Allagash My One & Only 375ml

Allagash My One & Only 375ml is a foudre-aged sour red ale brewed with raspberries, plums, and pluerry at 5.5% ABV in a 375ml bottle. Scoring 92 on BeerAdvocate, this limited release stands out for its use of a rare plum-cherry hybrid fruit called pluerry — a distinction few American wild ales can claim.

Quick Facts: ABV: 5.5%  |  Origin: Portland, Maine, USA  |  Style: Sour Red Ale / Wild Ale  |  Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company

Production & Heritage

Allagash Brewing Company, founded in 1995 by Rob Tod in Portland, Maine, built its reputation on Belgian-inspired brewing and has become one of America's most respected producers of wild and spontaneous-style ales. My One & Only begins as a red ale base that is aged and soured inside a foudre — a large-format oak fermentor traditionally used in winemaking — which imparts broad, rounded tannin and encourages complex mixed-culture fermentation. After souring, the brewery introduces fresh, locally sourced raspberries, plums, and pluerry (a plum-cherry hybrid developed by fruit geneticist Floyd Zaiger), yielding a stone-fruit complexity that goes well beyond a typical fruited sour.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with an immediate burst of raspberry and ripe plum skin, layered with a vinous funk characteristic of extended oak contact. Underneath, subtle cherry pit and a gentle acetic edge add depth without overpowering the fruit.

Taste: On entry, fresh berry sweetness leads — raspberry and plum — before a sharp spike of acidity arrives at mid-palate, cutting cleanly through the fruit. As the beer develops, notes of apple, pear, and a gentle caramel sweetness from the red ale grain bill emerge alongside oaky tannins and earthy funk.

Finish: The finish is medium-long with lingering plum and cherry character that carries through a dry, tannic close. Residual acidity keeps the palate refreshed and pulls you back for another sip.

How to Drink My One & Only

Pour into a tulip glass or wine goblet at cellar temperature (50–55°F) to let the oak and fruit aromatics fully express. This beer rewards slow, attentive sipping and does not need any garnish or additive. For a beer cocktail approach, try it in a Berliner Shandy blended with lemonade for a refreshing summer drink, a Sour Beer Spritz topped with sparkling water and a lemon twist to highlight the acidity, or a Fruit Lambic Mimosa alongside fresh orange juice at brunch where its tartness replaces the role of champagne.

Best For

• Gifting a sour beer enthusiast who appreciates barrel-aged complexity
• Pairing with a curated cheese board at a dinner gathering
• Sharing as a special-occasion bottle on an anniversary or milestone
• Building a wild ale cellar collection with age-worthy selections

Frequently Asked Questions

What does My One & Only taste like? My One & Only delivers bright raspberry and plum fruit up front followed by a sharp, clean acidity, oaky tannins, and a subtle caramel malt backbone. The finish lingers with plum and cherry notes and a dry, funky complexity.

How does My One & Only compare to Rodenbach Grand Cru? Both are oak-aged sour red ales, but My One & Only leans heavier on fresh fruit additions — raspberries, plums, and pluerry — while Rodenbach Grand Cru derives its fruit character primarily from extended oak aging in massive vertical foeders without added fruit. My One & Only also carries a distinctly American wild ale sensibility with sharper acidity and more pronounced stone-fruit notes.

Is My One & Only good for sipping neat? Absolutely — this is a contemplative sipper best enjoyed slowly from a tulip or wine glass at cellar temperature to appreciate the interplay between fruit, oak, and acidity.

Where is My One & Only made? My One & Only is brewed and aged at Allagash Brewing Company in Portland, Maine, a brewery founded in 1995 that specializes in Belgian-inspired and wild ales.

What foods pair well with My One & Only? Aged goat cheese or chèvre, where the beer's acidity cuts through the creamy fat; duck liver pâté, whose richness is balanced by the tart fruit; dark chocolate truffles, which complement the cherry and plum notes; grilled lamb chops, where the oak tannins mirror the char; and fresh stone fruit tarts, which echo the beer's raspberry and plum character.

What sizes does My One & Only come in? My One & Only is available in 375ml bottles, consistent with the format commonly used for limited-release and barrel-aged sour ales.

Is My One & Only worth the price? My One & Only positions as a premium specialty release within Allagash's wild ale program, and the foudre aging, mixed-culture fermentation, and addition of three distinct fresh fruits justify its placement above standard sour offerings in terms of complexity and craftsmanship.

Why My One & Only?

The defining element of this beer is the foudre — a vessel that provides broader, gentler oak influence than standard barrels, allowing the mixed-culture fermentation to develop nuanced funk without harsh wood dominance. The inclusion of pluerry, a rare plum-cherry hybrid not commonly used in brewing, gives My One & Only a stone-fruit dimension that separates it from the crowded field of raspberry-only sours. With a 92 score on BeerAdvocate and Allagash's quarter-century track record in wild fermentation, this release delivers credibility backed by genuine craft. For anyone serious about American wild ales, this bottle represents the intersection of innovative fruit selection and Old World fermentation technique.