From what I hear, Allagash White is a widely beloved beer from New England. The Allagash Brewery is not more than 1 hour from where I grew up and yes, ascetically, Allagash White is a beautiful beer. I first heard about the Allagash brewery from my best friend. He told me about their extensive line of delicious beers, but that White is the only one he has ever seen on menus. This is what he described as their “mainstream beer for the masses” (aka the Flagship beer) and that it doesn’t hold a candle to how good Allagash’s other beers taste. He mentioned all of this while he was wearing the brewery t-shirt he purchased from his tour; it was hard to not take his word for it.
Allagash White pours a beautifully vibrant cloudy yellow with a fare amount of sediment. It’s aroma reeks of lemon and coriander and is quite pleasing. There was a thick foam settled on top that dissipated quickly leaving very little lacing. Things started to go downhill when I took my first sip and I tasted very little. It was a good beer, but nothing special. There was a mild lemon flavor and some spice notes, but there was nothing overtly complex and fulfilling about this beer; almost watery. As I continued to drink towards the bottom of the glass, I couldn’t help but think that I was drinking a Blue Moon without the need for an orange. Maybe that’s the appeal of it in that it’s a smooth and simple beer. I did order this beer after eating half of a BBQ chicken pizza, so its possible my taste buds were already too overwhelmed to appreciate the subtle flavors. Then again, maybe I’m just making excuses.
I’ve read that Allagash White needs to be drunk from a tulip glass so the taste hits the proper place on your tongue to really enhance the flavor. Even if this is the case, this experience leaves me expecting very little from a round 2. Allagash White can be found in 4 pack bottles for around $9 or on draft. If you enjoy other witbiers such as Hoegaarden, Blue Moon, or Sam Adams White, you may find that Allagash is a pleasing flavor to you as well. I’m still scratching my head over this one, but I will give it another chance if the opportunity presents itself in the future.
Adventures in Food 