The Craft Beer Market
Allagash Tripel is a Belgian Style Golden Ale brewed by Allagash Brewing Company, a craft brewer based in Maine. The craft beer market had been growing rapidly over the last 40 years after Congress legalized homebrewing in 1978. As a result, this inspired many beer enthusiasts to start their own small breweries. However, today the overall beer market is declining and the number of breweries in the United States is trending down. The predicted “beer apocalypse” may be upon us.
Allagash Brewing Company
Allagash Brewing Company opened in 1995 in Maine. Their flagship beer is Allagash White, a Belgian-Style Wheat Beer brewed with oats, malted wheat, and raw wheat for a hazy “white” appearance. Allagash White has won 10 gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze medals since 1998. The brewery has a tasting room in Portland, Maine that is open 5 days per week and offers beer, food and brewery tours.
Allagash Tripel Beer
Allagash Brewing describes Tripel as a “This award-winning celebration of a classic Belgian beer style is filled with notes of passion fruit and honey. Its simple recipe yields a full range of elegant flavor and finishes refreshingly dry. Its golden, crisp, and refined profile pulls from a tradition that began centuries ago in Belgian Abbeys.” Tripel has a 9% ABV, 20 IBU, 240 calories, 12.8g carbs, 0g fat and 2.8g protein. Information comes from BeerBoard. It has an “Outstanding” rating on Beer Advocate. It has won 5 gold medals dating back to 2006.
Our Review of Allagash Tripel
I tried Allagash Tripel because of how much I liked the Belgian ale at Draughtsmen Aleworks as well as North Coast Pranqster. I find it interesting that a beer could be so high in alcohol and robust in taste but low On IBU.
Like PranQster, Allagash Tripel was very good but I liked the Draughtsmen Belgian better. While it is certainly an excellent beer with a smooth taste, it is much too strong and full bodied to drink by itself. I don’t know when I would choose to drink this beer over all the other excellent choices. I can’t imagine just wanting to “have a beer” and choosing Tripel, whereas the Draughtsmen Belgian was just fine to drink and enjoy without food. Maybe it would go well on a cold day.
I eventually drank this beer with a cheeseburger and it paired just fine, but I still would have preferred any of my favorite Amber, red or brown lagers or ales with the burger, such as Figueroa Mountain Danish Red and Davy Brown, Hofbrau Dunkel, or Weihenstephaner Kellebier.
For other Tripel recommendations, see our review of Tipsy Trappist Belgian Tripel at Draughtsmen Aleworks and North Coast PranQster.
For beer nutritional information of all beers we have reviewed see Beer Nutritional Information.
