Tasting: Allagash Dubbel Reserve

Allagash Dubbel Reserve is brewed by Allagash Brewing in Portland Maine.

The Pour
"Pour slowing into a wide mouthed glass" is what it says on the side of the bottle. Belgian Ales are notoriously eager to produce copious head with only the slightest excess pour. This is a cork-topped 750ml bottle that pops like champagne when you - carefully - twist the cork. I took my time pouring the Allagash into my wide mouthed glass and was rewarded by a nice, but not excessive amount of head. The color is a lovely deep reddish brown.

The Taste
Oh, yeah. Now that's beer. Nice strong hoppy taste. Lots of yeast - there's a nice layer of yeasties at the bottom of the bottle. And malt. Let's not forget malt. Seven malts, they say. I'll take their word for it - all I can say is it's delicious.

Thoughts
All beer should be this good. There is a pretty dedicated Belgian-style brewing trend in the US. What makes a beer Belgian-styled? It's the yeast. Belgian yeast is different than that used for other beers and it imparts a distinctive taste unlike anything else. Oak barrel conditioning and traditional malts help, but it's the yeast that makes it Belgian.

In Belgium, brewing is a tradition with many recipes unchanged for hundreds of years. In the US, Belgian-style ales are undergoing amazing experimentation. Enjoy the ride.

Cheers!