Allagash Brewing Company

Allagash Brewing Company
Company typePrivate
IndustryAlcoholic beverage
Founded1995
FounderRob Tod
Headquarters
Portland, Maine
,
United States
Area served
United States
Key people
Rob Tod
ProductsBeer
Production output
94,743 barrels/year (2017)[1]
OwnerRob Tod
Websitewww.allagash.com
Allagash Barrel Aging Room
Brewing Allagash beer
This is the welcome sign to the Allagash Brewery in Portland Maine. The sign is made of wood and has "Allagash Brewing Company. Retails, Tours, and Tastings. Business Offices," engraved onto it. The photo was taken in 2017 and it is possible that the exterior has since changed.
Welcome sign

Allagash Brewing Company is a brewery in Portland, Maine.[2][3] The brewery specializes in Belgian style beers.[3]

History[edit]

Allagash Brewing Company was founded in 1995 by Rob Tod in Portland, Maine.

Tod observed that while both German and British style beers were available throughout the United States, Belgian-style beers were difficult to find. He established a small, 15-barrel brewery, and began brewing a beer modeled after a Belgian Wit beer, named Allagash White.[4] The beer gets its flavor from the use of wheat in addition to barley, as well as the addition of Curaçao orange peel, coriander, and other spices.[5]

The brewery achieved certified B Corporation status in 2019 and qualified again in 2022 with a 20-point increase.[6]

As of February 2024, Allagash White is the most-awarded witbier in the world, with multiple wins from the Great American Beer Festival, the World Beer Cup, the Brussels Beer Challenge, and the European Beer Star awards, while Allagash Tripel has won the most gold medals combined in competition at the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup.

The brewery has won the Great American Beer Festival's award for Brewery of the Year in its category twice, in 2021 and 2023.[7] In 2019, founder Rob Tod was the recipient of the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Wine, Beer, or Spirits Professional.[8]

Many of the beers Allagash produces are bottle conditioned. The technique calls for two fermentations, the first in the fermenting tanks and the second in the bottle itself (a process known as the methode champenoise). Before the beer is bottled, a small amount of yeast and sugar is added and a second fermentation occurs. It is this second fermentation which produces a notable increase in carbonation, a softer feel and remarkable complexity. This method of bottle conditioning leaves a small amount of yeast in the bottle.

A coolship is used to cool the wort for some of the beers.[9] In 2007, Allagash was the first brewery in the US to build a traditional coolship for spontaneous fermentation by wild yeasts.[3]

Brands[edit]

Today, Allagash has eight year-round beers in its portfolio, seven yearly releases, and numerous one-offs and keg-only releases.[10]

Year-Round Beers[edit]

  • White: Belgian-style witbier[3]
  • Tripel: Belgian-style Tripel
  • Curieux: Belgian Tripel aged in bourbon barrels for seven weeks[3]
  • Hop Reach IPA: India Pale Ale
  • North Sky: Belgian-style stout
  • Gatherwell: Belgian-style bourbon barrel-aged stout
  • Sixteen Counties: golden ale brewed with all Maine-grown grains including: Maine Malt House 2-row Malted Barley from Buck Farms, Blue Ox Malthouse 2-row Malted Barley, raw wheat from Maine Grains, and oats from Aurora Mills & Farm.
  • House Beer: patersbier-style ale, only available at their tasting room in Portland, Maine.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Redding, Jill (ed.). "Top 50 Domestic Craft Breweries". The New Brewer. 35 (3): 133.
  2. ^ "Allagash continues brewing up success". wcsh6.com. Archived from the original on 12 April 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d e Hampson, Tim (2008). The Beer Book. London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 16. ISBN 978-1405333016.
  4. ^ Our Story, Allagash Brewing Company
  5. ^ "Allagash Brewing Company – Beer – White". allagash.com. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  6. ^ Willis, Brett (19 July 2023). "Our New B Corp Score: 104.0". Allagash Brewing Company. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Allagash named brewer of the year at Great American Beer Festival". Press Herald. 26 September 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  8. ^ "JBF Award Winner Rob Tod | James Beard Foundation". www.jamesbeard.org. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  9. ^ Roberts, James. "The coolship is landing". Anchorage Press. Archived from the original on 26 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  10. ^ "Beer – New".

External links[edit]

43°42′11″N 70°19′04″W / 43.7031°N 70.3178°W / 43.7031; -70.3178

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