Beer Review: Rogue Old Crustacean and Allagash Tripel Reserve

Ok, spent the weekend in the N.GA mountains with my folks. Had a great time fishing, playing a little golf and just relaxing. Decided to stop by Tower to pick up a few new beers for the weekend. The gems that I picked up will most definitely make return appearances to the beer fridge and to the cellaring fridge.

First up, Rogue Old Crustacean Aged XS line (Barleywine).

This came in a nice 750ml ceramic bottle with gate close top. I don't remember the year, I'll have to check the bottle. Poured very thick. Very dark brown with a nice creamy head. Great aroma, hops all over the place. A bit of a sweet note on the nose as well. The taste of this beer was perfect. Nice smooth start, a little sweet, kind of fruity but then the hops kick in. Wow, great hop note. Balances the malt sweetness perfectly and complements the alcohol zing and warmth nicely. Not a beer for those who don't like hops. A neat take on the barleywine. This one will be heading for the cellar very soon! I also have the feeling that it will make an appearance in my hall of fame.

Allagash Tripel Reserve

I usually trend towards darker more aggressive beers but decided to give this one a shot. Sure glad I did! Pours a hazy orange, nice white lacey head. Smells fruity with some yeast tones, more like a bakery smell. Taste is very nice. Smooth, ohh so smooth. Not too sweet, very flavorful. Alcohol is well masked, this definitely does not taste like a beer with 9% ABV. Carbonation is perfect, just the right amount to add to the experience. My wife even tried this one and liked it (she hates beer, only one she has ever liked was some Hefewiezen we got on draft at Brick Store). This beer did undergo an interesting transformation when I let it warm up. When very cold it is a much fruitier beer, once warmed the fruit sweetness was dulled a bit and you could pick a bit of the warmth brought on by the alcohol. Either way this too is a great beer and a good introduction into the land of the Belgian Tripel.