Message from the Josh Wilson at the Draught House:
Rob Todd of Allagash will be in [house] on Monday, July 13th from 6-8pm. Please come by and meet the man behind the beers. FYI, we currently have Allagash White, Victoria and Curieux on tap.
Allagash is a Maine brewery that makes some fantastic Belgian-style stuff.
IMPORTANT UPDATE (Sent in by the Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek; not sure what this means for the Flying Saucer tasting):
the alamo lake creek event tonight has been postponed due to the injury of Owner/Head Brewer (and host of the event) Rob Tod. While delivering a keg in Boston Rob took a nasty spill and broke his hand. It's important to know that this accident was only alcohol related in the sense that Rob was delivering a keg. Fortunately, we are still lucky enough to have Mr. Tod out for a tasting, we just need to wait roughly 6 weeks for him to recuperate. I apologize for the inconvenience. We will be refunding tickets within the next few days and everyone who purchased tickets in advance will be the first to know when this is rescheduled. We wish Rob a quick recovery.
Allagash is a mighty fine brewery in Portland, Maine ("the other Portland") specializing in Belgian-style ales. I guess they're trying to raise their profile here in Texas, because on Feb. 2, they're having not one but two tastings here — accompanied by some fine-sounding food, to boot.
Tasting Numero Uno:
The Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek is proud to present our latest beer tasting event. Join us on Monday February 2nd, 5pm, as we take a stroll through Allagash’s righteous catalogue of beer. The event will feature a selection of Allagash brews paired with assorted appetizers and set against a backdrop of amusing old-school beer commercials. In addition to this, we will have a secret special guest speaker from Portland, Maine who knows “everything there is to know about Allagash beer and their brewery.” Tickets are now available via www.drafthouse.com. The cost is $40 and includes admission, beer and appetizer pairings. The Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek is located at 13729 Research Blvd in Austin Texas.
Beers and food featured will include:
White- served w/ Green chili crab corn fritter
Dubbel- served w/ Mushroom cap stuffed with mozzarella, pepperoni, and bread crumbs
Tripel- served w/ Stilton and tripel pate a choux stuffed with beef tenderloin and balsamic reduction
Curieux- served w/ Jim Beam post oak smoked pork ribs
Odyssey- served w/ Almond milk ice cream
Musette- served w/ Bitter chocolate banana bread pudding
Tasting Numero Dos:
The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium will present a beer tasting featuring Portland, Maine-based Allagash Brewing Company on Monday, Feb. 2 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at its location at 815 W. 47th St.
The event will be hosted by brewery president and founder Rob Tod and will pair five of Allagash’s beers with small plates. Featured beers will include classic Allagash brews the White and the Tripel, as well as the barrel-aged Curieux, Odyssey and Musette.
Tickets are available at The Flying Saucer and are $40 for the general public and $35 for U.F.O. Club members. Space is limited, so purchasing tickets in advance is recommended.
Now this is that Belgian beer taste that I've always thought I didn't like – Allagash Tripel. All those spices. What is it? Coriander? Anyhoo, maybe I'm just so determined to acquire a taste for it that I'm deceiving myself, but I think I'm learning to dig it. I really am enjoying it, but I think I'm still in the process of acquiring, if that makes any sense. I think like the Dubbel better, but ask me again after I tried this one or two more times, and I might have completely changed my mind. Oh yeah – I tried that Rochefort that Grapevine Market was advertising. It was yummy, but like the Chimay, I'm not sure it's worth the money: $6 for an 11.2oz bottle. I tried the Rochefort 8. I'm tempted to try the 10, but it's a lot of money for one bottle. If you want to try it, Grapevine has about five bottles left.
Next up on my attempts to explore Belgian horizons: Celis White. Which will really be a challenge for me, because it's not only Belgian, but also a wheat beer, and I've never had a wheat beer I like. We'll see.
After being ridiculed, abused, scorned, and verbally spat upon for admitting that I don't really have a taste for Belgian beers, I decided to acquire one. I just can't handle being an outcast. At least, not among fellow beer snobs. So I've been trying some. And you know, I think I might be on my way to conversion.
I started in the obvious place: Chimay. Specifically, the Premiere (aka "Red Label.") And I liked it just fine – a very bold, quality ale, a sharp but not overpowering touch of bitterness. Although I was worried that I may have liked it because it didn't really have those strong spices that I associate with Belgian beer that have always put me off. My only real quibble is the price – while this is certainly a tasty brew, it ain't $9 worth of tasty, even if it does come in a 750ml bottle. Convert that to a 12oz beer, and you're still talking $4.26 a bottle. Sorry, for that kind of money, I'd better orgasm.
Today I decided to follow the advice of Lance and Bill C. and go for Allagash. Which I suppose is still cheating a bit – it's actually brewed in Portland, Maine, so it's technically a Belgian-style ale. Cheating or not, I'm digging this. It does have the Belgian taste I expected, but not so much that it makes me recoil, as some others have. Wow, I think I may have converted in the space of a mere 6oz or so. This is good. And at $7 a bottle, it's a little more reasonably priced, although this will still be a special-occasion beer for me. Kind of like the $50 scotch.
Super malty – which is not a problem for me, I can be a malt-head or a hop-head. And perhaps a slight hint of chocolate. And yes, quite strong, although not as strong as I could have gone. I opted for the Dubbel, which clocks in at 7% alcohol. I had the choice of the Tripel (9%), but I have to bicycle home at some point tonight. And I can already tell it's going to be hard enough after this.
Okay, I'm having the same experience I had when I tried to learn to like bourbon. The first time I sipped Jack Daniel's (yes, technically not a bourbon, please spare me), I was put off by the sweetness after having developed my whiskey palate on scotch. But something about the flavor stayed in my brain and kept calling me back. Now I love it. I can tell the same is about to happen here. By the end of this bottle, I'll probably be wondering how I ever didn't like this stuff. Then again, maybe I've just hit on a particular Belgian that fits my tastebuds, and will have a hard time finding others I like. It's kind of like being an explorer.
Thanks for turning me on to Allagash, Bill and Lance!
Message from the Josh Wilson at the Draught House:
