Phil Cassella

Industry legends and leaders. A beacon of quality and innovation. Inspirational in every sense of the word. In my mind, Allagash Brewing Company is on the Mount Rushmore of Craft Brewing and its indisputable.

Living in Boston for the past three years, a mere two hour drive from Portland, Maine, I’ve been spoiled by numerous trips to Allagash. In March of 2017, which now feels like a lifetime ago, 50 Industrial Way was the midway stop on a week-long marathon trip packed with visits to New England’s hottest Hazy IPA producers. With their strong distribution footprint, I had been aware of the Belgian-inspired perfecters of American Witbier, but they were not in the original itinerary. After numerous recommendations from industry coworkers and friends who had visited, I decided to book a spot on a public brewery tour. That day, my entire perspective on hospitality and what a small business could mean to its community and beyond shifted.

I have many Allagash stories I could tell. Obviously there’s the first visit, but I’m sure many have a similar memory. There’s the time my friend Codee and I attended the Allagash Photography Social in April of 2018, where I met Mat Trogner for the first time. Truly a, “Holy shit, I have a long journey ahead of me to get to this level.” moment. And there’s numerous, less profound tales in between.

The story that I wish to share was made possible thanks to my then-employers Kate Baker and Suzanne Schalow and the Boston and Eastern Mass Sales Rep for Allagash, Marissa Jacobs. In December of 2018, near the halfway mark of my tenure as Marketing Manager at Craft Beer Cellar, I was invited to spend an evening with some industry peers and the Allagash team as they knocked a fresh batch of wort into their coolship for an overnight rest. Stunned that Marissa had thought of me, I graciously made the journey north on a sunny, yet raw winter afternoon.

I was greeted by a familiar face when I walked into the tasting room. Industry Hospitality and VIP Tour Coordinator Lindsay Bohanske, whom had led the Photography Social the prior spring, would be guiding us through the coolship brew alongside her co-worker Bob Kutch. We started at Allagash’s smaller brewhouse, where the aged hops had already been added and the boil was coming to an end. With only about 15 minutes until knock out, it was time to head out the back door of the brewery and around the corner where the coolship lies.

There was an excitement in the air as we approached the modest, no frills shed in which the Allagash’s coolship is housed. Even the staff amongst the group who had experienced this occasion many times, had a childlike look of wonder on their faces. Just as Bob exclaimed, “These are my favorite nights of the year.”, Lindsay carried over a variety of 375ml cork and caged bottles from past Coolship releases.