Allagash Curieux

Brewed By: Allagash Brewing Company in Portland, Maine  

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013 (Bottling March 1, 2013)

Style/ABV: Belgian Tripel/Strong Ale, 11.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

It's been a good weekend, although maybe a bit too short. But it seems appropriate to wrap up with something classy, classy person that I am. About Allagash:

Allagash is a brewery based out of Portland, Maine. The company was founded in 1995 by Rob Tod, who designed a 15-barrel brewhouse, and began brewing some of the first American Belgian-style ales. Rob found success with the Allagash White, and expanded his operation. In 2001, Allagash began caging, corking, and bottle conditioning their beers. Since then, they have continued to celebrate Belgian-style beer.

Tonight's beer, the Curieux, is part of the brewery's year-round releases. This beer was the brewery's first attempt at a barrel-aged beer. The brewery takes their Tripel, and ages it in Jim Beam bourbon barrels for eight weeks. The beer is then blended back with the fresh Tripel. 

This one pours a golden-orange color in low light, and kicks up a finger's worth of golden-tinted, white head. I'm happy to report that the cork came off nicely, there was no gushing, and the pour was reasonable. In bright light the beer is more of a golden-yellow color, with hints of orange. The head is fluffy, white, and sustaining magnificently for an 11% beer. There's a lot of carbonation rising upwards in this, with tiny bubbles rushing upwards. As you might expect, this is slightly hazy. 

Allagash Curieux

This beer is like Christmas for me. Tripels and Jim Beam? Oh my, yes please. You get big whiskey, Jim Beam, vanilla, oak/wood, and meaty coconut on the nose. You also pick up on some nice orange, light citrus, grass/wheat, some candied/perfume Belgian yeast, yeast spice, and some clove. 

Typically you see breweries throwing Stouts in whiskey barrels, and I get that. But throwing these Belgian ales in whiskey barrels unlocks a whole new spectrum of awesome flavors. I'm pulling out big whiskey, meaty coconut, dried tropical fruits, pineapple, mango, citrus/orange, dried bananas, dried mango/pineapple, and big vanilla. There's a big warming in the mix, but the booze itself is virtually undetectable (aside from the Whiskey flavors). As I go in for another sip, I get a wash of the base beer up front, with big citrus, wheat, grass, clove, and Belgian funk...and then the tropical fruits show up, followed by the barrel. 

This has a palate fatiguing effect, where taking quick sips back to back causes the whiskey to fade a bit. If you wait a bit between sips, you get a fresh wash of big whiskey notes. This is very drinkable for an 11% beer, and the body is creamy, has just the right amount of carbonation, and a medium-full mouthfeel. The beer is a bit sticky on the finish, but I wasn't expecting champagne-dryness at 11%. Palate depth is good, and complexity is good. You get big base beer up front, with Tripel-esque notes; that rolls into tropical fruits, and burgeoning whiskey; that rolls into big whiskey, wood, bourbon; the finish is vanilla, coconut, tropical fruits...slightly sticky and dry.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I will grant this a Light Divine Brew. This is somewhere between the Bruery's very tasty White Oak, and the very tasty Two Brothers' Bare Tree. I'm really feeling the tropical fruit vibe you get with this beer. Lots of bourbon, vanilla, coconut, and mango/pineapple. Good stuff. I feel like this would pair well with mussels or scallops, maybe calamari. You could also pair this with pasta that has a strong cheese sauce, or put it against some peppery chicken/turkey. This could also work with fruity desserts (like pie), or a cheese course. Really tasty stuff, and a nice twist on the Tripel.

Random Thought: Weekend movie recap: This Is The End was hilarious, go see it. Superman was good, but had a lot of problems. Star Trek: Into The Darkness was awesome and good fun.

He'Brew Funky Jewbelation 2013

Brewed By: Shmaltz Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York  

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 (Batch No. 02; Cases 1492 - bottled 2/18/2013)

Style/ABV: American Strong Ale, 9.4%

Reported IBUs: ?

