Curieuxity Killed the Cat

But satisfaction brought him back.

The funny juices aren't flowing today, and work internet sucks... so bear with a fairly unfunny post.

Nick and I were at some beer festival not all too long ago, when, as frequently happens at these events, we happened to notice one of the brewers of a popular brewery staffing his own table.

The brewer was Rob Tod, the genius behind the delicious brews from the Allagash Brewery of Maine. As we always do when we run into brewers, Nick and I stopped to chat. We asked him what he had at the Festival that we probably hadn't tried, and he immediately gave us both identical near-orange pulls of something or other.

"We're using bourbon barrels to age this one," he said.

That much was clear--the beer, allegedly a tripel, was filled with additional sweetness, additional spice, and a completely different alcohol finish. It was, to put it simply, f'ing delicious.

Unfortunately, Nick and I had gotten to the Allagash booth a little late in the day's activities, and neither of us really had the chance to enjoy this beer, the Allagash Curieux, as much as we would've liked.

Last evening, a friend brought a 750 of the magical brew to a small party; there were five of us, and we drank about half...

It's even better when you're sober.

The beer pours unbelievably light--it's got a slight orange hue, and it's definitely cloudy, but it glows, even in a room with relatively low light. The aroma is citrus, with a hint of banana or clove--standard tripel nose. The fruit literally explodes on first taste. Citrus, banana, and some heavy clove spice... not overpowering, but definitely heavier than what you'd get from a normal tripel. Far more complex than the dogshow tripels of the world. The bourbon residue and smoke has also done a nice job suppressing the typical bubble gumminess of the style.

The real wonder of the bourbon barrel ageing doesn't even become totally apparent until far later in the glass. Like any tripel, the Curieux is on the boozy end of the spectrum at 11%. The alcohol finish on the Curieux is surprisingly pleasant--it has a hint of the roasted flavor that plagues the micro-stouts and porters which constitute most bourbon barrel offerings, but is also pleasantly mild and not overpowering. The alcohol is NOT hidden, but is smooth and utterly inoffensive. It elevates the mouthfeel to a whole new level (that's what she said...) and actually leaves the best part of the beer for the end.

Go get a bottle. You'll be damn glad you did.