasal, I’d say peach. Medium bodied, alcohol burn, warming and medium - dry. Strange beer, fine, accomplished, but - well it’s adventure; it wanders a bit around.

Bottling - July 2005, Case Bottle # - 390. Bought December 2005. Fridged until March 3. Drank in a Chimay Goblet. Poured with a small head, a good amount of carbonation, vortex in the Goblet. Color is light, murky, honey. Aroma is floral, mainly citrusy but not zingy. The smell is not too strong but present. Medium body and the taste is very balanced. A lot of the Belgian flavor is present but subdued because of the bourbon. However, the bourbon is felt most at the finish. You can feel it in your throat for many minutes after the sip. I like this beer because it is balanced, neither the bourbon or Belgian part fully take over but both are definitely there. The 11% is very well hidden and it is light for such a high content beer. 7/4/8/4/16.

Re-rate: on tap at the 4th Ave Pub, I would think whatever the latest batch is. Aroma is sweet Belgian dough. Taste is thick sweet alcohol with complementary sweet Belgian aspects. 8/4/8/16.