“Where can I find some Coolship?” This was a question we’ve heard frequently since we started brewing our Coolship beers way back in 2007. Finally, we have an answer that those living outside of Maine will love.

In the fall of 2007 Rob Tod had an idea. Rob, the founder of Allagash, wanted to build a small, unheated shed with a vessel resembling a massive brownie pan inside of it. Then, he wanted to pump steaming, cloudy unfermented wort into that pan, let it sit out in the open overnight, and subsequently barrel age it for up to three years. In short: he wanted to brew with a coolship.

The quality of our beer is beholden to the ingredients we make it from. Which is why we buy our ingredients locally whenever we can. And one ingredient that we love to buy local is fruit. It’s the best way to ensure sure that the strawberries, blueberries, peaches (or whatever else we decide to dump in our tanks) fill our beers with unmistakably fresh flavor.

In the brewing business, buying locally often isn’t feasible. In Maine, the climate has always been right for growing grain, but the infrastructure just hasn’t been sufficient to meet our needs. Much to our delight, we’ve recently seen a steady and substantial increase in the amount Maine-grown and malted grains.