Portland Food Heads

Yesterday was not your average Monday at Allagash Brewing Co.'s facility in Riverside Industrial Park. Hundreds of people lined up to purchase a maximum of two $10 375ml bottles of their new Vagabond ale (edition of 500 bottles). If nothing else, this further cements Allagash's popularity, and - in many ways - quality.

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a bottle of this, and cellar aging - which I'm sure many people plan to do with this - was just not in the cards; I had to have it the minute I got home from work. No food pairings, no TV, just this very special beer, poured into the correct glass, and slowly savored the way it was meant to be.




According to the good folks at Allagash, Vagabond (10% ABV) was aged for over four years in one of the only American oak barrels to make it to their current facility. They describe it as boasting a "complex aroma of maple syrup and port, with background notes of marzipan, plum and dill" as "flavors of tart, unripened plum and caramel give way to a warming, toasted almond finish."

Woah.

Well, one thing I will say is that this was an incredible beer. It poured a dark, murky amber with a small head. The immediate smell was that of dried fruit, like many of Allagash's darker offerings. At first sip, macerated cherries hit me right off the bat with a surprisingly strong backing of carbonation. Viscous isn't even the word to describe the body of this brew - it coats the mouth like cough syrup, and I mean that in the best way possible.

It's actually pretty unfortunate that this beer will not be available anymore; it's one of the better offerings I've tasted from Allagash, and I've tasted most of them.


Kudos, Rob Todd!

~E~