Session # 137 | Allagash | Interlude | 9.5% ABV
American Wild Ale | Portland, Maine| Rating: 80/100
One year ago: Brasserie Dupont Saison Dupont

The American Wild Ale is quickly becoming a love of mine. The flavors that come out of these beers just makes my palate scream, and the cellaring potential is also outstanding for those who just want to throw some bottles down in the basement for a long period of time. While looking for some of the better representations of the style I kept reading good things about the Allagash Interlude. I was more than happy to put up a trade for this beer because Allagash is one of those breweries that have a good reputation for making great beer. What Tim and I drank was nothing close to the world class level we had expected. The beer poured with a slight amount of haze and nice warm honey color verging on mahogany. The nose was pretty one dimensional. All we were really able to pull out of the glass was a bit of brettanomyces and maybe a touch of barrel-aging wood character. I pulled out a butterscotch “texture” in the smell, but was soon informed by Tim that this can be a sign of a potentially bad beer – or at least an undesired effect in a beer’s brewing process. The taste didn’t go a whole lot further, and in fact we were both somewhat disappointed. Yeah it’s good, but nowhere near very good or great. Aside from a touch of tartness and a good amount of brettanomyces funk, there wasn’t anything else going on. Where are the Merlot and Syrah aromas and flavors? A “pretty good beer” is all we can say about this one and we’re positive you shouldn’t spend $20+ to hunt one of these down.

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This beer can be found in these states.
Listening To: Kris Kristofferson “Jody and the Kid”



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I take a great deal of pride in Boulevard Brewing Company. I’ve been drinking their beers for at least 15 years now; and well before I became a beer snob. But something especially great has been going on at the brewery in the last few years – thanks to the vision of Steven Pauwels they’ve started brewing some insanely good (worldly) beers that speak more to the craft beer lover as opposed to the everyday pale ale drinker. I’ve had my favorites along the way, but now it is their Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale that makes me the happiest. The beer pours a warm summery yellow haze with an enormous amount of tight soapy white head. And the smell! That’s probably the best aspect of this beer. There are loads of over-ripened bananas (like those black bananas used to make banana bread), beautiful esters that remind you of lemongrass and sunshine, and even a faint smell of band-aid (in a good way). For a saison, I can tell you this is the most complex I’ve ever smelled or tasted — even more so than the illustrious Orval (which is not technically a saison, but it should be). Yes the Boulevard Saison Brett is magical, but this one is a touch more successful in my book. And if you’re someone who thinks Allagash is the only American brewery making insanely good Belgian-style beers, you need to start paying attention to Boulevard. They are owning right now.

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This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Vetiver

Brewery: Boulevard
Beer: Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale
Style: Saison
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
ABV: 8%
Rating: 97/100

Ahhhh…The Cubs! They choke every year. But I sure as hell love them anyway. Wrigley Field may also just be one of my favorite places on earth. And it’s the only place I’ll truly be happy to drink and Old Style. When you’re in Chicago there are easily a million things to do and see, and one of them for me is to hit up all the fancy liquor stores and beer bars. Ever heard of The Map Room? How about The Hopleaf? GO! One liquor store in particular is Binny’s in the South Loop. This place is so large, you could spend an afternoon in this booze hound geek land. That’s exactly what I did on my last visit, and let me tell you it wasn’t cheap. But the experience from the beer will last a lifetime. In this case, it’s the Allagash White — a very nice Belgian Witbier replete with some fine Belgian-style yeasts, coriander, and orange peel. Not one of Allagash’s more sought after beers, it is still quite a wonderful beer. Next time you get back from mowing your yard and want a nice refreshing beer to drink in your pleated slacks, you’ll know exactly where to turn.

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This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Bonnie “Prince” Billy

Brewery: Allagash
Beer: White
Style: Belgian Witbier
Location: Portland, Maine
ABV: 5.5%
Rating: 89/100