Oh snap! I got me a bomber of the 2013 Funky Jewbelation. The 2012 Jewbelation was aight, but it left a bit to be desired. Here is to hoping that the 2013 version kicks things up a notch. About He'Brew:

He'Brew is part of the Shmaltz Brewing Company. The Shmaltz Brewing Company has two lines of beer: their He'Brew The Chosen Beer, and their Coney Island Craft Lagers. Shmaltz Brewing Company is a craft brewery based in San Francisco, California, founded by Jeremy Cowan in 1996. The company previously contract brewed most of their beer through the Mendocino Brewing Company, while operating a small brewery in Brooklyn, New York. After 16 years of having their beer contract brewed, the Shmaltz Brewing Company opened its own New York State microbrewery in Clifton Park, NY. The new location features a 50-barrel brewhouse, with 20,000 barrels of annual capacity, and began production April/May 2013, officially opening July 2013. The company is known for its innovative beer, eye-catching bottle artwork, and sense of humor. For more information, check out the Shmaltz website HERE. Don't be a schmuck!

The 2013 Funky Jewbelation is not unlike its 2012 counterpart. This one clocks in at 9.4%, and is a blend of "6 ales & lagers aged in 55% Bourbon Barrels and 45% Rye Whiskey barrels." This beer features a blend of the Jewbelation Fifteen aged 7 & 10 months; the Origin aged 11 months; the Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. aged 12 months; the Messiah aged 6 months; the Coney Island Lager aged 12 months; and the Albino Python aged 3 months. I'm hoping to pick up more of the barrel with this beer since it is fresh, and I'm hoping to get a bit more depth of flavor and fat malt kick. Let's glass this up and see if this beer delivers.

He'Brew Funky Jewbelation 2013

This one pours a dark black color in low light, with 3 fingers of thick, bready, khaki-brown head. In bright light, I catch a little red and brown on the edges, but this is mostly a dark, opaque beer. Head retention is solid, especially for such a boozy beer, with a finger sustaining. There's some lacing.

I already like the aroma on this better than the 2012. There's definitely some fruity sweetness with plums and pomegranate, but I'm getting some oak, wood, Bourbon, and fat fudge and malt sweetness. I'm getting some peppery rye spice as well, and I'm sure the two Lagers blended in with this are contributing some spice. The whole blend is nice, with the fruit playing off the fudge, giving the impression of chocolate-dipped cherries, and dried fruits. It's sexy.

Yay...this tastes big and bold, like how a blended beer should taste. The mouthfeel seems a bit beefed up from the 2013 version, and there's more balance between the Origin with the pomegranate/grape/plum/prune fruit, and the Bourbon/barrel/oak/fudge/malts. I'm getting Bourbon, wood, vanilla, big pomegranate, grapes, faint rye bread, fudge, rich malt complexity, mellow and smoothed out booze, and a bit of hop bitterness on the back. This is a really nice blend.

I'm getting the sense that you don't want to age this one. I had the 2012 Jewbelation after it aged a bit, and I felt like it was lacking some of the barrel character necessary to balance out the big fruit kick. It could have just been the blend. I grant that the 2012 Jewbelation was very smooth and hid the alcohol well...but when we're talking about these big, bold, blended beers, I do like to see some complexity and barrel character. Bring on the Bourbon.

This one is great, with a mouthfeel that is smooth as hell, with supportive carbonation. The mouthfeel is fat and pleasantly chewy, and is definitely full-bodied. The finish is sticky and boozy, with just a hint of bitterness. You get a lot of complexity from the barrel, the Bourbon, the Rye, the malts (aka the Jewbelation Fifteen), and lots of grape and pomegranate fruit (aka the Origin). Even then, I feel like this could dial up the complexity further. I'm curious to see how the 2014 version of this beer will evolve the series. Palate depth is great. You get sweet malts and big grape/pomegranate/plums up front; this rolls into Bourbon, oak, rye spice, and fudge malts; the back end is elusive booze, sticky sweet, trailing fruit, and burgeoning hop bitterness. An improved blend from the 2012....

Rating: Above-Average (4/5 Untappd)

This gets a big thumps up from me, with a Strong Above-Average. This is just a good blend, with lots of balance between the Bourbon, Rye, malts, and fruit. This beer is ridiculously easy-drinking at 9.4%, and goes down without any hesitation. The alcohol is non-existent, except for some noticeable warming on the back. I still maintain that you want to drink this fresh, but it might be fun to age a bottle of this...or not...because once the barrel character drops out, you lose a lot of the fun. That's my 2 cents. This is priced favorably at around 7-10 dollars a bomber, and would pair well with a cigar, dry chocolate cakes, fruit pies, steak with purple potatoes, sweeter sauces, sweet barbecue, sweet potatoes, and...if you really want to splurge...a Monte Cristo. Oh lawdy, this beer with a Monte Cristo would be off the hook. 

