Expensive Allagash

My first quad, Allagash Four wasn't quite everything I wanted it to be. The idea of fermenting a beer four times is intriguing but I'm not sure I can tell the difference between it and just a strong, dark beer. The taste is very malty, with a hoppy finish but I want to say the beer wasn't old enough for it's own good. You get the date or raisin flavor but there was a bit of a metalic taste that I didn't enjoy. I wonder if that doesn't go away with age but I've never been in the habit of cellaring beers so I won't start now. I've read some reviews that say the beer is "hot" or tastes of alcohol but I can't say I agree. Maybe it's my newfound alcoholism or just burnt out taste buds as it drank a lot better than the 10% it's sporting. Four definitely has the alcohol, flavor and price tag to prove it went through the uber-fermentation process and someone who is more discerning may find it to their liking. For my money, I'm rocking Allagash's Tripel.

Being part of Allagash's Tribute Series, Hugh Malone Ale sports a pretty hefty price tag. At first taste, I did not like this beer at all. It was hoppy, with a bitter finish and the alcohol actually made me do that exhaling thing people do after they chug a carbonated drink. I thought I was going to have trouble drinking the entire 750ml but after the beer got a bit of air, everything changed. The hops never did fade but the smell of the beer changed to something really fruity and sweet; so much so that I couldn't help but smell the beer between gulps. I actually think the beer smelled better than it tasted, which probably isn't a good thing given the price. Again, I think this one might benefit from aging, but I'm not inclined. For the money, I'd rather buy a sixer of Blue Moon, a sixer of Guinness and combine them for whole lotta Black and Blue.