Allagash

Hundred Thousand Barrels, Still Cozy

The name comes from the north: the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, ninety-odd miles of lakes and rivers running through Maine's remotest country, moose territory, canoe territory, the place you go to forget about things. The brewery, however, sits nowhere near it.

Rob Tod borrowed the name in 1995 and built the brewery in Portland, welding together a fifteen-barrel system in a warehouse and brewing one beer: a Belgian-style witbier called Allagash White. From that one-man start, it has grown into the largest brewery in Maine by volume, over a hundred thousand barrels a year, and one of the fifty biggest craft brewers in the country. That beer is now the most-awarded witbier in the world.

So you come for the White, and you should. Used to European witbeers, this felt much more creamy, softer without the tangy finish and tongue-tingling known from Germany and Belgium.

But the hazy IPA was the surprise of the visit. We came for the witbier but left talking about the IPA: bright, juicy, properly aromatic, and we can confirm that the brewery's reputation is not built on one beer alone.

The place is spacious, with large outdoor seating, and the air carries the smell of beer being made. That smell does the work of telling you where you are. There is no seating inside, though, so on a rainy day, everyone crams into the small space in front of the tap bar.

Food comes from a food truck built into an Airstream, Bite Into Maine, a well-known Maine outfit famous for lobster rolls, and it does the job. But you come here for the beer, not the plate.

An Allagash visit is a must, and though the White can be found everywhere around Maine, it felt good to try it right at the brewery. It closes early: the last bell was 18:45. But staying to the end has its own reward. The evening was just starting to settle as the brewery went to sleep, and watching a place wind down was an experience. The place looks built for crowds, yet somehow it keeps a cozy feel, at least in the evening. We were told to come during the day to see more action, and we did. Frankly, we preferred the evening charm.