Allagash Brewing Founder Rob Tod Has Won a 2019 James Beard Award
Photo via Allagash Brewing Drink News Allagash BrewingThe same day we wrote about the brewery’s recent collaboration with Brasserie Dupont, Allagash Brewing Co. was lauded with another honor—a James Beard Award for founder Rob Tod, in the category of Outstanding Wine, Beer or Spirits Producer. The award is among the highest honors one can receive in the field of food and drink.
Awards were announced by the James Beard Foundation on Monday night via a series of tweets, seemingly taking Tod and the rest of the Allagash crew by surprise. The brewery has yet to post a full statement of any kind, although Tod apparently shot a text to the local newspaper, saying “Yes, it’s a huge honor and never would have been possible without the hard work and passion of the Allagash crew.”
To Paste, Tod adds the following: “The crew at the brewery has come to work every day with such passion over the few decades that we’ve been in business. And I definitely wouldn’t have received this award it weren’t for them. I’m very honored to be added to the list of past James Beard Beer, Wine, and Spirits winners.”
The brewery, meanwhile, acknowledged the major award via Twitter, praising Tod, who is widely considered one of the beer industry’s most well-liked figures.
Everyone at Allagash agrees, Rob Tod is super cool. From literally welding together our brewery in 1995, to creating Allagash White, to inspiring us every day, we agree that he’s earned this @beardfoundation award. Congrats, Rob! https://t.co/IZFdY0cCI0pic.twitter.com/p5xeOohQSq
— Allagash Brewing Co (@AllagashBrewing) May 6, 2019
Tod was up against five other finalists for the award across multiple alcohol categories, all of whom “demonstrated consistency and exceptional skills in his or her craft.” The win comes after previously being nominated for the same award back in 2017.
It’s just one more plaudit for Tod and Allagash, which has seen steady growth even as the craft beer sector’s overall growth has slowed to a crawl. This year, the brewery already made headlines for the fact that it canned its beloved Allagash White for the first time. What’s next for Allagash? We’re always excited to find out.