Q & A with Rob Tod (Allagash)

Allagash has been around for 13 years and in that rather short time it has become quite renowned for its original Belgian-style beers. Rob Tod is the man behind Allagash and the brewery that is synonymous with great beer here in Maine. Rob was nice enough to take some time and answer some questions I had about how he got to where he is and where Allagash is headed.

Cheers Rob!

(RHP) You had your first job at a brewery washing kegs for Otter Creek in Middlebury, Vermont. What was it that kept you involved with the brewing industry after starting at the very bottom rung of the brewery ladder? You must have sensed something…

(RT) I stumbled into the job (the first job I could get when I moved into town), and fell in love with everything I saw at the brewery pretty quickly. I loved the mechanical end, the “art” end of recipe formulation of brewing, and of course drinking the craft beers! Did not take more than a week or so.

(RHP) The beers you produce are not your average brew, ferment, bottle, ship variety. What is the most important thing people should know when they first come across Allagash beers?

(RT) We try to do our own thing at Allagash… Brew Belgian Style beers true to the Belgian character/tradition, but with our own house character. I get asked quite often which beer we based the White on when we started… The answer is that we did not try to duplicate any beers. We have always tried to work within the style guidelines, but try to add a unique twist to each beer. Why try to brew a beer someone else is brewing? So I’d say the most important message I’d like to communicate is that when they try one of our beers it is going to be a unique experience…

(RHP) I recently had a bottle of your Allagash Black, the most recent Allagash release, and really, really enjoyed it. Is it true that the Black will become a year round beer? (Please say yes!)

(RT) Originally it was going to be a “one-off”, and maybe be repeated annually. But, we loved it so much we decided to try to make it year round. We’re at capacity now and having trouble keeping up, but we’ll try to brew the Black a few times this year.

(RHP) Allagash produces beers that can take quite a while to become retail ready, with lots of work going into each batch along with aging, what is the Allagash beer that you are most satisfied seeing leave the brewery for distribution?

(RT) I like them all for different reasons (hard to choose a favorite!), but I find myself most often drinking the White. Seems to work for a lot of occasions!

(RHP) Mainers might not know that Allagash has a pretty loyal following all over the country. How many states does Allagash distribute to and where have you found success that you might not have expected?

(RT) I believe 21 states now scattered around the country, but mostly focused in the East. California, Chicago, NC and DC have been nice surprises in how the market has taken to the White.

For more about Allagash Brewing Company go HERE!