Allagash Brewing Unveils Slow Set: A 2.9% Light Beer Brewed With Sweet Orange Peel

A fresh new easy‑drinking release is on the way from Allagash Brewing Company in Portland, Maine, and it’s designed for fans of ultra‑light, ultra‑refreshing beer. The beer is called Slow Set, and it’s a light wheat beer brewed with sweet orange peel, offering a crisp, citrus‑kissed profile that leans into Allagash’s reputation for clean, bright, Belgian‑inspired brewing.

Slow Set clocks in at an extremely sessionable 2.9% ABV, making it an ideal pick for drinkers looking for a low‑alcohol craft beer that still delivers flavor. Allagash is positioning this release as a “refreshing change of pace,” perfect for warm‑weather sipping, outdoor gatherings, and anyone who wants a lighter option without sacrificing character.

The brewery will be packaging Slow Set in 12‑oz cans, giving it broad appeal for summer coolers, picnics, and casual weeknight drinking. With its low ABV, citrus notes, and easy‑drinking profile, this new light beer is poised to be a standout seasonal option for 2026.

Stay tuned for full Allagash Slow Set release details, distribution updates, and availability as the brewery gets closer to launch.

Label Text Allagash Brewing Slow Set:

“Take it slow and enjoy this laid-back, low-abv wheat beer brewed with sweet orange peel. Rolling waves of citrusy crisp flavor and a light body make Slow Set perfect for when it’s time to take your time.”

About Allagash Brewing:

Allagash Brewing Company is a Certified B Corp founded in Portland, Maine, by James Beard Award-winner Rob Tod. Since 1995, the brewery has been dedicated to crafting the best Belgian-inspired beers in the world, all while giving back to the community that has supported them along the way. Earning coveted Great American Beer Festival, World Beer Cup, and European Beer Star Awards, Allagash has been deemed one of the best American Breweries of the decade by Paste Magazine and one of the best breweries in America by Gear Patrol. In 2021, Allagash was named “Brewery of the Year” in its category size by the Brewers Association, and included on Inc. Magazine’s “Best in Business” list. Allagash is available in CA, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, Chicagoland, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, SC, VA, VT, and WI. Learn more on allagash.com and connect with us on our Webby-honored social channels: Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. From Maine, with love.

From small beginnings as a one-person brewery in the corner of a warehouse, to a destination brewery made up of more than 100 passionate people—here’s the full story of how Allagash Brewing Company came to be the awarded, innovative, and purpose-driven company that it is today.

1995 – One Brewery. One Employee.
In 1995, Rob Tod opened a brewery. The year prior, he worked at Otter Creek Brewery—doing everything from washing kegs, to cleaning tanks, to brewing beer. Rob rented a spot in the corner of a warehouse in an industrial park and called it Allagash Brewing Company.

1995 – Yankee Ingenuity
Over the next couple months, Rob literally welded together a 15-barrel brewing system and jackhammered a few drains into the floor. After a couple pilot batches, he started brewing in earnest. He wanted to start with one beer, and one beer only: a Belgian-style wheat beer called Allagash White.

1996 – What’s Wrong With This Beer?
At first, beer drinkers didn’t really know what to think of Allagash White. It was nothing like the clear, crisp lagers they’d been drinking for years. It was hazy. It was brewed with spices (coriander and Curacao orange peel). Luckily, once people started to get it, they came back to Allagash White again and again.

1998 – Allagash White Wins Gold
Allagash White wins its first Gold medal at the World Beer Cup

1999 – Digging in on Belgian Beers
It was also around this time that we picked up a brewer from Vermont named Jason Perkins. A dedicated brewer who would help us expand our brewing operation far beyond that one Belgian-style wheat beer.

2002 – Another Medal at GABF
Allagash White wins its second gold medal, this time at the Great American Beer Festival.

2004 – Enter Curieux
By 2004, we were brewing quite a few more beers than White. One of our favorites, Tripel—a belgian-style golden ale—we tried aging in bourbon barrels. Depending on who you ask, Jason or Rob, it was either a happy accident or a calculated experiment. Either way, the resulting beer became Curieux, one of our most beloved year-round beers.

2005 – Going Wild
Jason’s initiative and brewing knowledge helped us build out our, now extensive, wild beer program. Interlude, a mixed-fermentation ale aged in wine barrels, was the first bottled wild beer we ever sold.

2007 – Brewing with a Coolship
Rob took a trip to Belgium with a storied group of brewers: Sam Calagione (Dogfish Head), Adam Avery (Avery Brewing), Tomme Arthur (Lost Abbey), and Vinnie Cilurzo (Russian River). While on the trip, Rob got the idea to try to brew traditional, Belgian-style spontaneously fermented beer back in Maine.

2007 – Brewing History
Traditional, Lambic-style spontaneously fermented beers had never been brewed on American soil before 2007. We just happened to be the first ones to try it. After around three years of aging in barrels, we blended the beer back together. The result: Coolship Resurgam, a beer we’ve been brewing ever since.

2010 – Building Out
While 2007 marked the first of many brewery expansions, 2010 was when things really began to grow. In 2010, we officially moved our primary brewing and bottling equipment out of our original building and into a larger brewery space we built next door. In 2011 we installed a new keg line. In 2013 we added on a larger tasting room and installed our high-efficiency BrauKon brewing system. And in 2015 we expanded our bottling line.

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