“I just love beer,” says Tod, who had his first beer-making experiences in Vermont with Otter Creek Brewing before moving to Maine and starting Allagash 12 years ago.
There’s much to love about Allagash, the only Belgian-style brewery in Portland. Tod, who went to school in Vermont and also spent two years in Colorado, planned to go to graduate school for geology. But he needed a job to pay the bills and ended up washing kegs for Otter Creek. “I fell in love with it immediately,” he says. “Well, I didn’t like washing kegs, but that was a must.”
The future in rocks was tossed away and, after a year at Otter Creek, Tod was ready to use his science skills in the art of brewing beer. He spent a year building his brewery off Riverside St. and brewing his first batch of product, which proved to be different from any other local beer offered.
“Belgian beers are experimental by nature and very few breweries in the country are focusing on them,” he says. But getting beer lovers to try products like Allagash White, which maintains its cloudy appearance from tank to bottle to glass, was a challenge. It looked different and tasted different than popular local microbrews. But in the long run, that difference has meant plenty of success for Allagash.
A taste of Belgium
Belgian beer picks up the beer culture of Germany and the wine culture of France. That’s why you’ll see plenty of wooden barrels around the Allagash storage area — the Curieux, Odyssey and Musette beers are aged in oak as fine wines might be.
“The yeast is the critical component,” says Tod, who mixes in spices and unmalted grains and fruits in his recipes to get the brews’ distinctive characters.
On the business end, Tod’s game plan may not be exactly entrepreneurial. Rather than release new beers each season or for special occasions, he’s just brewing to experiment like a scientist in a secret lab.
“That may be a mistake from a business standpoint,” he says, “but we’re not doing it to sell more beer or to do things at certain times of the year. We’re just trying to have fun.”
So far, that fun has produced Allagash White, Dubbel, Tripel, Grand Cru, Curieux and Hugh Malone, part of the tribute series which gives a portion of proceeds to local organizations. Next to hit the Maine market could be a Belgian stout, a style that currently doesn’t exist but could be produced by Allagash late this year.
Working toward the finish
The four main ingredients in beer are malt, water, hops and yeast. The additional ingredients — sugar, fruits, grains — give individual batches their distinctive tastes, but for Belgian-style brewing it’s the yeast that gives the beer its flair.
Each of Allagash’s bottled beers are bottle conditioned by adding a fresh dose of yeast and a measured amount of candy sugar just before bottling. The beers are then moved into a temperature controlled cellar, where the yeast will begin a new fermentation in the bottle. This naturally carbonates the beer and enhances the traditional Belgian character. The White sits for three weeks, the Tripel for three months.
“Some of our beers take over a year to make,” says Tod as he shows off the cold room, which is kept at 50?. Before getting to the cold room, bottles first head to the warm room at 70?to start the second fermenting.
The Curieux, the first in Allagash’s series of barrel aged beers released in 2004, is made by aging Tripel Ale in Jim Beam barrels for eight weeks. The beer is transformed in the barrels and picks up coconut and vanilla characteristics along with a hint of bourbon flavor.
As you might expect, this extra fermenting, added sugar and bourbon aging adds not only to the flavor but also to the alcohol content of Allagash’s menu of beers. That’s one reason why some come in a four-pack and/or 750 ml bottles. This isn’t the kind of beer to chug at the poker table; they’re the kind of beverages that should be savored with a nice meal and good friends or, as Tod likes to do, at an impromptu tasting with brewery visitors on an autumn afternoon.
“My biggest worry was maybe I wouldn’t like what we produce,” Tod says, “but it’s been 12 years and I still love it.”
The taste test
I’m not one for wild experimentation with my beer choices. I like what I like, which usually means Sam Adams Light, a local summer brew, Stella, or, in a weak moment, a Coors Light. Needless to say, I was less than thrilled when Allagash staffer Jessica Cass popped the top off a bottle of Dubbel and poured a stream of the dark brew into my plastic tasting glass.
Well, surprise, surprise. Instead of the heavy, bitter, gag-reaction mouthful I was expecting, I instead enjoyed a very drinkable, non-bitter beer with hints of chocolate and nuts. The 7% alcohol brew was dry at the finish and I could imagine drinking it with a meal, rather than standing at a bar. In fact, at www.allagash.com, you’re encouraged to pair the Dubbel with beef stews, cheeses, lamb and rich chocolate desserts. Try doing that with your Guinness.
Here’s my take on the rest of the Allagash beers tasted on a recent tour:
White: This is Allagash’s version of a Belgian wheat beer with a spicy hint of orange and coriander. It’s mild and light but you can definitely feel the carbonation. Better than Sam.
Tripel: A bit more harsh at the finish, this 9% alcohol brew has a bold color with hints of flavors identified as passion fruit and honey. It’s significantly darker than the white but doesn’t taste like your average dark beer.
Curieux: At 11% alcohol content, this brew could mean a quick end to the evening. Split a bottle with a date and enjoy the bourbon and coconut flavors that come from the aging barrel. It’s the Tripel extra-aged and slightly darker with a whole different taste.
Hugh Malone: This is a hoppy beer with a sweet citrusy finish. It’s dry but the most bitter of the beers tasted with an 8.5% alcohol content.
The Allagash Brewery Store is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Complimentary tours and tastings take place at 3 p.m. and last approximately 30 minutes.