Allagash Curieux
No ratings yet — be the first to log it.
Tasting Notes
Curieux opens with aromas of vanilla, oak, and ripe stone fruit layered over the yeasty, slightly spicy backbone you'd expect from a Belgian tripel. On the palate, bourbon-soaked wood integrates with notes of coconut, banana, and a warming alcohol presence that never turns hot. The body is full but not heavy, with carbonation that keeps things lively. The finish is long and dry, with lingering vanilla and a faint tannic edge from the barrel.
About the Brewery
Allagash is based in Portland, Maine, and has been brewing since 1995 with a focus almost entirely on Belgian-inspired ales. They built their reputation on Allagash White, a witbier that remains one of the most recognized Belgian-style beers made in the United States. Over the years they've developed a serious barrel-aging and mixed-fermentation program, and Curieux — their bourbon barrel-aged tripel — was one of the earlier American craft examples of barrel-aging a Belgian-style beer at scale.
Food Pairings
Aged Gruyère or Comté works well here because the nuttiness in the cheese echoes the oak and vanilla from the barrel. Roast pork tenderloin with fruit-forward accompaniments — apple, pear, or peach — mirrors the stone fruit notes in the beer without competing with them. Rich, buttery lobster bisque holds up to the beer's body and is a natural match given Allagash's New England roots. A simple crème brûlée at the end of a meal aligns cleanly with the vanilla and caramel notes the bourbon barrel contributes.
Style Guide
Belgian tripels are strong golden ales originating from Belgian abbey brewing tradition, with Westmalle's tripel widely credited as the defining modern template. They typically land between 8% and 10% ABV, though Curieux pushes past that ceiling. The style is characterized by fruity yeast esters, spicy phenols, a dry finish despite the strength, and a deceptively light body relative to the alcohol level. Where a dubbel leans into dark fruit and malt, a tripel stays pale, yeast-forward, and assertively dry, with the fermentation character doing most of the heavy lifting.