Yankee Brew News Archive

Brewer's Profile: Rob Tod

Originally Published: 08/96

By: Kate Cone

Rob Tod of Allagash Brewing Company is in good company no matter how you look at it: his Portland, Maine location is within mug-chucking distance of the D. L. Geary and Katahdin breweries, his former Carlisle, Massachusetts neighbor and schoolmate, Grant Wilson, also age 27, keeps his beer flowing across town at Stone Coast Brewing Company, and Tod's year-old company adds to the ever-growing number of micros and brewpubs that dot the city's landscape and keep this port bustling with good beer.

YBN: How did you get from "there to here," from Carlisle, Massachusetts to Allagash Brewing Company owner/brewer?

RT: I went from my hometown of Carlisle to Middlebury College in Vermont. After graduation I traveled to Colorado for a couple of years working different jobs. I missed Vermont, so I returned to Middlebury and got a part-time job washing kegs at Otter Creek Brewing Company. I knew nothing about brewing then.

YBN: From keg-washer to micro owner? That's a rags to riches story!

RT: (laughs) It so happened that Otter Creek was growing so rapidly then, that a part-time position grew into a full-time one. I did everything: in the beginning. I cleaned tanks, worked on the bottling line and of course washed kegs. Then as the company grew I had the opportunity to brew, work in the lab and learn the other aspects of running a microbrewery.

YBN: Then how you did you get from Middlebury to Portland?

RT: When I was ready to start my own brewery, I chose to locate Allagash in Portland because other brewpubs and micros were doing well here. Their success and the population level indicated that the market wasn't yet saturated. Also, the beer drinkers here are educated in the different types of beer styles and willing to experiment.

YBN: That brings us to ask why you decided to concentrate on Belgian style beers with your Allagash White Beer and Allagash Double Ale?

RT: I 've always been intrigued with the style myself. It's distinctive and unique, but accessible and very drinkable. And from a marketing angle, there were not many people brewing it in this part of the country. The choice was based on a combination of love and marketing.

YBN: What has been the response so far?

RT: Great! We've doubled our capacity in one year. We've added a conditioning tank that enables us to brew double batches (30 barrels) every ten days for a total of 2,000 barrels, up from 1,000 last year when we opened. We have forty tap accounts in Maine and the number is growing all the time. And I've hired a full-time assistant brewer and a part-time person to help with the bottling line.

YBN: When did you begin bottling?

RT: In mid-May we started bottling Allagash White Beer in 12 ounce bottles in a standard six-pack.

YBN: How about the Double Ale?

RT: The Double will be out in bottles beginning in mid-June.

YBN: All signs point to continued success. Has owning a microbrewery lived up to your expectations?

RT: I'd say it's exceeded expectations. I'm really pleased with the positive comments we've gotten from beer lovers, especially those who never tried a Belgian until Allagash.

YBN: What's your favorite part of this business?

RT: I really have to say that as long as the company is evolving, I'm excited to do whatever I have on my schedule on a particular day. I like working with my hands, so the experience I had welding and in carpentry in Colorado came in handy when I designed and built the brewhouse. My major in geology, though seemingly unrelated to brewing, was actually quite relevant with the lab work I do, especially the aspect of analyzing the water I use.

YBN: Any least favorite parts?

RT: In the beginning, I was afraid I wasn't up to the bookkeeping part of the business, but I'm comfortable with it now.

YBN: Where are Allagash beers available?

RT: Right now, just in Maine. The six-packs can be bought at stores, and some of the taphouses/bars that carry us in Portland are The Great Lost Bear, Three Dollar Dewey's and the Brian Boru.

YBN: Plans for the summer?

RT: We'll be right here brewing at full capacity and giving tours and tastings. Come on up!

Allagash Brewing Company is located 100 Industrial Way, Portland, Maine 04103. Call 207-878-5385. Tours are offered Friday at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Kate Cone is a freelance writer whose book Pub Tours: A Travel Guide to New England Brewpubs and Microbreweries will be published by Down East Books in Spring, 1997. If you own a brewpub or micro, or plan to open one in the next year, and would like to be included (at no cost), please contact Kate at 207-798-3919 or by e-mail: katecone@maine.com.