Jump forward more than a few years and barrel-aged beers are everywhere (in a good way), and thankfully Allagash has still remained prominent on my beer “map” with today’s sampling.
We first brought you a peek at this beer back in Dec 2016, and while I’m a huge fan of Belgian-style stouts in general, I didn’t get a chance to sample this beer. Thankfully the beer was so popular, Allagash decided to bring it back to their full distribution footprint in 2018…and of course I’m talking about Map 40.
If you’re not familiar, Map 40 is a Belgian-style stout that is blended with cold-brewed coffee from Portland, Oregon’s Speckled Ax. The name of the beer comes from the name of the wood-roasted coffee used in the beer, “Map 40 Mokha Java.” which is also “a nod to one of the roaster’s favorite parts of Maine: the Forks in Somerset county.”
The beer pours a deep dark chocolate color with aromas that lead with coffee and finish with a roasty dark fruit aromas. If you love a chocolate-influenced coffee, then the aromas and flavors of Map 40 will be right up your alley. We found chocolate, coffee, rich dark fruits and even an earthy nutty flavor we really grew very attached to in the beer. The balance of sweet chocolate and bitter coffee is pleasant and the level of roasty flavors was just right for me. All in all Map 40 is a really good Belgian-style stout, but the coffee really pushes it up another level.
Map 40 was just released on 1/20 in 4-packs of 12oz bottles and at 7.5%-AbV I think you’ll find it as drinkable and enjoyable as we did. Be sure to get out there and try Allagash Map 40, and when you do, be sure to let us know what YOU think.
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