Allagash Uncommon Crow
As mentioned in yesterday’s review of Ommegang’s Bigger and Bretter, I’m a pretty solid supporter of that brewery. If there were another whose profit margins have benefitted even more so from my attention, it would me Maine’s Allagash Brewing. It’s hard to find fault with anything that they have crafted over the years and their Uncommon Crow is another in a long line of successes.
This 7.1% ABV wild ale has a good bit of wheat and rye in its malt bill, as well as a blend of Perle, Glacier, and Simcoe hop varieties before fermentation with Brettanomyces. Uncommon Crow then receives an injection of local blackberries six months after its been sitting in stainless tanks. The result is a beer that is earthy and wild that carries a bit of sweetness and a healthy bite of sour tartness. It’s not a rustic beer as some of the company’s wild ales have been recently. The brew is a bit slick on the tongue as it fades slowly into a long lasting and drying finish.
Uncommon Crow is certainly not your typical wild brew. The combination of the earthy malt bill and grassy hops form a nice foundation for a measured wild tartness and welcome hint of blackberries. The beer goes down nicely though I personally would have liked a bit more crips ness as it glides over the tongue. Regardless, this one was excellent.