Allagash FV 13
Brewed with wild yeast and bacteria. Fermented and aged 4 years ins a single oak foudre.
FV 13 marks our first venture into the world of foudre beers. Foudres are giant oak tanks used for aging (this one holds 2700 gallons.) FV 13 is a blend of wild yeast and bacteria, a base beer with lots of malt character, and about four years of patience. The finished beer is copper in color, with an aroma of cherries and caramel. The flavor is a blend of sweet and tart, with notes of fruit and caramelized sugar. The full mouthfeel gives way to a tart, mouth drying finish.
FV 13 marks our first venture into the world of foudre beers. Foudres are giant oak tanks used for aging (this one holds 2700 gallons.) FV 13 is a blend of wild yeast and bacteria, a base beer with lots of malt character, and about four years of patience. The finished beer is copper in color, with an aroma of cherries and caramel. The flavor is a blend of sweet and tart, with notes of fruit and caramelized sugar. The full mouthfeel gives way to a tart, mouth drying finish.
3.8
186 reviews
Portland, United States
Community reviews
Bottle from Meditrina. Copper orange with ring. Woody tart sour fruit floral vanilla aroma. Tart apricot peachy cherry grainy grassy sweetness with some toasty notes and spicy orangy woody dry finish. Medium body and very fine lively carb. A little more sour than I like these days, but very good. The texture really makes it beautiful.
Bottled 12/21/2012, drunk 6/25/16.
Deep amber-maple with brighter orange and copper tints. Clear with an off-white head that steadily fades to a ring.
Light caramel mixes with plentiful, soft lactic acid. Some moderate oak character is a welcomed complexity and there’s a touch of black pepper phenol on the finish. Fruitiness steadily grows with warming and cherry and apple esters emerge victorious. Soft caramel and lactic acid continue to provide the background with light vanilla as well. Quite mild, in a word, with a bit of papery oxidation.
Very tired in the mouth, the carbonation is low and a bit loose, the oxidation creeping in. Earthy, musty and lightly lactic with caramel-honey-vanilla and tons of fruity esters, as seen in the nose. Oakiness is soft and well-done with a pleasantly nutty, dry, soft tannic quality to it. A bit of wateriness. I guess 3.5 years was just a bit too much, though there’s nothing bad about the beer still.
Bottle shared, thank you! Pour is clear caramel. Aroma and flavor tart brown with wood and spice. Not offensive, but not exciting.
Pours a very cloudy, dark ruby/golden copper color with mahogany edges and a one finger, frothy off-white head that slowly settles into a lasting ring. Streaks of soapy lacing left behind.
Funky, slightly acetic aroma with lots of musty bugs and lactic funk along with caramel malt sweetness, dark fruit and oaky tannins. Prominent oak and musty funk in the aroma along with vinous dark fruit and acetone. Some cherries and cream along with damp earthy/horsey flavors. Slight nail polish/solvent presence while the vinous fruit and funky yeast dominate the nose.
On the lighter end of medium body with a slightly creamy texture and a nice balance of dry oak, sweet vinous fruit and funky bugs. Dry oak, musty brett and funky yeast up front followed by caramel malt sweetness, vinous fruit and lingering acetic vinegar. The acetic presnce is there but isn’t harsh or overpowering. Not too solvent-like with a nice vinegary presnce complimenting the sweet cherries and other dark fruit notes. Well balanced and decently sour with a nice earthy oak flavor and substantial funk countering the acetic character.
Huge red wine fruit tart aromas. Reddish tan with thin head. Very oaky grape flavor, complex yet soothing. Feels like liquid velvet.
From a bottle shared at Binny’s Lincoln Park tasting room. Aroma is rich sour and wild. Flavor is midly sour with strong oak notes, but sharp enough to point through them yet sweet enough to not be heavy and overwhelming. As good as a sour can get in my opinion. An outstanding beer.
Bottle 11/82012. Pours murky brown with thin white head. Smell is prune and tart cherry.Taste is cherry, prune and farmhouse funk. Medium body, medium carb.
Bottle. Hazy burgundy color, burnt orange at the edges. One finger of dense, long lasting off-white froth. Vinegar, oak, some berries in the nose -- raspberry, strawberry. Also caramel, balsamic and some vanilla. Oak and tart cherry in the front of the flavor, with green apple, oak and vanilla, caramel, toffee, vinegary finish. Nice malt character here. Just a hint of brett funk. Velvety body. Medium, soft on the tongue. Mild tingly carbonation, gentle fizz. Very nice. Lots of acidity, but enough malt character to balance.
WIld yeast aroma. Orange body with a ring of white head. Full mouthfeel of tart, with oak secondary flavour. Good drinkability.
Bottle. Hazy ruby with no head. Aroma is vinegar, red wine, strawberry, musty funk and lacto. Taste follows, adds leather and is very acidic without being over the top. Fantastic.
Clean tawny ruby amber with one finger of sandy white head that quickly dissipates. Very nice aroma, vinous with some acetic notes and red fruit. Tart with pie cherry, tannic woody notes with a little alcoholic quality and fruity tones. Light bodied and dry.
More of an oud bruin than a typical American wild ale, sweeter with a vinegar character and some sour apple and cherry notes, a bit of dark bitter cocoa. Good but not great, certainly well below what Allagash is capable of.
