Friday Brew Review – Allagash White

It’s Friday! Wait…shit, Friday? Already? Damn. With time off from the teaching gig and a couple of holidays in the mix, I’ve been hanging out with my friends beer and relaxation whenever I damn well please. It’s been a good stretch, but on Monday I’ll have to return to The Man’s regularly scheduled programming.

So let’s try to enjoy ourselves for one final weekend. And what better way to start this off than a brew review? (Well, probably winning the lottery, hanging out with friends, watching a sick sporting event, et cetera).

Anyways, I went to the liquor store only to find they were closing in ten minutes — a solid four hours early in honor of New Year’s Day. I felt a bit rushed, not wanting to prevent the noble shopkeeper who helps me get lifted every week from getting home to her loving husband. So I threw caution to the wind and grabbed the first set of anti-inhibition potions that appeared even vaguely trustworthy.

The loot of the week — Allagash White.

Now to be honest, the reason I snatched up a four pack of this ale is because the label bragged about being born in Portland, Maine. “Hey, I take a ferry from Portland to Nova Scotia every summer…if they brew beer as well as they  transport folks to a foreign land, this should be great!”

But as I was driving home, I really started to think about it. “Hold on. Maine…Why is it that I only go there to catch a ferry somewhere else? Oh yeah…I forgot…They’re kind of like the hicks of the North!” But with the store closed, there was no going back to exchange the product of Maine’s finest for something more reliable.

Ok, so maybe I didn’t approach Allagash White from a fair perspective. Trying to be more unbiased, I headed to the brewery’s website. The ale, in their words:

Our interpretation of a traditional Belgian wheat beer, Allagash White is unique and truly refreshing. Brewed with a generous portion of wheat and our own special blend of spices, this beer is light and slightly cloudy in appearance, with a spicy aroma. Overall, it is a beer that is very drinkable and smooth any time of the year.

Cracking open a bottle for myself, I have to admit that the brewery’s self-assessment is generally accurate. In appearance the brew is a cloudy amber, a color that Crayola would dub “translucent-pumpkin” or some shit. The aroma is spicy, but I think this might actually work against the beverage; many of the notes detected through smell are all but absent in taste. Texturally, the beer is smooth and light, flowing easily into my gut. Summarily, Allagash White brings something to the table.

Unfortunately, I can’t say that the drink is satisfying in and of itself. Maybe I’ve just been drinking too many beers this last week, but I feel underwhelmed by Allagash White. It just doesn’t feel substantial. It is possible that using the beer as an accompaniment to some sort of food would increase its value (the brewery suggests a salad, and I can’t disagree).

Despite being conjured up by the subhumans of the twenty-third state to join the Union, Allagash White has fared decently. For its efforts: B