It's simple...we love these guys! The White, the Curieux, the Sixteen Counties, etc...they're all really solid beers. While they're definitely not for everyone, the fact that such mature beers are produced here in American (and in our little New England backyard) is AWESOME!
This year's host was a longtime employee and his passion for beer (and especially beers from Allagash) was apparent.
The place was hoppin'! It had been a couple years since we were here last and I guess the secret is out. All the tours for the day were booked and there had to be at least a couple hundred folks around the brewery either sampling or touring. It's awesome to see that level of interest.
As usual, the barrel room at the end of the tour was a big hit and a fun place to sample some great Allagash beer! We looked for a couple of barrels that were aging on our last tour but I think they had all been consumed!
The highlight of the visit was hanging out for a bit with Rob Todd, owner and founder of Allagash, and learning a bit about the early days of the brewery and the struggles to get American palates to adjust to a Belgian-style wheat beer. He's a pretty avid surfer and it was great to have a connection as several of us have (or do) live in So Cal and grew up surfing in Huntington Beach, San Onofre, Baja, etc.