Poured from bottle into snifter. Pours a rich, dark, orange/copper with two finger head. Head dissipates down to maybe 5 mm fairly quickly. Aroma - vinegar, cherry, earthiness, some funk and forest floor. Taste - very earthy and funky - clear brett notes, vinegar, sour apple and cherry, and some sweetness. This really reminds me, on some notes, of Crooked Stave’s offerings in terms of brett-taste. Finish is long and tart and earthy. Carbonation level is appropriate and prickly; mouthfeel is creamy and slightly oily.
Beer Bloggers Conference - San Diego - Super sour beer. Puts pucker in the pucker. Nice barrel aging this was a well aged beer.
(375ml bottle) clear copper, fine white bubbles. Nose of rich raisin, mossy cellar floor, caramel, sour and vinegar notes, delicious. Taste of caramel, rich cherry, vinegar, coconut, rich and complex in flavor.
Bottle thanks to myknewcraft, thank a lot J.! Pours a nice and dark copper with a medium offwhite head that leaves nice trailing patterns. Nose is a fine balance between acetic and caramel, fruity. There is also some slight cheese funk. Taste is sweet and sour, I didn’t expect it to be so balanced. Flavors are of red wine vinegar, cherries, caramel and oak. Acidity level is almost perfect, never "over the top" or harsh. Body was medium, carbonation as well. Overall a really nice Flanders Red-inspired brew, up there with Merveilleux as one of the most enjoyable Allagash sour to me!
Bottle.
Cloudy amber, short off white head.
Sourish yogurth aroma with grapefruit, wood.
Sweet and sour, grapefruit, wet wood, balanced sour ending.
Medium, soft, oily.
Decent. Got a small sample and wasn’t impressed or focused enough to really make proper notes.
Deep amber color. Sour tart nose with tons of oak and vanilla, with touches of cherries, apple cinnamon. The mouth is tart with lots of oak, cherries and apples. Really well balanced. Lingering, creamy vanilla, cherries. Really excellent executed.
This brewery is a funny one for me. I like everything they do but they're a little pricey. I picked a few bottles of this at the release a few years ago. I cracked this one today wish there was alittle more head to this, it has great flavors awesome taste of the wood coming through some sour cherries and I just love it. A funky ale for a great holiday
Bottle, thks Jeff, pours black with light coloured head. Aroma is funk, taste is really flavourful, very nice sour, good stuff
12.7 oz bottle. Clear brown with a bone haze. Nose is vanilla yoghurt, bubblegum and golden raisin. Slick medium body with lively carb. Taste is toffee, with green apple transitioning from sweet to tart. Notes of mild vinegar, sour cherry, leather and oak.
I enjoyed this beer. SOUR aroma, but not so much in the taste. The oak flavors really stands out after it warms. Thanks to whoever brought it to the bottle share.
Bottle brought by the rep to WWBA. pours light reddish brown with one finger head. nose of burnt brown sugar and cherries very appealing. tastes of brown sugar, apricots, cherry, cake, little tripel feeling to it. both sweet and tart.
One of the best wild ales I’ve ever had. The sweetness is there, but the tartness is there too. Dry finish, slick on the tongue, loved it.
37,5cl bottle. Shared by Mathieu87.
APPEARANCE: clear amber beer, little to no head.
NOSE: lactic, little sour, wood, flat like.
TASTE: sour, lactic, wood, little sweet.
38cl, new exclusive American brew Anno 2013, with wild yeast, thx to Mathieu87 for sharing!, complex sour brew, sour/woody and slightly fruity/vinous, balanced, cloudy, small head, good brew
Rcvd in trade. Reviewed from notes.
The appearance was a brown body with a one finger white head that dies within less than thirty seconds, minimal lacing.
The smell had a sour yeasty cherry-ness, slightly tart.
The taste was sour, tart and slightly bitter, dry tart cherry aftertaste, slightly sweet finish.
The palate was light, sessionable, ABV slightly felt. Carbonation seems on par.
Overall, Im glad I tried it, and I realize yes, this is a sour by style, but I say this stuff is just too sour and puckering. If I wanted my lips to pucker, maybe next time, I’ll put a vacuum cleaner on them - what’s the difference.
bottle pour..bottled 12.21.12..extremely active sounding offering..pours a medium copper like color with a bit of haze..carbonation is abundant with upward action and amazingly at same time appears to be a vortex of downward flowing particles..all of this together paints a unique picture..left an ever so slight white film ring head with a clear glaze to it..nose is complex with sour cherry..funk..oak..leather qualities..mouthfeel is quite nice and ever so smooth with a creamy consistency..cherries shine through with caramel undertones and burnt sugar....vanilla as well..sour puckering level is good but not super intense and overall it is evident that a lot of time and care was put into producing this unique offering...the years in the foudre seem to have added layers of flavor here that makes this a highly tasty treat for all the senses..a very impressive offering..very nice..cheers to 400th rating
375 ml bottle from audiovivid- thanks again, Eric! Bottled 12/21/2012. Pours a hazed orange color with a small beige head. Aroma of oak, brown sugar, apricot, leaves, grapes, and funk. Flavor of grapes, apple, brown sugar, oak, and sweet malts. Medium-bodied, with moderate carbonation and a mouthfeel that is both sweet and sour, but to a mellow degree. Interesting sour, but not as good as the others from this brewer.
Bottle shared by JulienHuxley. Hazy orange color, small white head. Aroma is lightly sour, applepeel from green apple. Taste is not nearly as sour as the aroma suggests. It actually tastes more like a Flemish red / brown. Medium body and carbonation. Decent, but not really my thing.