Allagash Ganache

Today’s beer is another Allagash selection. I noticed that they’re participating in Flagship February, which is where breweries focus on their flagships. Allagash White is a beer I cut my teeth on, and one of my first reviews, and I love the fact that they’re going to can it now.

ABV: 7.2%

Style: Belgian Dark Ale

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “The liquid equivalent of biting into a raspberry-filled dark chocolate cake. Aromas suggesting mixed berry and roasty cocoa meld with flavor notes of tart raspberry, cherry, and subtle coffee. Even without the addition of chocolate, Ganache gains its cocoa notes from a robust grain bill featuring Special B, caramel malt, raw wheat, oats, our 2-row base malt, Midnight wheat, and black malt. This dark burgundy-colored beer is fermented in stainless with both our house yeast and Brettanomyces claussenii before aging on fresh, local raspberries. No utensils necessary.”

Random: This beer is available in bottles and on draft.

The beer poured with less than a half a finger of cream-colored head. It dissipated almost instantly. The body was dark brown and cloudy, with no visible carbonation due to the cloudiness. The nose was filled with crushed raspberries and milk chocolate, along with a touch of funk and tartness. The taste was tart with raspberries and then quickly transitioned into chocolate and yeast. Lightly roasted coffee came through next. The alcohol was well-hidden. The body was moderate thickness with medium carbonation. It had a lengthy finish with tart raspberries and chocolate. I liked this beer a lot. It made for a good dessert beer. I would definitely have this again.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Triporteur From Hell

I had never heard of Triporteur until I saw one of the beers on tap at a restaurant (From Heaven). After trying that beer, I knew I wanted to try this one. It was on a shelf at Half Time and came home with me.

ABV: 6.66%

Style: Belgian Dark Ale

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Triporteur From Hell is a dark beer brewed with hellish burned and roasted BOM malt. The beer reminds us of chocolate, caramel, recently brewed coffee and freshly baked bread. The wheat malt in the unfiltered beer can cause a slight cloudiness. The taste of Hell keeps evolving in the bottle.”

Random: I get so much use of out my Flying Dog glass, mostly because I tend to leave it upstairs.

The beer poured with a three finger, ecru colored head. It dissipated slowly and left a lot of lacing on the glass. It also left a large crown on top of the dark brown body. Because of the color, I couldn’t see much carbonation. The nose had a touch of sourness and Belgian yeast. It also had some nuttiness and light coffee. The taste also had some sourness initially, but it wasn’t bad, by any means. It also had light coffee and brown bread. The yeast was there too. Lightly toasted malts and hazelnuts were a minor flavor too. The body was pretty thick and the carbonation was aggressive. For me, it was a bit too much. The coffee lasted through the finish. This was not a cheap beer at $5.50 a single ($.46 per ounce). This beer was okay, but the carbonation was too much for my liking.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Ommegang Joemmegang

The next brewery that we went to that day was Maine Beer Co. The brewery opened at 11 AM and we got there around 12. I noticed that there were only 3 bottles of Lunch left. We got a sampler and I decided to buy 2 of the 3 bottles. We tried a few of their other beers and they were all incredibly hoppy, well-crafted and very, very tasty. My only complaint (and it is a very small one), was how heavy their sampler paddle was. I was lucky not to spill it on the way to the table. Their tasting room is a modest size with other tables outside. The place was packed and as we were leaving to visit the L.L. Bean store, the Brew Bus pulled up.

ABV: 7.5%

Style: Belgian Dark Ale

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “This beer begins as a malty brown ale, comprised of Belgian aroma, caramel malts, and oats. A bit of lactose adds body and some sweetness, and a heaping helping of cocoa nibs in the whirlpool provides further richness, and a deep chocolaty aroma. Hop aroma is nonexistent, and bitterness is there just to keep the sweetness in check.”

Random: I have never seen bottles leave a brewery so quickly. People came in and bought a case and would leave. We saw at least 7 states worth of license plates in the parking lot as well.

