A remarkable pale ale, River Trip’s new look is inspired by the beauty seen while floating down the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in a canoe.
Picture this: a serene, winding river on a sunny day. Miles of pristine forest surrounding you on all sides. The birds are chirping in the distance and all your worries slip away with the gentle rushing of the cool water. This paradise is what inspired Allagash’s River Trip.
Since its debut in 2018, River Trip has become a beloved companion to backwoods, backyards and balconies alike. In 2019, VinePair named River Trip its #1 beer of the year and it was the only beer included on Gear Patrol’s list of top 100 best products of the year. And now, after several years of being enjoyed while rafting through rapids and relaxing in inflatable pools, River Trip is sporting a refreshed look.
The beer’s new duds, which rolled out in the spring of this year, keep the same calming color scheme, but now also display images of the beer’s inspiration story: a picturesque canoe trip down the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. The Allagash Wilderness Waterway in Northern Maine is one of America’s preeminent canoe trips and was established by the Maine Legislature in 1966 to preserve, protect and enhance the wilderness found in this unique area. It’s a magnificent 92-mile-long ribbon of lakes, ponds, rivers and streams winding through the heart of northern Maine’s vast commercial forests.
“All of our beer is influenced by the fruit, grain and bounty of Maine. And we think that a perfect representation of that wild, rustic, Maine-specific beauty is the Allagash Wilderness Waterway itself.”
– Brett Willis, Senior Communications Specialist for Allagash
“For years, we’ve donated to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway foundation,” says Brett Willis of Allagash. “Many of our employees love going to the waterway to explore, so we have a personal connection there.” In fact, Allagash Brewery is even named after the waterway. Founder Rob Tod thought the name and region captured the same spirit of Maine that he wanted his beer to represent. As the years have passed, Allagash’s connection to the waterway has grown. They’ve taken employee trips to the region and are constantly using more Maine-grown grain. Willis says, “All of our beer is influenced by the fruit, grain and bounty of Maine. And we think that a perfect representation of that wild, rustic, Maine-specific beauty is the Allagash Wilderness Waterway itself.”
The tranquil, blue scene of “the Allagash” (as locals call it), draws you in and is just as refreshing as the beer itself.
Also updated on River Trip’s packaging is a change in the beer’s style description, from a Belgianstyle sessionable ale to a pale ale. Removing the word Belgian from the packaging simplifies the style and gives River Trip a chance to speak to consumers with a style that’s more relatable. “We feel like [pale ale] is a really accurate description for the beer and it’s gonna allow more people to discover it,” says Allagash Marketing Director, Jeff Pillet-Shore. “It’s just a more familiar style; [it] doesn’t change the beer one bit.” Although the name and packaging have been updated, the recipe remains the same – a refreshing 4.8% pale ale with coriander that’s dry hopped for notes of citrus and melon.