I’ll admit I’m more than a bit excited to be sampling today’s beer…and not just because of how much I always enjoy sampling from this brewery, but also because of why the beer is really significant.Today we’ll be test-driving Belfius from Allagash Brewing in Portland, ME and not only is this a really good beer, but it is significant because it is the first Coolship beer to be released in bottles outside of the Allagash tasting room. If you’re not familiar, a Coolship is a large open shallow vat that the brewery uses to follow the Belgian tradition of open spontaneous fermentation. The hot wort is poured into an open vat, and the windows are open to allow the beer to cool, but also to allow wild “microbiota from the air to inoculate the beer.” The beer is then transferred into French oak barrels formerly used for wine and allowed to age for 1-3 years.
Belfius is actually a blend of a saison and the Coolship beer and the resulting beer becomes a lot more than just the sum of it’s parts. Belfius pours a bright golden color with aromas of stone fruit, some herbal notes and a touch of crisp apple. Of course there is a bit of funk in the nose that we really liked, and that lead us nicely into the complex and pleasant tart flavors that lead the way. We found a lot of fresh apple flavors in Belfius with a fair amount of sour dark fruit flavors that followed. The finish is crisp refreshing and funky and we really liked how the flavor combinations lingered on and toyed with our tongues. The balance is really nice and we found all sorts of tart and bright flavors that complimented the barnyard funk, especially as the beer warmed.
Belfius has a lot going on so be sure to pick up more than one 375ml bottle. We honestly had so much fun sipping this beer and talking about the flavor complexity, that it was gone before we knew it. The beer hits 6.5%-AbV and we found it really tart, funky and drinkable so get out there and try it for yourself…and when you do, be sure to let us know what YOU think.
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