Breweries can often seem familial. I’ve visited a number of them, and whether large or small, there always this air of camaraderie. Spend enough time with a group of people and it’s bound to happen. But it couldn’t have been more apparent the night I spent eating at Central Provisions in Portland with the Allagash team.
Brewery stories take place at the brewery, but human stories take place out in the real world. As I watched Evan, Jeff, Mat and Zach huddle around a phone, gleefully chattering while sharing small plates and glasses of beer, it struck me how warmly that transition from “co-worker” to “friend” can happen in wee hours after the brewery’s closed up for the night.
—Cory Smith