What is a brewery made of? What's in its soul?

For many breweries in the United States, the answer seems to be hops. That's an understandable response given the rise of the craft beer movement on the backs of lupulin.

At Allagash Brewing in Portland, Maine, the brewmaster, Jason Perkins, believes in yeast. That makes sense given the brewery's growth and popularity on the back of its White Ale. That beer has become an American classic, serving as a gateway for many into craft beer.

In this conversation, recorded at Allagash, Perkins talks about how the brewery looks at innovation, considers ingredients, and runs trials to find out which beers will join White representing the company to the public.

Perkins' role with the brewery has grown over the years and he talks about that evolution and just what it means to be the brewmaster of one of the country's larger and certainly more beloved breweries.

For those looking for insights into the soul of Allagash, you've come to the right place.

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• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Jason Perkins of Allagash Brewing
• Sponsor: Cigar City Brewing 
• Tags: beer, craft beer, Maine, White Ale, spontaneous, coolship, yeast, brewmaster, sustainability, Portland, tradition, spices, hops, 
• Advertising: Ryan Newhouse, Ryan@beeredge.com