Random Thought: I don't know what the consensus is on blended beers, but I wish more breweries would make them. I know Firestone does good stuff with their Anniversary series...I'm glad to see variation with the Jewbelation, and now I get to look forward to the 2014 release.

He'Brew Funky Jewbelation 2012

Brewed By: Shmaltz Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York  

Purchased: 12oz bottle from the 2012 Holiday Gift Pack bought at Binny's in IL; 2012 (Batch No. 001; Cases 999 - bottled 3/6/2012)

Style/ABV: American Strong Ale, 9.8%

Reported IBUs: ?

Continuing with the He'Brew 2012 Holiday Gift Pack, today I'm feeling a big, strong, blended beer that has been aged in whiskey barrels. You can't go wrong with that, right? About He'Brew:

He'Brew is part of the Shmaltz Brewing Company. The Shmaltz Brewing Company has two lines of beer: their He'Brew The Chosen Beer, and their Coney Island Craft Lagers. Shmaltz Brewing Company is a craft brewery based in San Francisco, California, founded by Jeremy Cowan in 1996. The company previously contract brewed most of their beer through the Mendocino Brewing Company, while operating a small brewery in Brooklyn, New York. After 16 years of having their beer contract brewed, the Shmaltz Brewing Company opened its own New York State microbrewery in Clifton Park, NY. The new location features a 50-barrel brewhouse, with 20,000 barrels of annual capacity, and began production April/May 2013, officially opening July 2013. The company is known for its innovative beer, eye-catching bottle artwork, and sense of humor. For more information, check out the Shmaltz website HERE. Don't be a schmuck!

The 2012 Funky Jewbelation is some intense stuff. This is the brewery's "barrel aged release #6." This is a blend of 6 ales, with 73% aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels, and 27% aged in Bourbon barrels. The beer is a blend of the Jewbelation Fifteen (aged 3 months), the Vintage Jewbelation (aged 9 months), the Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. (aged 1 month), Origin (aged 14 months), Reunion Ale '11 (aged 7 months), and Messiah (aged 14 months). Let's glass this up...and see what we got.

He'Brew Funky Jewbelation 2012

This one pours into a deceptively dark brown, cola-color, that looks black in low light. A centimeter of brown head made out of tiny bubbles fizzled for a few seconds, before receding into a nice cauldron effect. In bright light, this beer is reddish brown, with surprising amounts of carbonation in the form of microscopic streams of bubbles (visible on the edges). There's a ring of carbonation hanging around the edges of this, and there's some glossy legs. 

I don't know what to make of this aroma, which has cherries, funky/sour cherries, pomegranate, and very mild red apple cider vinegar funk on the nose. I'm also pulling off rich chocolate, brownie, Bourbon sweetness, dried fruits, and some fruity fig. Chocolate, cherries, tart, Bourbon...interesting. 

This is super weird, with tons of grape up front. The grape gives way to big chocolate, rye, and mild Bourbon sweetness. There's some brownie kick on the back end. I'm getting assorted sweet fruits up front: cherries, grape, figs, dates, raisins, pomegranate...there is absolutely zero booze in this, save for some warming on the back end. As this coats my tongue, I'm picking up some wood, a hint of rye, and some mild tannins.

This has absolutely spectacular palate depth, as it coats the entirety of your tongue and mouth. The carbonation is just right: mild, with smooth tingly vibes to help work the beer over. This one is medium-full to full-bodied, and definitely veers towards sweet and sticky. Complexity tilts towards fruity and sweet, with hints of subtle nuances beneath. The 9.8% is virtually undetectable. You get fruit up front; some wood, Bourbon, rye spice, and more fruit in the middle; the back gives way to subtle chocolate, brownie, Bourbon, barrel....not bad.

Rating: Average 

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. I don't really know what is going on here, but it's not bad. It's an interesting blend, with dominating fruit and subtle chocolate/Bourbon/barrel on the back. I love how this beer completely masks the 9.8%. I wish I had a 22oz bottle rather than 12oz. I would totally pick up a bomber of this if I saw it randomly laying on the shelf, but the nuances of this blend don't seem to be hugely complex. I would pair this with chocolate cake, pizza, bread pudding, or dessert. This is an interesting experiment...I look forward to this year's blend. 

Random Thought: I do appreciate the fact that He'Brew enjoys experimenting. You can't say this beer isn't unique and fun.