Allagash Coolship Red

I’m finally finishing up articles related to my trip to Maine, which is now over a month ago. As part of the trip my group registered for a tour of the beautiful Allagash brewery on Industrial Way. While I’ve visited the brewery many times I had never done the tour, and I highly recommend it, there is a lot to learn and many parts to the facility. On the tour I learned that Allagash is discontinuing their flagship Dubbel and that any employee could propose a beer to brew on the pilot system. This led me to suggest a beer to the tour guide, send Dubbel out in style by brewing a final batch and aging it in port barrels. I’ve always liked the idea of mixing dark Abbey styles with wine/port/cognac, and I know I would buy a beer with that combination in a second. I don’t really expect them to brew the beer, but it would be really cool if they did!

Coincidentally, the day that I was visiting the brewery was also a bottle release day, in this case they were releasing Coolship Red. This beer is part of Allagash’s wild fermented Coolship series, which are brewed in the tradition of Belgian lambics. After the standard boil the wort (unfermented beer) is added to the Coolship, an open fermenter, and wild microbes from the environment ferment the beer while it ages in barrels for an extended period of time. After the aging process is complete the barrels are blended and then bottled. I’ve always been interested in this process, and I was really excited to try one of these beers, especially the Coolship Red which is aged with raspberries (my all time favorite fruit). Allagash Coolship Red is available on a limited basis in 375 mL bottles.

Allagash Coolship RedAllagash Coolship Red pours deep pink-red with a small white head. The aroma is fruity and funky, lots of scents from the fermentation and barrel aging process. The wild yeast takes center stage in the flavor too, solidly tart with notes of pear, sour apple and barnyard. The raspberries complement this flavor, you get plenty of the fruit without overpowering the flavors imparted by the microbes. Coolship Red is light and easy to drink, not too boozy at 6.2% ABV. The finish has some acidity along with lingering fruit flavor. This is a really good beer, my taste for sour beers is a little slow in developing but this is complex and delicious. I am glad that I bought multiple bottles. Hoppy Boston score: 4.75/5.

Previous Allagash Reviews:

Allagash Hibernal Fluxus 2016, Allagash Sixteen CountiesAllagash TiarnaAllagash Confluence 2015Allagash CurieuxAllagash White, Allagash DubbelAllagash/Maine Beer/Rising Tide Prince TuesdayAllagash Saison, Allagash Black

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