I have been drinking and written on beer in a professional manner since 2006. Each year, without fault, I wonder: What are my beers from Desert Island?
In this tropical scenario, I am blocked on an island with only three of my favorite beers. Two slots run between hop bombs, crisp blond beers and daring abbey beers. But a beer has stayed in my range for years: Alllagash White.
It was not easy for Alllagash to win his place. The alleys of beer today are the embarrassment of wealth which includes world -class craft options like Firestone Walker Pivo, St. Bernardus Abt 12 and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. The Sierra Nevada, for example, is the American pale alessntial which has been subtly modified to perfection from the first lot of the brewer Ken Grossman 1980. But depending on my mood, I could reach three Floyds Zombie Dust or Boat Beer Boat to scratch my hop .
In the Belgian style of Witbier, however, Allagash White is held above the competition. Other world class witbiers certainly exist. St. Bernardus makes a sublime option in Belgium, and the Nest beer of Hitachino is superb when it is in Japan, but the two must travel on the oceans to reach my glass, lose character along the way. Alllagash White, who is stirred in Maine, is more accessible to me and much fresher when I drink it.
Matt Allyn
Its greatness is supported by history. Since its beginnings in 1995, Allagash White has won 18 medals during the three largest beer competitions in the world: the Great American Beer Festival, the World Beer Cup and European Beer Star. When I contacted Alllagash to check this number, they made sure that no other wheat beer – in Belgian or not – had never won so many medals. I was not surprised.
Alllagash White checks many boxes. It’s clear and netfurant. He has enough bodies to let me know that I don’t drink Seltzer but not so much that I have the impression of drum a cookie. It is also one of the most complex beers widely available. At its base are sweet layers of oats, wheat and barley. Then, the natural spice profile of the Belgian style yeast mixes with an additional coriander and orange skin. While some breweries add too many spices – which have a taste as subtle as a kick at the tibia – the Allagash keeps it soft.
It is not easy to remove. The yeast of Belgian beer is particularly capricious and difficult for the dozens of brewers. If the pH of the water is a bit off, or more likely, the fermentation temperature is not fair, it will not produce cloves and light fruit aromas and flavors. At worst, the unhappy Belgian yeast offers a beer that smells of dressings and does not taste better.
In a market dominated by the IPAs, Alllagash White is not a particularly hopped choice for a beer of all time. Although it is done with a mixture of American and Czech hops, their plants based on plants are used to extend the character of green citrus. Fortunately, I have two other deserted islands to get my Lupulin solution.
Unfortunately, Alllagash White is not available everywhere, and for that, I apologize. Based in Portland, me, Alllagash distributes 22 states from one ocean to another. If he has not reached your beer alley, take a case during your next road trip, book a ticket to Portland to taste it at the source or find me on my desert island. I will share with pleasure.
Related: I tried hundreds of artisanal iPa. This cheap and easy to find beer is my go-to in a pinch