Allagash Coolship Cerise 375ML

Allagash Coolship Cerise 375ML is a spontaneously fermented ale aged on Maine-grown cherries, bottled at approximately 6–8.3% ABV depending on the vintage. Rated 95 on BeerAdvocate, this limited-release wild ale stands among the most acclaimed American spontaneous beers produced today.

Quick Facts: ABV: ~6–8.3% (varies by vintage)  |  Origin: Portland, Maine, USA  |  Style: Spontaneously Fermented Cherry Ale  |  Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company

Production & Heritage

Allagash Brewing Company, founded in 1995 in Portland, Maine, built its reputation on Belgian-inspired brewing. The Coolship series represents the brewery's most traditional undertaking: unfermented wort is poured into a coolship—a large, shallow, open copper pan—and left overnight during cold Maine winters to collect wild airborne yeast and bacteria. After spontaneous inoculation, the liquid ferments and ages in oak wine barrels for up to two years. For the Cerise expression, brewers add approximately two pounds per gallon of Maine-grown Montmorency and Balaton cherries, allowing the fruit to integrate fully before bottling. This centuries-old Belgian method, adapted to the specific microbial terroir of coastal Maine, yields a beer that cannot be replicated outside its environment.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Sour cherry and lactic tang rise immediately, followed by earthy funk, damp wood, and a subtle mushroom-like forest floor quality. Deeper into the glass, hints of apricot and pie spice emerge.

Taste: The entry is sharply tart with vivid cherry that recalls both fresh-picked fruit and cherry hard candy. Mid-palate, oak tannins and a layered earthiness develop, carrying notes of cinnamon, clove, and a faint lemon-like acidity. The cherry intensity deepens rather than fades, anchored by biting, structured sourness.

Finish: Dry and astringent with lingering cherry skin bitterness and oak. The sourness persists cleanly, leaving a bright, refreshing impression that invites another sip.

How to Drink Coolship Cerise

Serve at cellar temperature, around 50–55°F, in a tulip glass or wine goblet to concentrate the complex aromatics. This is a beer meant for slow, contemplative drinking—no garnish, no ice, no rush. While not traditionally a cocktail ingredient, Coolship Cerise works in a Wild Ale Spritz (topped with a splash of sparkling water and a lemon twist for a lighter aperitif), a Cherry Berliner (blended with a mild wheat beer and a dash of simple syrup to soften the acidity for those new to sour styles), or a Funky Kir (a small pour layered into a flute of dry sparkling wine, replacing cassis with the beer's natural cherry tartness).

Best For

• Gifting a serious craft beer collector seeking rare spontaneous ales
• Pairing with a curated cheese board at an intimate dinner party
• Celebrating a milestone with something genuinely limited and irreplicable
• Introducing a wine enthusiast to the complexity of wild-fermented beer

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Coolship Cerise taste like? Coolship Cerise delivers intense sour cherry flavor with biting acidity, supported by oak tannins, earthy funk, and warm spice notes of cinnamon and clove. It drinks closer to a tart, dry fruit wine than a conventional beer.

How does Coolship Cerise compare to a traditional Belgian kriek? Both are cherry-forward spontaneous ales, but Coolship Cerise is fermented with wild yeast native to Maine rather than Belgium's Senne Valley, giving it a distinct microbial character. Traditional krieks from producers like Cantillon or 3 Fonteinen may lean more toward barnyard funk, while Cerise often emphasizes brighter cherry fruit and pie-spice complexity.

Is Coolship Cerise good for sipping on its own? Absolutely—its layered acidity, fruit depth, and oak complexity reward slow, attentive drinking at cellar temperature. It is best appreciated neat in a tulip glass where the aromatics can fully develop.

Where is Coolship Cerise made? Coolship Cerise is brewed at Allagash Brewing Company in Portland, Maine. The wild yeast responsible for fermentation is captured from the ambient Maine air using an open coolship vessel during the cold winter months.

What foods pair well with Coolship Cerise? Aged Gouda or Comté highlight the beer's oak and fruit character. Roasted duck with a cherry reduction mirrors its dominant fruit note. A simple charcuterie plate with cured salami provides a savory counterpoint to the acidity. Fresh goat cheese softens the tartness beautifully. Dark chocolate with dried cherries echoes the beer's fruit and adds richness.

What sizes does Coolship Cerise come in? Coolship Cerise is released in 375ml bottles, consistent with the Belgian tradition of bottling spontaneous ales in smaller formats suited to sharing or cellaring.

Is Coolship Cerise worth the price? Coolship Cerise positions as a premium, limited-release wild ale requiring years of production time, wild-harvested yeast, and significant fruit additions. Within the American spontaneous ale category, its BeerAdvocate score of 95 and extremely limited annual output place it firmly in the collectible tier, where value is measured as much by rarity and craftsmanship as by volume.

Why Coolship Cerise?

What separates Coolship Cerise from nearly every other American fruit beer is its uncompromising commitment to spontaneous fermentation—there are no added cultures, no shortcuts, and no two vintages that taste identical. The use of both Montmorency and Balaton cherries, sourced from Maine farms at roughly two pounds per gallon, creates a cherry intensity that few fruit beers achieve without artificial flavoring. A 95-rated score on BeerAdvocate across hundreds of reviews confirms its standing among the top American wild ales. For anyone serious about sour beer, this is not a novelty—it is a benchmark.