Allagash Brewing: Tasting Room

Expecting quite the crowd given the mention of WFB alone. That said, this event is technically being held across the street and down the road a bit in their warehouse at 81 Industrial Way and not in their tasting room. Expect normal busy Saturday late summer crowds at the tasting room and a line to start forming down the street for the event early afternoon. No indication yet on the volume of WFB they have or what will be available for other on-premise pours or vintage bottles to-go... that will have an effect on how long you can expect to wait in line. Expect Allagash to post more dets' today or tomorrow.

 

Thank you! Appreciate that info.

 

100 bottles of Wild Friendship Blend to be poured per their Instagram story.

 

Here now, it's very chill and relaxed. Friendship blend lives up to expectations!

 

how much were WFB pours? i was supposed to go, but unfortunately at the last minute had to change plans. Also, what vintage bottles were for sale?

 

Event ended up relatively sparsely attended, at least for the first couple of hours. We left for dinner so don't know if more folks arrived.

WFB was $9 for six ounces, they originally gave one ticket per person to limit but then dropped the ticket requirement when it was clear they wouldn't be crowded. They also had 12 oz pours of white and farm to face for $6. Additionally there were free mini pies (berry and chocolate toffee), popcorn, fresh picked apples that were really good, and samples of Interlude and Two Lights each paired with two cheeses. The cheeses were great and samples seemed unlimited.

Bottles for sale were Belfius, Little Sal, Cuveé d’Industrial, Neddles, Midnight Brett, Hive 56
Coolship Resurgam 2017, and FV13 2018. They had issued numbers (we were 27 and 28 after arriving ten minutes before 4) but they ended up not really needing them. Bottles were $16 I think except resurgam which was 17.

I really love the way Allagash handles this stuff. They were prepared if a large crowd showed but adapted to the situation. It was nice they offered a nice mix of free and paid food and drink and games for kids.

I thought it interesting there wasn't a larger crowd as the breweries around were all hopping. We had to drive a fair bit down industrial to find parking, but everyone was elsewhere. I guess world class sours don't bring the crowds?

WFB was absolutely outstanding. It needed to warm up a bit after the pour but when it did the complex balance was amazing .

 

Big news. Allagash just tweeted: "The cat is out of the barrel: Coolship Resurgam is hitting our entire distro. This beer gets spontaneously fermented with wild yeast. We then age it for up to 3 years in oak barrels. The result is tart, complex, and completely unique. Bottles start shipping in November."

 

So I've always been under the impression that they brew all their Coolships in the coolship that's located just out back from the tasting room. It's a regular coolship as many have seen in pictures and in person (if you haven't seen it, next time you're in the tasting room, ask someone - it's pretty cool...!). But I've wondered for some time now given the amount of coolship beers Allagash is putting out how that one coolship can possibly provide that much beer, and I've finally come to conclude that they mush have several more stuck away somewhere in approximately the same place getting the same winds / bacteria / etc...does anyone know this to be a fact?

 

One coolship, with many batches brewed over the course of the cooler months.

 

Wow, thanks! Highly impressive! And with the confidence to put Resurgam out to their entire distro...they must have that process down like a well-oiled machine. I'm sure I've said it before but these guys continue to inspire my admiration and respect.

 

Here's an interesting article from a year ago: https://www.tastingtable.com/drinks/national/coolship-beer-brewing-craft-allagash

According to that they did 10 coolship's per year and produced "a few hundred barrels". Also consider that even with wide distribution you are talking about only a few bottles per store in some cases. Most beer stores I go to might have a handful of a specific Allagash beer. There's what around 150 bottles per barrel? Actually they've switched to smaller bottles in most cases so its more like double that. So by reducing bottle size and perhaps increasing the number of coolship batches it would seem they could put out a decent amount with a relatively small demand (though across a large footprint).

 

Totally agree. For me, Allagash is the standard for all other breweries. I rarely find fault with anything they do. So many styles, all well done. From releases, events, brewery experiences, their connection to Maine and beyond, the environment, and genuine care for their staff, they get it.

 

I saw this in an email a few weeks back and meant to post it in case you don't get their emails or read their blog: https://www.allagash.com/blog/coolship-leaves-home/

Some interesting info on their expansion of coolship beers. Specifically they mention that each coolship yields 20-21 barrels of beer.

 

Nice read, and watch, thanks!

 

Had Coolship Resurgam for $13 at the Hanover Coop. Seems cheaper than I remember it was at the brewery. Is that true?

 

I think so. I always recall that coolship beers, Resurgam, were $15 at releases and maybe bumped up a dollar or two over the years since. Resurgam is a steal anyways for its quality, but that’s an excellent buy at that price.

 

I think the wilds have been bumped up to $17 at the brewery but not sure if it's across the board or not.

 

Does anyone know if the Allagash patio is open currently and, if so, whether dogs are allowed? From the pictures online it looks like it is enclosed in the winter? Thank you!

 

We went this past November and the patio was indeed enclosed, but dogs were still very much allowed and we had a great time with our pooch. It was a very sturdy and seasonally permanent seeming enclosure so I'm assuming it's open all winter, but I don't know for sure. The patio definitely does feel a bit "limited' with the tent covering though, so if your dog is inclined to get antsy/barky while on the leash in close quarters with other dogs and people it's not ideal.

As I mentioned, we had a great time with our current mellow-ish hound dog, but our previous shepherd mix (fuck you cancer!) might have been a bit too high strung for the environment. If it's warm enough to leave the dog in the car in the event s/he doesn't dig the patio scene then I wouldn't give it a second thought.

Allaghash was the high point of our Portland beer experience so I would definitely recommend finding whatever means necessary to make the trip. Enjoy!