Allagash Brewing Company
Encyclopedia
Allagash Brewing Company is an American brewery
located in Portland, Maine
.
Founded in 1994 by Rob Tod, Allagash sold its first batch of beer in the summer of 1995. Tod had been working in breweries around the U.S. and recognized a void in the craft brewing movement. While both German and British styles had become prevalent throughout the country, Belgian-style beers
were very difficult to find. He established a small 15 barrel brewery initially and began brewing Allagash White, modeled after Belgian Wit beer. This style of beer gets its unique flavor from the use of wheat
in place of barley
as well as the addition of Curaçao
orange peel, coriander
and other spices.
All of the beers Allagash produces are bottle conditioned. The technique calls for two fermentation
s, 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, creating what is known as a "living" beer.
Allagash is currently distributed in over 20 states in the US. Though it no longer brews the Summer Ale it has expanded its portfolio to include a barrel aged series of beers and a tribute series of beers. The barrel aged beers include: Curieux, Odyssey and Musette. Allagash's tribute series of beers, through which they donate $1 from each bottle of beer sold to a Maine organization, includes: Victor, Victoria, Hugh Malone and Fluxus. Allagash also has a beer, Interlude, that is brewed with their own proprietary yeast strain.
CLASSIC ALLAGASH
BARREL-AGED BEERS
TRIBUTE SERIES
SERIE D' ORIGINE
COLLABORATION
COOLSHIP SERIES -A coolship is a large shallow pan used to cool wort overnight using outside air temperature. During the cooling process, naturally occurring yeast from the air inoculates the wort. In the morning, the cooled wort is transferred into barrels where the fermentation process begins.
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
located in Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
.
Founded in 1994 by Rob Tod, Allagash sold its first batch of beer in the summer of 1995. Tod had been working in breweries around the U.S. and recognized a void in the craft brewing movement. While both German and British styles had become prevalent throughout the country, Belgian-style beers
Belgian beer
Beer in Belgium varies from pale lager to lambic beer and Flemish red. There are approximately 178 breweries in the country, ranging from international giants to microbreweries..-History:...
were very difficult to find. He established a small 15 barrel brewery initially and began brewing Allagash White, modeled after Belgian Wit beer. This style of beer gets its unique flavor from the use of wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
in place of barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
as well as the addition of Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
orange peel, coriander
Coriander
Coriander is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Coriander is native to southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the...
and other spices.
All of the beers Allagash produces are bottle conditioned. The technique calls for two fermentation
Fermentation (food)
Fermentation in food processing typically is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acids using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination thereof, under anaerobic conditions. Fermentation in simple terms is the chemical conversion of sugars into ethanol...
s, the first in the fermenting tanks and the second in the bottle itself (a process known as the methode champenoise
Sparkling wine production
There are four main methods of sparkling wine production. The first is simple injection of carbon dioxide , the process used in soft drinks, but this produces big bubbles that dissipate quickly in the glass. The second is the Metodo Italiano – Charmat process, in which the wine undergoes a...
).
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
Yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
in the bottle, creating what is known as a "living" beer.
Allagash is currently distributed in over 20 states in the US. Though it no longer brews the Summer Ale it has expanded its portfolio to include a barrel aged series of beers and a tribute series of beers. The barrel aged beers include: Curieux, Odyssey and Musette. Allagash's tribute series of beers, through which they donate $1 from each bottle of beer sold to a Maine organization, includes: Victor, Victoria, Hugh Malone and Fluxus. Allagash also has a beer, Interlude, that is brewed with their own proprietary yeast strain.
CLASSIC ALLAGASH
- Allagash White (5.0% ABVAlcohol by volumeAlcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide....
) An interpretation of the Belgian Witbier style. Spiced with Curaçao orange peel and coriander.
- Allagash Dubbel (7.0% ABV) An interpretation of the Belgian Abbey Dubbel style. A dark beer with flavors of chocolate and nut, ending in a dry finish.
- Allagash Tripel (9.0% ABV) An interpretation of the Belgian Abbey Tripel style. A golden beer with herbal and passion fruit aroma and a soothing finish.
- Allagash Grand Cru (7.2% ABV) A winter seasonal offering. Dark gold in color with a malty aroma and taste accented by fruity and spicy notes.
- Allagash Four (10.0% ABV) Advertised as being brewed with four malts, four hops, four sugars, four yeasts, and fermented four times.
- Allagash Black (7.5% ABV) A strong stoutStoutStout is a dark beer made using roasted malt or barley, hops, water and yeast. Stouts were traditionally the generic term for the strongest or stoutest porters, typically 7% or 8%, produced by a brewery....
with a Belgian twist given by the addition of dark 'candi sugar' and the use of a Belgian yeast strain. Part of the recent and growing 'Belgian Stout' style.
BARREL-AGED BEERS
- Allagash Curieux (11.0% ABV) Allagash Tripel aged in Jim BeamJim BeamJim Beam is a brand of bourbon whiskey produced in Clermont, Kentucky. It is currently one of the best selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795 , seven generations of the Beam family have been involved in whiskey production for the company that produces the brand, which was given the name...
barrels for 8 weeks.
- Allagash Musette A Belgian-style Scotch Ale prepared by partially caramelizing the wort in the kettle.
- Allagash Odyssey (10.4% ABV) A dark ale brewed with wheat and matured in oak barrels. Similar to the Belgian Quadrupel style of strong dark ale, but with the unique addition of wheat.
TRIBUTE SERIES
- Allagash Victor Brewed with red Chancellor grapes
- Allagash Victoria Brewed with Chardonnay grapes
- Allagash Hugh Malone (8.5% ABV) A golden ale with significant hop flavor and aroma, based on the notion of combining the American IPA style with Belgian ale characteristics. The name is a pun on the chemical compound humuloneHumuloneHumulone is a bitter-tasting chemical compound found in the resin of mature hops . Humulone is a prevalent member of the class of compounds known as alpha acids, which collectively give beer its characteristic bitter flavor.-Chemistry:In terms of structure, humulone is a phloroglucinol derivative...
, a significant flavoring element in hops.
SERIE D' ORIGINE
- Allagash Interlude
- Allagash Confluence
COLLABORATION
- Les Deux Brasseurs (French, "The Two Brewers") A collaboration between Jason Perkins of Allagash and Dirk Naudts of De Proeuf Brouwerij of Belgium, this Golden Ale is brewed with two strains of BrettanomycesBrettanomycesBrettanomyces is a non-spore forming genus of yeast in the family Saccharomycetaceae, and is often colloquially referred to as "Brett". The genus name Dekkera is used interchangeably with Brettanomyces, as it describes the teleomorph or spore forming form of the yeast. The cellular morphology of...
, one of which is a proprietary strain of Allagash discovered and isolated at the brewery.
COOLSHIP SERIES -A coolship is a large shallow pan used to cool wort overnight using outside air temperature. During the cooling process, naturally occurring yeast from the air inoculates the wort. In the morning, the cooled wort is transferred into barrels where the fermentation process begins.
- Red Ale aged in oak barrels with raspberries- one time limited release of 400 bottles- in house release only. Released on 8/30/11
External links
- Official website
- "Beer and wood buddy up" by Julie Johnson Bradford Apr 13, 2007 News & Observer
- "Herbs, berries spice up new spring brews" by William Brand insidebayarea.com 28 March 2007