Scaldis Amber

Name: Scaldis Amber (A.K.A. Bush Ambree')
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Owner: Brasserie Dubuisson Frères sprl
Courtesy of: Insop Song

BeerAdvocate Rating: 87 (Very Good)
RateBeer Rating: 90,81
ABV: 12%

Around about the time America was about to be a place, almost exactly nothing was really going on in Belgium.  A farmer named Joseph Leroy decided his farm would be a much better place if he made some beer to keep the workers and the residents of a little town called Pipax happy.  Brasserie Bubuisson is the oldest brewery in Wallonia, but I'm not sure how much of a distinction that is.  Time marched on and the brewery is now run by the Dubuisson Brothers, and we find it today producing several brews and some franken-fruit-flavored atrocities.

The beer we're having today is an amber-colored Strong Ale, which is what they're known for.  Here in the States it's sold as Scaldis amber, but in Europe you'll find it called "Bush."  Since that name doesn't exactly mean "high quality" in America, it's no surprise they re-brand it here.

Serving:
Heartily poured from a 330ml brown bottle into my favorite Steady-Temp double-wall beer glass.  The glass giggled a bit.

Appearance:
This ale pours a deep, cloudy amber with virtually no head, no matter how hard you throw it into the glass.  It's so cloudy that you absolutely cannot see anything at all through it... not even light.  Lacing is "barely there," which is really surprising considering the full-body one would expect of a Strong Ale.

Smell:
You're immediately greeted by a heady mix of orange peel, peach, banana and lightly roasted malt.  Ale yeast comes flying through, lending a bready after aroma.  There's the slightest tinge of clean alcohol, but it's certainly not overpowering.

Taste:
The brew comes on strong with the taste of citrus and white wine.  Through the middle there's very juicy mixed fruit, like a punch almost.  You're left with a prominent alcohol aftertaste, once again reminiscent of white wine cooler.

Mouthfeel:
The body full and satisfying, you're never really sure if you're drinking a beverage or chewing bread.  The tail is slick and pleasant; you definitely know you've been drinking.

Overall:
Taken in totality, I find this one to be just a little better than okay.  It's quite good and I would happily drink it, but it's not one I would drive all over town looking for.  If you see it while you're out and about, give it a shot.

Allagash Tripel Reserve Ale

Name: Allagash Tripel Reserve Ale
Style: Belgian-Syle Tripel Ale
Owner: Independent
Courtesy of: Insop Song

BeerAdvocate Rating: 92 (Outstanding)
RateBeer Rating: 99,100
ABV: 9%

Back in the dark ages of 1995, a hipster named Rob Tod (yes, with one "D" - his ancestors were minimalists, evidently) heard that all of the cool kids were moving to the Pacific Northwest to make beer.  So, not to be outdone, he jumped in his Jetta and told his GPS to take him to Portland.  GPS technology being what it was in 1995, he ended up in Portland, Maine at which time he asked a grizzled old man that looked suspiciously like Phil Hartman how to get to the other Portland.  The codger replied: "You cahn't get theah from heah."

So, as hipsters aren't really known for their adventurism, he figured one Portland was as good as any other Portland, and decided to stay and make beer right there.  At the time, German- and British-style beers were fairly popular in the U.S., and being a hipster he could have none of that, he decided to brew beer like they do in a country no one had ever heard of before: Belgium.  For you Americans that really aren't up on European geography, that's like saying "I'm going to make it like they do in Maryland."

He started off with a Belgian White, which later would become popular in the U.S.  because Coors started a fake craft brewery called "Blue Moon" and started making quite possibly the worst Belgian White in the world.  Fortunately for them, we Americans really aren't particularly known for our taste in beer, so of course it became wildly popular.  But I digress... on to the review:

Serving:
Delicately poured from a dark huge bottle capped with a champagne-style cork into my trusty Steady-Temp double-wall beer glass.  The glass screamed with girlish delight.

Appearance:
This ale pours cloudy amber with one finger of creamy white head that slowly regresses to a wispy covering over the majority of the glass.  Lacing is present but not prominent, which really belies the body of the beer described below.

Smell:
The nose is a symphony of ale-related aromas - exactly where you'd want it to be.  The banana typical of the style is there, but it's not overpowering as it is in many ales, like Leffe for instance.  Fresh malt and citrus follow, and the smell does not really present the fact that this is a Tripel, with a stiff ABV of 9%.  There is no heavy alcohol smell to it; I'm quite surprised.

Taste:
Fully flavored sweet malts with the same citrus that was on the nose, with just enough hops to keep it from tasting like syrup.  Somewhere in the middle there's a flash of grapefruit soda, so much so that it reminds me of drinking "Bubble Up" as a child.  The alcohol is evident for a second in the tail, just enough to let you know that you're drinking a man's beer.

Mouthfeel:
The body is remarkably full and substantial, it's slick on the tongue and in the mouth, and lingers... in a good way.  It is constantly reminding you that it means fucking business here and that you shouldn't be fucking around.

Overall:
This is an excellent introduction to the Belgian style of making Ale.  I'd be tempted to recommend this as an introduction to the style, but I wouldn't want to ruin you for all of the substandard ones out there.  It's a pleasure to drink, and even for a lager guy like me, I'll have no problem finishing the ginormous bottle it comes in.  An excellent quaff, for sure.