Rob Tod of Allagash Brewing Co., Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing Co. and Jean Van Roy (not pictured) of Cantillon Brewery will pour Wild Friendship Blend in Portland, ME, on May 9. Photo courtesy Allagash Brewing Co.
(Press Release)
PORTLAND, ME—Over the last two years Allagash Brewing Company, Cantillon Brewery and Russian River Brewing Company each brewed spontaneously fermented beers in their respective parts of the world. These beers were blended together in the summer of 2014 to become the beer known as Wild Friendship Blend. The breweries agreed: these blends would never be sold individually, only poured at special events.
On Saturday, May 9, 2015, Allagash will host Wild Friendship Celebration, where this unique beer will finally be served. Attendees of the Wild Friendship Celebration will get to taste this small-batch brew of which only 1500 bottles were produced. Attendees will also sample 3 additional rare beers from each brewery. Brewery founders Jean Van Roy (Cantillon), Vinnie Cilurzo (Russian River), and Rob Tod (Allagash) will all be in attendance to celebrate friendship and good beer. “Full Plates Full Potential,” an initiative to end childhood hunger in Maine, will receive a portion of the proceeds from the Wild Friendship Celebration.
People who wish to have the chance to purchase tickets to this event are invited to visit WildFriendshipBlend.com.1 Between March 16 and March 23, this website is where they can submit their email address for the random ticket selection process – 350 randomly chosen people will be able to purchase two tickets to the event.
Details about the event:
– The event is Saturday, May 9 at Allagash Brewing Company in Portland, Maine. There will be two separate sessions: 1-4 pm and 5-8 pm.
– Tickets for this event are $100 (plus ticket service fees) and include a souvenir glass from the event.
– Attendees will receive 4 ounces of each of the 10 beers being poured at the event (including Wild Friendship Blend). Admission also includes food from 3 prominent local restaurants/caterers
– 350 tickets per session will be available, and sold through a random ticket selection process.
– Ticket buyers and attendees must be 21 years of age. Proof of age and tickets must be presented at the door at time of entry to the event.
– If you are selected to purchase a ticket, information on parking & transportation arrangements will be available at time of ticket purchase.
RELATED: Read a story about the blend from our September 2014 issue
About Wild Friendship Blend beer
Wild Friendship Blend is a blend of spontaneously fermented beer produced in three different parts of the world – at Russian River Brewing Company in California, Allagash Brewing Company in Maine and Cantillon Brewery in Belgium. Our breweries have shared mutual respect and admiration for each other for many years.
Each component was brewed, fermented and aged in oak barrels at each of the three breweries. In all three cases, the beers were cooled in some form of a traditional coolship and no yeast or bacteria was added — only natural, spontaneous inoculation. The breweries agreed to use beer that had been fermented and aged for roughly 2 years, and each brewery selected a particular barrel to be a component of the blend. The final piece of the blending process was done at Allagash with Vinnie & Rob last summer in our wild barrel room. The breweries collaborated on a similar blend for a release at Cantillon Brewery in May 2014.
About Allagash Brewing Company
Allagash was founded by Rob Tod in 1995, and has grown from a one-man operation into one of the Top 50 Craft Breweries in U.S. (by sales volume) and a spot on Maine’s Best Places to Work list for two years running. Allagash brews Belgian inspired beers and is best known for its flagship beer, Allagash White. Allagash has won many national and international awards in its 20 years, and is viewed as a leader of innovative brewing techniques in the craft beer world. Being environmentally and socially responsible is a core value at Allagash, and they are constantly working to lessen the environmental impact of their operations. Allagash distributes beer in 17 states and DC.
About Full Plates, Full Potential
No child should grow up hungry, but one in four children in Maine struggles with hunger. Full Plates Full Potential is a statewide initiative ending child hunger by connecting hungry kids to effective nutrition programs like school breakfast, lunch and summer meals. The US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) has allocated funds to pay for every meal for every hungry student in the country. We have an abundance of food in the country and programs are in place to pay for nutritious meals. The challenge is access. Full Plates Full Potential and school administrators are motivated to solve this issue because they recognize the impact of hunger on students.
1 Visit WildFriendshipBlend.com for complete Terms and Conditions. Must be 21 years of age or older at time of entry. Restrictions apply.
great cause, world class breweries, the brewing community is a special breed.