Allagash Farm to Face

The Stats
Style: American Wild Ale
ABV: 5.70%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.43/5
- RateBeer: 3.9/5

It's getting warmer out, so let's have something tart and refreshing. Allagash Farm to Face was originally a pale ale, but was fermented in stainless steel with house yeast, bacteria, and three pounds of peaches per gallon. After that, it was aged for 10 months to give us what we have today. I have previously reviewed Allagash Nancy which was similar, but made with cherries.

Pours a mostly clear, slightly hazy pale orange/dark yellow with a good amount of carbonation. It produced less than a finger of a fizzy, white head.

The first thing that hits is the bacteria strain and pleasant tartness followed by sweet peach and even some green apple.

The peach is not as overpowering as I thought it would be, but it's definitely here and is pretty sweet once you get past the tartness. That sour green apple is back and those bacteria strains are making this one go down like a lemon Warhead candy, but not as extreme. There's even some white grape and flower in there, but peach is subdued throughout.

If you want a sour ale, then you certainly get that here. I think mouth-puckering would be a great word to sum this one up. It's not so intense that you need a sip of water between swigs, but it's still strong enough to widen your eyes. The sourness stays all through the experience and the finish is noticeably dry. Lots of carbonation move this one along which prevents the tartness from overstaying its welcome.

In the end, Farm to Face is pleasantly tart sour ale good for a warm day, but I wish the peach was more prominent so that the fruit could help even out the sour qualities.

Rating
8.4/10

Allagash Nancy

The Stats
Style: American Wild Ale
ABV: 6.30%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.28/5
- RateBeer: 3.77/5

Fermented with Maine cherries and Brettanomyces, Nancy was aged for almost one whole year in stainless steel.

Pours golden orange/light copper. Got tons of carbonation coming off the bottom of the glass. There was over a finger of white, fizzy head, but it disappeared almost immediately like highly-carbonated soda.

A nice bouquet of sweet, tart cherries, saison-like funk, breadiness, Belgian yeast, and even a hint of vanilla.

One sip in and you are in for a mouth-puckering ride of delicious sourness. The cherries are pretty much perfect as they don't take over or make the beer taste like cough syrup. It's just the right amount of tartness. It's funky like a saison and even has some black pepper notes. It's also quite citrusy as I get grapefruit juice and mango too.

Again, this is a sipper due to it's potent sour taste. There's lots of carbonation bubbles dancing on my tongue and it has a solid body for a lighter style. The tartness lingers nicely and the cherry isn't sticking to my tongue.

With big, genuine cherry flavor and spot-on tartness, this could be classified as a Flanders Red and compete with the best in that style. Nancy has a splendid balance of fruity flavors, funk, bread, and yeast. This would have been ideal for the warmer weather a few months ago, but I'm not complaining about having this bottle to myself on a cold night like this.

Rating
9.2/10

Allagash Victoria - 2014 Vintage

The Stats
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale
ABV: 9.0%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.92/5
- RateBeer: 3.57/5

Brewed with over 200 lbs of Chardonnay grapes, Victoria is a big 9.0% offering from Allagash as part of their Tribute Series. Belgian ale plus white wine? Sounds like a winner.

Pours a clear, pale orange, amber color with tons of carbonation. The two fingers of white, frothy head continued to stick around well after being poured.

Quite the smorgasbord of flavors. Belgian yeast at the forefront followed by banana and definitely those white grapes. With all of that is a spicy, black pepper accent which works well.

Banana is the dominant flavor for me - almost like a good hefeweizen. Oh, and those white grapes are just as juicy as biting into a fresh one off the vine. Make no mistake, the Belgian yeast is there to stay along with, believe it or not, some bitterness from the hops. That was a welcome addition!

In the mouth, there are tons of carbonation bubbles and it feels nice and light for a big, 9.0% beer. At times it can be a bit overly sweet, but it's not stopping me from enjoying all of the flavors. Speaking of 9.0%, I could search for days and still not find any hint of an alcohol presence.

Victoria has a lot of great Belgian character combined with those Chardonnay grapes. While it can get sweeter than I'd like at times, it is very flavorful and drinks easy.

Rating
8.6/10