Allagash celebrates 30 successful years.
By: Courtney Iseman

In 1995, Rob Tod set out to give American beer drinkers a new experience. And he succeeded with Allagash White.
This beer was (and still is) a satisfyingly bready wheat beer punched up with signature Belgian touches of spicy coriander and bright Curaçao orange peel. Tod hit it out of the park with Allagash White and the beer became the foundation of his new brewery.
Allagash Brewing Company turns 30 this year. Its staying power is in large part thanks to Allagash White – and a few significant Allagash core decisions – from a smart portfolio of signature beers, well-timed new products, and a commitment to sustainability as evidenced by the brewery’s B-Corp designation.
Even as other trends have come and gone, Allagash stands out among the thousands of breweries in the US with its unwavering dedication to Belgian styles and insistence on quality. That willingness to bet on its own unique path started on day one when Tod tasted a rare American-made Belgian witbier, Celis White, and decided to launch a business on the style.
“I knew I’d be spending a year building the brewery, and hoped I’d spend my career running it if things worked out, and I didn’t see the point of doing all that to give people something they could already get,” says Tod. “I didn’t want to limit myself to the beer styles that were popular at the time, which were largely pale ales, IPAs, English and German styles.” The original goal was simply to get witbier into American hands. “I never expected we’d be making over 100,000 barrels of beer a year as we are now,” he says.
Allagash White remained the brewery’s only beer for three years, at which point more Belgian styles joined the roster: Tripel in 1998; Curieux, a blend of fresh Tripel and Tripel that’s been bourbon barrel-aged, in 2002; and later, more additions like Dubbel.
“No one knew what witbier was,” Brett Willis, Senior Communication Specialist for Allagash, explains. “Then the craft beer boom took off, and so did Allagash.” The brewery grew to meet the increasing demand of beer-curious consumers. By the late aughts, Allagash was distributed to over 30 states. That footprint left the team feeling it was stretched too thin. In an unusual move, they decided to pull back and limit distribution based on where they wanted to be and knew Allagash beers were resonating, resisting the common urge which proved to be the downfall of many breweries during the 2010s’ craft boom: growth for the sake of growth. With a commitment to Belgian-inspired beer, restraint, and strategic growth, Allagash became a national treasure.
Obviously, that commitment paid off – Willis says White accounts for 85% of Allagash’s sales. But that hasn’t discouraged Tod, Allagash head brewer Jason Perkins, or the rest of the staff to innovate. The Maine brewery leaned even further into Belgian farmhouse brewing traditions with a coolship program and spontaneous ales often only available at the taproom, making a pilgrimage to Allagash a must for wild ale enthusiasts. More styles were created via collaboration. Anyone who works at the brewery is welcome to submit ideas for new beers; those chosen to be brewed are served on tap at the brewery, and those that do well join what Perkins calls a bench of beers they can return to. “Instead of looking at prevailing trends, we’re looking at what people are liking, what we’d be excited to brew, and where the connections are between those,” Willis explains.
Still anchored by White and Belgian styles, Allagash’s current repertoire includes barrel-aged and Belgian-inspired stouts and seasonals like a summer lemon and sea salt blonde ale and an autumn hoppy dark ale. The newest additions are its non-alcoholic sparkling hop water, Hazy IPA, and Allagash’s first year-round lager, made in response to consumers’ interest in the style – Willis says they want to meet people where they are with the flavors and experiences they’re looking for, while simultaneously redoubling their Allagash White focus.

Another way Allagash meets changing consumer preferences now is by canning more of its beers. While bottles remain an important package to communicate the exceptionality of something like a coolship ale, cans allow the brewery to reach more consumers for more occasions. Accordingly, Allagash will release a year-round variety pack of cans showcasing their versatility, and in addition to Hazy IPA and Lager, a canned Tripel will be included, creating a convenient format for that complex Belgian-beer style.
“Prior to 2020, it was a different landscape for beer,” Willis says. “750 ml cork-and-cage bottles were what people wanted; now they’re gone from shelves. The biggest advantage of [canned beer] is the ability for people to enjoy White and other beers in more places, for more occasions, whether it’s 12-packs, 6-packs, or 19.2 oz. cans for concerts or convenience store buys.”
In 2025, Allagash has much to celebrate and be proud of.
“For over 30 years, Allagash has had a commitment to excellence in all of their beers,” says Origlio Brand Manager Ethan Peiffer, who manages the brand for the Philadelphia market. “The beers continue to get better, with their commitment to quality and top-notch ingredients.” Willis says fans can stay tuned for announcements of events and brewery-only releases to celebrate the anniversary year, but one thing is certain: That commitment to excellence isn’t going anywhere. That, and we can all expect a continued reign of the beer that built Allagash.
“2025 is the year of Allagash White,” Tod says. “It’s more relevant than ever. It’s a profitable beer for our retail customers, and in a very cluttered world, it’s a place of comfort for consumers. We continue to see a ton of opportunity for Allagash White despite [today’s] headwinds… I can confidently say gone are the days of double-digit growth in this industry… but we’re confident we’ll continue to grow, and White is going to be a driver in that growth.”

The Allagash Ethos
In addition to their belief in witbier, the company’s B-Corp designation is tangible proof of Allagash’s commitment to social responsibility. In 2023, the company garnered 20 points more than its initial score to maintain this coveted designation, which Tod and Willis say stems from the brewery’s 25.9% increase in the use of Maine-grown grain, lower carbon footprint, and stimulation of the local economy; their reduction in water usage down to 3.1 gallons per gallon of beer, half the industry average; and their donation of $600,000 in 2023 to different community causes.

The World’s Most Award-Winning Wheat Beer While Allagash’s sales and fan base are proof enough of Allagash White’s successful formula, some of the world’s most respected awards have repeatedly recognized that quality. In 2023, Allagash crunched the numbers to confirm White is the world’s most award-winning wheat beer, with 18 medals from the Great American Beer Festival, World Beer Cup, and Euro Beer Star throughout its run. In 2024, it took home gold at GABF yet again.
Tod cites Allagash White’s “very sessionable, drinkable, unique” nature for its consistent crowd-pleasing, as well as its complexity. “I’ll still drink the beer 30 years later and get subtle flavor notes I hadn’t discovered before,” he says, adding White pairs well with a diverse range of food and is a place of comfort for drinkers, especially in a market increasingly crowded with unfamiliar options. “There isn’t a lot out there like it,” Tod says. “For a retailer focused on efficiency and profitability, Allagash White delivers that.”
About the Author: Courtney Iseman is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer covering craft beer and spirits for Food & Wine, Craft Beer & Brewing, Brewing Industry Guide, PUNCH, Inside Hook, VinePair, Thrillist, Wine Enthusiast, and more.