Three Maine Craft Beers Included on List of Most Important in American History

Two iconic Maine breweries recently received some great press from one of the nation's top foodie periodicals.

Food & Wine Magazine, one of the nation's leading authorities on all things culinary, has published an article titled, "The 25 Most Important American Craft Beers ever brewed." The idea of the piece is not just to pick 25 of the most delicious beers, but to select the ones that have helped make a positive impact to the exponential growth of the country's craft beer industry. The magazine grabbed 21 "beer experts" to help with the selections. You can read more about the methodology here.

With that being said, it should be to no surprise to see a few Maine representatives on this list, considering the rich history this state has in the craft beer industry.

Three beers from two Maine breweries were selected to represent Maine on this highly respected list. They are from Geary Brewing Company and Allagash Brewing.

Geary's was selected for its legendary flagship beer, Geary's Pale Ale. The first ever brewery in Maine, Geary's launched way back in 1986 when the only beer people knew were watered-down lagers. Geary's would change Maine for the better with unique styles and flavors, including this Tasty Pale Ale that became the face of the brewery.

Here is a little of what Food & Wine had to say about the Geary's Pale Ale, and its importance to the industry.

...Geary’s Pale Ale may not garner the same acclaim today as other beers on this list. Still, it’s a living piece of brewing history, and brewery founder D.L. Geary stood by his dedication to British-style beer...

Allagash found itself on the acclaimed list twice. The first beer listed is the Coolship Resurgam. The style uses a Belgian brewing method called spontaneous fermentation. The beer is also aged up to three years, so it's quite the process.

Allagash was the first brewery in the country to utilize this method and release it to the public. Now, they have a whole line dedicated to the brewing style.

Here is a little of what Food & Wine had to say about the Coolship Resurgam.

Allagash Brewing Company boldly built America’s first commercial coolship — a vessel that allows brewers control over unpredictable, wild yeast fermentations that are necessary to brew these types of beer...Allagash had brought one of Belgium’s most unique pieces of brewing equipment to American shores.

Finally, we get to Allagash's flagship beer, Allagash White. This is the third and final Maine beer featured.

What else is there to say that hasn't already been said about Allagash White? It's the beer that has introduced millions of Americans to Belgian-style ales. Its sweet notes and thick body have made many non-craft beer drinker's huge fans of the industry.

Here's a little of what Food & Wine had to say about this monster of a beer.

Adding to White’s already significant reputation is that...Allagash has maintained the quality of its flagship all these years later. The brew even landed a gold medal for Belgian-style witbier at the Great American Beer Festival as recently as 2020.

A hearty congratulations to both Geary's and Allagash for representing Maine in this unique article. And, for all of you who would like to try these beers out at the breweries, you're in luck. The two are about a mile away from each other in Portland, making it easy to hit them both on a trip.

And, while you are out, you might as well check try other 100+ breweries in this great state. You will not be disappointed.

Cheers.