1001 Beers: Curieux

Beer Number 53: Allagash Curieux

After opening Allagash Tripel Reserve, and hearing that it may or may-not be the base beer for Curieux, I figured there is no better time to open this one than now. Right After I had the Tripel. I mean, what is the worse that can happen?

"I wouldn't call it a mistake," Rob Tod, the founder of Allagash Brewing, says of his groundbreaking barrel-aged tripel Curieux, "but it was a total accident." For reasons that only a brewer can appreciate, Tod insist on bottling his tripel reserve in special corked bottles imported from Belgium. When a bottle shipment was delayed in mid-2004, the brewery found itself with a supply of the strong golden ale that would either have to be moved or tossed. He scanned the brewery floor and his eyes fell upon some used wooden Jim Beam bourbon barrels that he'd planned to save for a batch of his dark and malty dubbel. "We didn't think a tripel would be a good fit at all," Tod says. "For some reason, you think of a dark beer as a better match with a barrel."

This beer has been in production ever since and I have never heard anything bad about it at all. Must have been the perfect little accident for Allagash. Sounds like a good idea to me.



Curieux poured a slightly hazy, golden color with a small, fluffy white head. Great rising carbonation throughout and you pick up plenty of fruit in the nose. There are some light whisky notes in there as well. On first sip, I thought the flavors came across as pretty strange... though, it really worked.

Everything was mellowed out quite a bit but came together. The sweetness, honey, light fruit, a bit of yeast and burnt flavors and notes of oak. I really can only describe this one by tasting it. Seriously magical. This is a beer that cannot be passed up.

948 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

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1001 Beers: Tripel Reserve

Beer Number 52: Allagash Tripel Reserve

I have never had a beer from Allagash I did not like. I have only had a few from their collection but the ones I did have were fricken fantastic. I have had mixed experiences with Tripels in the past, so I hope this one lives up to the greatness I have come to expect.

This classic Belgian-style tripel--one of Allagash's original core brands made without funky ingredients--earns undying praise from beer fans. No unconventional brewing processes and no secret ingredients--unless you count the yeast. Tod won't divulge any details about the strain, possibly because it is clearly vital to the golden ale's complex layers of flavor. The brew kettle sees only two-row malt, candy sugar, and light unassuming hops--the same base any practiced brewer from Flanders would employ. Surely, they alone are not responsible for the sweet, honey and fruit flavors that roll across the palate.

For this beer, I decided to get really fancy and poured it into this wine glass. I know, right? Setting this one up to be even more fantastic then it probably already is. The Tripel looked really thick as I was pouring it into the glass. Almost like honey and the golden color helped to push that across as well. A very small, fluffy white head formed on top and it carried a very fruity and phenolic. That spice and a bit of yeast presence with hints of apple really took the initial experience of this beer to places I was not expecting.

I thought this beer came across pretty nice and creamy. Based on the nose I was expecting a lot of crazy flavors but everything was quite subdued, muted, and mellow. Low carbonation and honey, apple, pears come together before dissipating into the background. A beautiful beer that hides its 9% ABV. A great example of the style.

At first, the apples in the nose kind of turned me off to this one. I am not really a fan of apples in my beer but there was no denying how amazing this one was. There is nothing more to do or say than grab another one. A win for Allagash, and a win for 1001 Beers.

949 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

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1001 Beers: Utopias

Again, a late post but I am finally being able to catch up on everything. This year at The Great American Beer Festival I was able to find a few things that I was unable to get before and things that I had no idea I would ever run into. I guess that is the point of the festival... it is what you make out of it no?

Beer Number 24: Samuel Adams Utopias.

I did not get a picture of this beer. I happened upon the tent at just the right time to get a pour of it. I did take the time before drank it to pull out my 33 Beers notebook and a pen though.



But first,

Utopias is essentially made like any other beer, albeit with an insane amount of barley plus maple syrup that produces a wort whose gravity is an unheard-of-48 degrees Plato. The alcohol is produced completely by yeast fermentation, the company says--no distillation or added spirits. It's then aged in a variety of barrels, including bourbon, Madeira, and brandy, and blended with previous batches dating to 1994. Each vintage differs, but is generally sweet and malty with vanilla and caramel notes.

I have refrained from buying this beer even though I had it in my hands once or twice in the past because of the price tag. I would have dropped like $20 on a shot of it in a bar but I never came upon that opportunity. Only the whole bottle. Wish I had someone willing to go in on it with me... Maybe in a few years after I am more financially set I will pick it up, but now... nah.

29% ABV for our 2012 batch, our 10th Anniversary celebration of this unique brew. Rivaling the world’s best ports and cognacs, this extreme beer is uncarbonated and ruby black in color with sweet flavors of honey, toffee, caramel, cocoa and vanilla balanced by distinct notes of molasses, raisins, plums and berries imparted from aging batches in a variety of barrels over the years.

2012 was a year of Tenth anniversaries but we won't get into that now. This beer was very aromatic... I mean, straight hot of alcohol. I know I had a 1oz pour and a small glass but all I could smell was fire. Even upon the taste. It was insanely sweet, oily I think there was caramel but I cannot be sure. All I know is it was very hot, very tasty, very sweet. The end. Great beer. I hope to have it again someday. Hopefully get some better notes and not be in the middle of an insane, but amazing beer fest, when I do.

977 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

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1001 Beers: Boston Lager

One of my favorite places to go out and eat... just because Fondue is amazing, is The Melting Pot. They can get a bit on the pricey end but you never leave dissatisfied... unless you get a crappy waiter. I have not experienced that yet. Just throwing out variables. Makes sense, no? Well, Recently I was there and decided to have the beer flight with my Big Night Out. Mainly because I wanted beer, not really because I was trying to pair. The last time I was here I did the wine flight. I think there was one I really liked and I didn't really keep notes on them so it's whatever.

The beers for the flight were split between ones I have had many times before and ones that I have only had a few times. They were Boston Lager, Sierra Nevada Pale, Stone IPA, and Rogue Chocolate Stout. Honestly, I did not really see any correlation in flavor of the food to the beers that they presented but I guess I cannot be too mad. There were a few good selections.



The first course was just The Big Night Out Boston Lager Cheese Fondue. A little appetizer to get us going. Bread Fruit Vegetables, and Beer Number 19 Samuel Adams Boston Lager. I have only had this one a few times before, and I always say I am not really a fan of Sams so this was just a formality since you cannot substitute beers in the predetermined flight... not that they really have a beer menu anyway. Honestly, I found nothing interesting about it... again. Just another beer. A bit of floral hops in the start, a tad earthy and then citrusy... It was way better in the cheese than in the glass but I guess I can't be too picky, I did come here for the food.



The next beer was a classic. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I can't say anything bad about this beer. Though, I did not think it paired well with my salad... It wasn't bad, but for sure it was not thought out. Check out This beer Here.



Stone IPA is one I have had a few times and it actually fits into this series, but I will give it it's own post at a later date. It deserves one and will not go into this count. There is just so much to be said about this beer and this brewery, that I'd rather have it organized than just thrown together to get Boston Lager out of the way hah! I guess Lobster and Stone IPA is never a bad choice, but again, the whole coming together thing was just lost. My fault, or theirs???



The last beer, Rogue Chocolate Stout. I thought I had never had this one before, but a little search on Untappd proved otherwise. I am not really a fan of Rogue, but this beer was actually one I might buy get a pint of one day, and not just because I am at the brewery. Again, who ever made these pairing decisions should be fired but I guess the beer and the courses stood alone and that is what matters?

982 Bottle Of Beer To Go!

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