Help wanted: Allagash Brewery

Family vacation starts tomorrow. Spending a week in Casco, Maine. Allagash is about a 30 minute drive away and has tours/tastings every weekday 3x a day. Probably not going to be able taste everything (more so since I’ll be driving). What are the definite buys? Here’s the list:

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TIA.

The only Allagash I’ve ever had, the “Curieux”, is awesome. It’s very unlike the beers I normally drink, but it is worth checking out. I keep telling myself that I’m going to buy another one so I can put some age on it, but for whatever reason I have yet to do that.

I look forward to a report. I see their lineup at Hi-Times but I do not believe I’ve ever tasted one.

White
Tripel
Curieux

Didn’t like the dubbel, but I rarely like dubbels. Good brewery, taste through as many as you can - I bet there are some good ones!

A lot of those may not be available at any one time. Would taste anything they have that is of limited availability, and what seems most appealing to you from their core list. Their reserve stuff is a bit pricey, even on the east coast, but quality is generally exceptional. One of the better Belgian-centric American breweries out there, and they have been doing it for about a decade now.

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These were the beers we tasted in the store. The high heat and humidity in New England is making me a fan of their White.

Thanks guys.

Matthew, you may be right. I’ll see what they actually have available first.

Peter, sounds like the White & Odyssey are definite must buys. Sweet potato in my cerveza? No thanks!

They’re not going to have nearly all of those available for tasting or for sale. There’s often a better selection of their beers at RSVP and/or Downeast Beverage in Portland than there is at the brewery. I think the White is (dare I say it?) a bit pedestrian compared to all of their other beers. I like the dubbel and the tripel, but the tripel does drink a lot better with a couple years’ bottle age (still good on release if you tend to like the style). Grand Cru is too spiced for my taste. The black is a good, not too heavy Belgian style (obviously) stout. I like it. The Confluence is one of their newer beers that I think is tremendous; it’s probably my favorite: funky and complex with citrus notes and a little sour. I would try any of the more limited beers you can find as those would be the most difficult to get in NY. If you can, bring some tripel home and lay it down for 1-2 years. I also like the dubel about a year out, though the brewmaster seems to think it doesn’t age as well (so I’ve been told). Have fun. I think this is one of the best US breweries. If you’ve got time for dinner in Portland, pm me and I’ll suggest some restaurants.

Doug,

Appreciate the info. I’m on Sebago Lake (Migis Lodge…know it?). Won’t stick around Portland for meals unfortunately; the resort here is meals-inclusive, so they’re already pre-paid for. Not the most flexible of vacations, but I have no say in the matter.

As for availability & pricing at the brewery itself, you might have touched a very good point. Another place I wanted to hit was Smuttynose in Portsmouth. That is until I saw that the brewery prices were higher than what my local grocer sells their beers for. I did a quick search on http://www.beermenus.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and found these Allagash bottles available at my grocer (less than a mile from me).
Needless to say, if the prices ex-brewery aren’t better, no point in buying anything less than a Limited Release beer.

Thanks again.

That’s a better selection of the higher end stuff than you’ll probably find at the brewery, and the prices are similar. If you see anything other than those, I’d jump on it, but otherwise enjoy the tour and the tasting. They don’t usually open up too much of the higher end stuff for the tasting. I have talked them into it, but I also bought a fair amount of beer afterwards. If you do buy their beers, at the brewery or at home, you might want to know that all of the 750s are bottle conditioned and none of the 12oz are.

I’m sure the food at Migis is excellent.

Get the Poutine at Duck Fat. http://www.duckfat.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hey guys. Connection is slow as moles’ asses up here, but just wanted to report back quickly.

Allagash ROCKS!!! We started out with a tasting of the White, Dubbel, Trippel & Victor (ale brewed with Cab Franc grapes). All the beers were incredibly flavorful and complex with the Victor being the standout of the four. The tour was awesome as well. We were shown the cold storage room where the oak barrels with Curieux, Odyssey and some “experiments” are being kept. Among the experiments are Geuzes and some ales that were put into old French oak barriques since late 08!

Prices were VERY good (Curieux was about $2 less than in NY and tax is only 5%) so I ended up leaving with a 4 pack (12oz) of Whites (2 down already), 2 (12 oz) Dubbels, 2 (12 oz) Trippels, 1 Curieux, 1 Victor & 1 Four (4 malts, 4 hops, 4 fermentations…sounded interesting).

I recommend anyone in the area not to miss this visit. I will definitely be going back next year.

Oh yeah, they also offer the Trippel in 3.0L ($80) and 6.0L ($160 if I’m not mistaken).

I’m glad to see you enjoyed the tour and the beers. I would recommend trying others, but it doesn’t sound like I need to. Victor is the only one you tried that is more limited, so it’s worth seeking out more of those types (seriously, the Confluence is quite interesting and well worth a try if you like sour/funky stuff).