I don’t know if anyone else has noticed, but it’s been a bit chilly outside as of late. So this week it seemed appropriate to slink into Lone Wolf and hunker down at their dimly lit bar to catch a break from the bitter winds over a pint or two. Lone Wolf is a wonderful little dive bar with a handful of brews on tap. I was headed straight for my go-to Guinness (a prerequisite in my family on the Irish side) but got distracted by a brew that my friends have been recommending and I decided to continue my burgeoning love affair with Belgians by ordering the Allagash White.
The Allagash White pours a light, hazy yellow orange with a crisp white head. It smells very citrusy, with a bit of spice, both of which pay off when you try it. Brewed with orange peel, coriander and wheat, this is a highly refreshing brew with lots of orange coming through and a nice spicy bite from the coriander and the wheat. Very drinkable, this light, citrusy beer will have you ordering seconds.
Last week I talked a little about the tradition of craft beer in America. In 1995, as the movement was still developing, Rob Tod noticed that Belgian-style beers were largely unrepresented in American brew culture. He decided to fill the void and released his first batch of Allagash White that summer. The Allagash Brewing Company was begun and ever since has focused on delivering traditional Belgian brews to the American masses.
The Allagash is a witbier, which translates to white beer. It is a Belgian style that is unfiltered, causing the beer to be quite cloudy, hence the denotation “white”. Witbiers are traditionally brewed with a large amount of wheat and interesting spices – in this case coriander and orange peel. For the Allagash White Rob Tod further respected the Belgian tradition of paying special attention to developing flavors brought about by the yeast, and developed his own strain for the beer.
Sipping on a glass of the Allagash White will add brightness to your day; much needed at this time of year! The more commonly known witbier is Blue Moon, but the Allagash is a much more sophisticated brew, delivering all of the crisp citrus with a more subtle build of flavors. And at an alcohol count of 5%, you can sip on a few before you find yourself stumbling home through the snow. Drink on!
★★★1/2
The Allagash gets 3.5/5 stars – 1.5 for its beautiful execution of an interesting style, 1 for the dedication of Allagash Brewing to Belgian brews, and 1 for its sessionability.
Lone Wolf is located at 1089 Broadway in Bushwick. They are open daily from 7pm-4am, with happy hour from 7-9pm. A glass of the Allagash White hits you at $7.
Bushwick Brews is a weekly column dedicated to the exploration of Bushwick’s finest beers written and curated by brewista Erin Wicks.