Mainebiz

V O L . X X X I N O. V I In 2016, we made a pledge to brew with one million pounds of Maine-grown grain by 2021. At the time we were using around 65,000 pounds per year. We set out to do this even though Maine's grain economy didn't have the infra- structure at the time to produce one million pounds of grain. But fortunately, farmers in our area were receptive and we were able to work with farmers from Maine Malt House, Aurora Mills & Farm, and Blue Ox Malt House. ey transformed their operations to produce the type and qual- ity of malt demanded not just by Allagash, but by breweries across New England. Plus, local grain is now more plentiful and less expen- sive for bakers and other food pro- ducers. In December 2021, we hit the one million-pound mark, that year alone. at number has grown to 1.69 million in 2024. Working with local agriculture partners also helped in reducing carbon emis- sions since the grain didn't need to travel far. MB: What's the biggest change you've seen in brewing since you started? RT: Pretty much everything, to be honest. But I think the most impactful change for us was the acceptance and then celebra- tion of Allagash White. When I started in 1995, the ques- tion I always got when I was trying to sell the beer was, 'What's wrong with it?' It was hazy when most beers were clear. It had this citrusy, unique aroma. And people just couldn't wrap their heads around it. It was like that for 10 years. en, as craft beer started gaining in popularity, it really started to resonate, and it took off from there. MB: Where do you source your ingredients from? RT: We try to source as locally as possible, working together with farmers from Maine Malt House, Aurora Mills & Farm, and Blue Ox Malt House to produce the type and quality of malt demanded by Maine's vibrant brewing community. Now, those farmers produce grain not just for Maine brewers, but for brewer- ies across New England. Currently, we source about 30% of our grain locally — with the rest coming from a longstanding craft maltster, Briess, in Wisconsin. MB: What are the biggest challenges in running a beer business today and why? RT: Between changing consumer preferences and competition both within and outside of the beer sec- tor, craft is not an easy business these days. But at Allagash we try to strike a balance between focusing on our bread and butter — Allagash White, which is around 80% of our sales — and experimenting with new innovations. For instance, we got our wine-making license and started making and serving cider and Maine fruit-based wines at our Portland brewery. We've also released our first non-alcoholic bev- erage, Hop Water, nationwide this year. But even Hop Water is a nod to our roots — its flavor profile is reminiscent of Allagash White. MB: What's next for Allagash? RT: is year we're celebrating our 30th anniversary and have a lot of fun things in the works, including a Hazy IPA, our first-ever year-round variety pack and the return of our signature House series. Outside of brewing great beer, celebrating our Maine community continues to be an ongoing focus. Renee Cordes, Mainebiz deputy editor, can be reached at rcordes @ mainebiz.biz » C O N T I N U E D F RO M PA G E 8 We try to source as locally as possible. B U S I N E S S L E A D E R S O F T H E Y E A R M A R C H 2 4 , 2 0 2 5 10 Rob Tod, founder of Allagash Brewing Co. in Portland P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F A L L A G A S H B R E W I N G C O. AWARD

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