This beer poured with a one finger, off white head that dissipated slowly and left some lacing on the glass. The body was a cloudy mahogany color with no visible carbonation due to the color. The nose had weak coffee and some yeast as well. The taste was not surprisingly, coffee-dominant with light chocolate and vanilla notes as well. It had a touch of lactose as well. Yeast came through at the end. It had significant caramel sweetness as well, but it wasn’t cloying. It had a medium thick body with high carbonation. The finish was long with instant coffee. This was $16.99 for the bomber, which broke down to $.77 per ounce, which is a bit on the pricey side. Despite that, I enjoyed the coffee flavor and it paired well with the yeast. I would have it again.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Stillwater Brontide

The other half was out at Trivia Night tonight, so I spent the night watching my Netflix, which tonight happened to be the live on Broadway taping of “Rent.” I assumed that it would be the original cast and I was definitely wrong. It wasn’t awful, but there were definitely parts that were not great. Especially the parts that featured “Mimi.” Anyways, this was the brew that I had last night. It’s another beer from Stillwater and I really have been enjoying brews from them, so let’s see how their Belgian dark ale is.

ABV: 5%

Style: Belgian Dark Ale

Trivia: According to wikipedia.com, “Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending on the distance and nature of the lightning, thunder can range from a sharp, loud crack to a long, low rumble (brontide).”

Random: I still know almost every word to every song in “Rent.”

This brew poured with a two finger, light brown colored head that was very slowly to dissipate, but left no lacing on the glass. The body was a dark brown color with no carbonation visible due to the color. The nose was relatively fragrant with roasted malts and light chocolate with white pepper. The taste had a bit more depth with light cocoa powder, malted milk, white pepper and bready yeast at the end. There was a hint of bitterness at the end from grassy hops, but nothing intense. The body was smooth, but on the thinner side with moderate carbonation. The finish was quick with some bitterness and bread. This beer was pretty good, although a little too light for my taste.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Weyerbacher Tango

It’s one of my last Mondays off before End of Quarter starts. I am definitely not looking forward to that at all. So far, I’ve mounted a knife rack today, done a bunch of laundry and taken some of the garbage out. All in a days work for me. Anyways, the lawyer picked this one up for me a few weeks back. Let’s see how it went.

ABV: 10.6%

Style: Belgian Dark Ale

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Tango is a big, bold, Belgian-style dark ale brewed with 1,200 pounds of cherries! Tango pours a beautiful ruby color with a nice fluffy head offering a very complex aroma of cherries and other dark fruits. The strong 750ml glass bottle finished with a cork and cage allows the very robust bottle-conditioning responsible for Tango’s effervescence. Dark fruit flavors join the cherries to match up with the strong malt bill with the Belgian yeast adding its 2 cents along the way. Tango weighs in at 10.6% ABV and was brewed using a base of Pilsener Malt with Honey Malt, Special B, Aromatic Malt and a touch of Chocolate Malt. Apollo hops balance all that sweetness to 35 IBU. Tango is available throughout our distribution area for a limited time only!”

Random: I’ve finished season 4 of Dexter and it was really, really good.

This brew poured with a barely there white head that dissipated instantly and left no lacing on the glass. The body was a deep mahogany color that was slightly cloudy with moderate carbonation visible. The nose was really sweet with lots of cherries and some plum notes. Figs were also there with a touch of wood and some booze. The taste was even better than the nose. I got lots of cherries with prunes and candi sugar. Molasses and peppercorns came through as the brew warmed. The beer was on the thicker side with low carbonation. The finish was long with lots of sweetness from the cherries and some residual candi sugar. This was probably one of the best Weyerbacher beers that I’ve had. It was a great sipper with lots of depth to it. I would definitely have this one again.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale

I was looking on the New Belgium website about information regarding the beer and it calls this beer a “black lager,” which I found very interesting since everything else that I’ve seen states that it’s a black ale. Anyways, this was the second brew that I had during the second round of mussels at St. Arnold’s.

ABV: 5.6%

Style: Belgian Dark Ale

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Born of a flood and centuries-old Belgian text, 1554 Black Lager uses a lager yeast strain and dark chocolaty malts to redefine what dark beer can be. In 1997, a Fort Collins flood destroyed the original recipe our researcher, Phil Benstein, found in the library. So Phil and brewmaster, Peter Bouckaert, traveled to Belgium to retrieve this unique style lost to the ages. Their first challenge was deciphering antiquated script and outdated units of measurement, but trial and error (and many months of in-house sampling) culminated in 1554, a highly quaffable dark beer with a moderate body and mouthfeel.”

Random: I’ve started to watch Downton Abbey with the other half. So far, it’s really good.

The brew poured with a three finger, fluffy tan head. It dissipated very slowly and left a huge amount of lacing on the dimpled liter glass. By the way, those glasses were pretty darn heavy. The body was a dark brown color with heavy carbonation. The nose had a lot of roasted malts and some coffee with some Belgian yeast.  The taste was very heavy with roasted malts and coffee. There was no booze note to the beer at all. There was also a touch of licorice as well. The body was medium thickness with high carbonation present. The finish was long and roasty as well. This beer was okay, but not great. It could have used a bit more Belgian notes to it.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

River Horse Belgian Freeze Belgian Style Winter Ale

I’m so tired, and for absolutely no reason. I had an offsite meeting today that lasted most of the day. This meant that I basically had 2 hours to do the rest of the work that I normally have all day to do. Fun, really. After work, I hit up the gym and seriously tore it up. I’m now chest pressing 150 lbs without needing help. Next week, I’m definitely trying for 165, at least for 4 reps. I have a feeling that I’m going to very sore tomorrow…I say this because I’m already sore now. So, another New Jersey brew for tonight.

ABV: 8%

Style: Belgian Dark Ale

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Our warming winter ale is amber in color, malty and full-bodied.  Belgian yeast provides a variety of delicate characteristics in the nose and on the palate.  8 abv, Available October – December”

Random: The hippo on the label is dressed up as a scary snow creature…very cute!

This brew poured with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly, but left a hint of head on the top of the body. It also left no lacing on the glass. On the nose, I got fig, malt, honey and a bit of spice. I also let it warm up about 15 minutes. The taste…not quite as good. It started with a lot of malt. Then, I got a bit of nuttiness. I didn’t get any spice or fig or honey. The carbonation was also higher than I expected. The body was a medium thickness, which was one of the only things I liked about the brew. The finish was pretty quick, which was good given my opinion of the brew. I was shocked that I disliked this beer as much as I did. I wouldn’t have this again.

Untappd Rating: 2.0/5.0

Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout

Ommegang always produces solid stuff. So, when I started reading other bloggers reviewing their Chocolate Indulgence Stout, it became a beer that I kept my eye out for. I ended up finding it at a beer store that I don’t usually go to.

ABV: 7%

Style: Belgian Dark Ale

Trivia: According to the Ommegang website, “On October 13, 2007, at out Brewery Tenth Anniversary Party (Waffles and Puppets) we introduced Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout to the world. Chocolate Indulgence comes with a thick tan head of foam resting on top of the rich onyx-colored liquid. The aroma immediately speaks of dark chocolate and dark malts. The gentle herbal nose of Perle hops compliments the darker notes, making the beer savory to the senses. The taste continues with the intense Belgian dark chocolate gliding across the tongue; starting sweet up front but giving way to rich cocoa flavors at the back. Through it all, a subtle fruitiness from our special Belgian yeast gives the beer brightness otherwise foreign to a beer style normally associated with gray foggy skies. Lingering chocolate entices the drinker to taste more. Go ahead. Dessert is good for the soul.”

Random: So this brew is listed in the title as a stout, but categorized as a Belgian Dark Ale…interesting.

This brew poured with a three finger, tan egg white thickness head. It left significant lacing on the glass as it dissipated very slowly. I was surprised that the beer poured with such an intense head. The body was a dark brown, almost black color with no visible carbonation. The nose was definitely roasted malts with hints of coffee, and you guessed it, chocolate. On the taste, I got moderate carbonation and hints of chocolate. I really expected more apparent chocolate flavor on this brew. The brew was almost silky in mouthfeel. The finish was slightly bitter and quick. I didn’t really get coffee on the taste. This was a decent beer, but just needs more chocolate. The booze was really hidden. I also paired this beer with chocolate and it went pretty well with it. I wouldn’t rush back to have this beer.

Untappd Rating: 2.0/5.0