From Maine with Love: Allagash White

James Leavitt

Since leaving home for college, I’ve come to find myself in a unique minority: a Mainer. Yes, that is the preferred nomenclature for us folks from the great state of Maine. We’re few and far between, but if you look hard enough, you’re destined to come across one of us. I have few connections to my home state here at UChicago, but have come across a surprising one recently that is everywhere in this city.

Allagash White might have existed only in your periphery until reading this. A subtle tap handle that adorns many bars and restaurants across the city, it can easily go overlooked. Nonetheless, a unique backstory and incredible product have garnered this brew a cult following across the United States and beyond.

The story begins in 1995, when a pioneering Mainer decided to abandon the status quo and begin brewing Belgian witbier (Wheat Beer). At the time, a hazy, aromatic, and spiced beer was a far cry from the lagers that inundated the market (think Coors, Budweiser, Miller). Remember, this was before the advent of the bitter, super-hopped IPA, so many folks simply did not understand Allagash White. With craft breweries just beginning to carve out market share in the industry, it was a bold move to put out a beer brewed with Curaçao orange peel and coriander. But as Field of Dreams has advised us for decades, if you brew it, they will come, and come they did.

Following its initially mild reception, Allagash gained a cult following in the greater Portland area and went on to win gold in the 1998 World Beer Cup. Since then, Rob Tod multiplied the Allagash team many times over and continued to roll in the accolades. He even won a James Beard award in 2019 for “Outstanding Wine, Beer or Spirits Professional”.

For this review, I sojourned to the famed Jimmy’s (née Woodlawn Tap) for a pint. This being 11 am on a Wednesday, my palette was properly prepared and taste buds conditioned for a delicious Allagash White. Upon first glance, the brew pleasantly strikes the eyes as it refracts new light into the dim ambience of this establishment. The first sip delivers a punchy freshness which efficiently cuts through the greasy pub food it so often accompanies. Although it lacks the clarity of a lager, it hardly ventures into the territory of hoppy or bitter, and therein lies the true essence of what makes this such a remarkable beer.

Belgian white beer is hardly a nouveau product, with some establishing significance in Europe as early as the 16th century. In the US, however, there is a distinctive lack of variety when it comes to witbier, and Blue Moon (owned by Molson Coors) is currently the only other nationally-distributed domestic witbier. The name derives from the signature wheat proteins and yeast suspended in it, which also contribute to its hazy appearance. In addition to hops, witbiers also incorporate spices and citrus, giving them their signature freshness that so many crave.

As I sit at the otherwise deserted Jimmy’s bar, indulging in a lunchtime beer, I contemplate the significance of Allagash White in my life here in Chicago. Much like me, Allagash is just a kid from Maine who finds itself in a bar in Chicago at 11:00 am on a Wednesday. Though the brewery now occupies the limelight of a national stage, it continues to stay true to its roots. Plastered across its website, and on a sign at Armitage’s Tripoli Tap, is its signature slogan: “From Maine with Love.” And loved, I truly feel.