Game Day Beer Review: Allagash Curieux Bourbon Barrel-Aged Tripel

(11.0% ABV) Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a snifter glass after a late night on the football pitch. Curieux poured a clear and deep gold color with a head composed of the purest white, tiniest bubbles we've ever seen in a beer -- more akin to shaving cream than anything else.

 

The beer smelled of ripe fruit up front: bananas, apples and lemon, mixed with some slight woodsy scent and a peppery smell as it lingered.

There's bourbon through and through this beer after the initial fruit taste wears off. Curieux is aggressively carbonated and tingles the tongue. The beer contains some slight heat on the finish as the alcohol makes itself apparent. It's not nearly as sweet as some other tripels, and very much to our liking. Curieux is a great beer from a great brewery: A

Game Day Beer Review: Allagash Brewing Black Belgian Strong Dark Ale

 

(7.50% ABV) Served on tap at Fore Street in Portland, Maine. Served in a tall Collins-like glass. Allagash Black was true to its name, pitch black with a coffee-colored head that left lots of lacing behind as it disappeared.

The beer smelled of muted chocolate, nicely matching the subdued mood and dark wood ambience of the restaurant bar.

Allagash Black showed both coffee and dark chocolate notes upon tasting, although the coffee gradually prevailed.  The beer had a silky mouthfeel, which added to the sense of luxurious ease with which it went down. Highly recommended from this stellar Vacationland brewery. A