The Alchemist Pub And Brewery

Here it is, September.

First and foremost, the hops have been harvested and they are already soaking in the Heretic.  They were harvested on the 23^rd, and I put them into the Heretic on the 30^th.  I will rack the beer to the serving tank on Tuesday, for a Wednesday release.  See you at opening on 9/9/09.

The harvest went well with my generous volunteer crew organized by Tim Cropley. We got there bright and early Sunday morning, bing bang boom, we were finished and on our third beer by noon.  I was just able to get all of my hops on the trays I had rigged.  I ended up with 6 pounds of wonderful, resinous hops, so if you figure a ten to one ratio, it was probably about 60 pounds wet.

It is always entertaining to pick hops with first-timers.  I remember my first time very well.  It sounds like the coolest job on earth until you get about an hour into it, that’s when reality sets in, and you become VERY thankful that there are people around you to help.  Everyone really hung in there and worked hard, I can only hope I made their time there as enjoyable as I could.

The hops were in pretty good shape in most spots, with the exception of a few patches that were too close to the wall.  Over the years , they have crept toward the base of the wall, so I will be moving them out a bit.

When I do this, I will also be splitting up the rhizomes.  Any extra will be packaged up and available to the public on a first come, first served basis. I can’t tell you exactly what strain they are due to the mixing of roots, but it could be Cascade, Willamette, or Chinook.  Very healthy and very FREE.  Stay tuned to this blog for the actual date…

This years Harvest Ale is on the dry hops as you read this.  Very malty and lightly dry-hopped with Columbus.  I will be making a second batch next week.

Uncle Daddy will be brewed next week .  The pumpkins are on order as well as a big pile of organic vanilla beans.  I’ve saved enough of the Moat Mountain yeast from the Hefty Weizen to ferment it,  hopefully the clove character will carry through for a second time…

Heady Topper is just about done fermenting….

I might make an oatmeal stout soon……

I’m sick of writing…..

And if you don’t work for me , don’t even think of showing up to our employee party!!!!!

And just like that it is August.

The Vermont Brewers Festival has come and gone and we are in the thick of it at The Alchemist.  The gluten-free beers are both on tap now and are being very well received.  I think that the Celia Framboise will be the direction I take with that beer.  I like the Celia IPA, but the flavor of sorghum seems to be really suited to the fruit and wild yeast.  The next batch is potentially going to be sour-mashed much like the last batch of Wild Child.  Look for that sometime in the early winter…

The Rapture is currently on tap and is flying away as we speak, so come and get it soon.  This years batch of Ouroboros will be ready to go on August 10th, the day after KENNY’S WEDDING!!!! It was a special request by the groom himself.  So if you were lucky enough to get an invitation, you’ll have a chance to drink it before anyone else.  When I get to work today, I’ll be racking this years Hefty Weizen (6.2%ABV).  I was once again able to obtain yeast for this batch from my friend Wil Gilson at Moat Mountain and it will be pouring mid-August into September.  And, as always, we will NOT allow you to put a lemon wedge in it…

Tomorrow morning I will be brewing a new IPA.  I’ve got a can of British yeast, my usual British malt, and an overabundance of Fuggles that must be used.  So it will come in at about 6.5% ABV and it will be absolutely overflowing with hops.  Technically it will be a British IPA, but the hopping rates will be very much American.  Still haven’t been able to come up with a good name, but the working title is Ello Guvnah! (spoken loudly, in a terrible cockneyed accent).  I’m sure I’ll come up with something.

Other than that, I’m just trying to keep up.  The next round of seasonals I brew will be Harvest Ale 2009.  I’ve ordered 100# of wet hops from Washington.  Instead of using them wet( Harvest Ale 2006- not my favorite), I will dry them myself and use them immediately after drying. Should be nice.

The hops on the side of the building have started forming cones and are on schedule to be ready for use in Heretic. ( release date 9/9/09).

Before you know it, I’ll be brewing winter beers;  so stay sharp and stay tuned in…

Believe it or not, it’s already June!! This is a multi-subject blog this time. The first subject is, of course, THE HOPS!!!!  Look at those things!  They should be at the top of the rope sometime in the next three weeks for a total height of 25 feet.

The next subject is all of the tasty beer coming up here at The Alchemist. I’ve just finished carbonating the new batches of Mortal Sin and The Crusher.  They will both be released some time in the next week, so look out for a new tweet announcing the exact time.  We’ve gone ahead and added a little something for your viewing pleasure.  It is the episode of Bugs Bunny from which The Crusher got its’ name.  The name of the short is “Bunny Hugged” and it is as hilarious as ever.  Enjoy…..

I’ve got a new batch of Petit Mutant fermenting as you read this, and I will be making our first 7 barrel batch of gluten free beer this Sunday.  Celia Framboise will be a Belgian-inspired sorghum beer fermented with red raspberries and pomegranate.  Celia IPA will be brewed in a few weeks in time for the Vermont Brewers Festival.  And don’t forget, Rapture will be making a return in July as well.

Lastly, I would like to ask all of you to kindly take the time (about 5 minutes) to go to the following link and fill out the 7 Days Vermont Daisies Reader Picks.  We have never asked our customers to fill out this form, because quite frankly, I always spaced it.  But this year is different and we are on top of it.  The most important categories are 15-Best Brewpub, and 18- Best Apres Ski.  If you’d like to give a nod to our web designer, it is Moosedog Studios of Stowe.

Thank you all for making our little pub such a fun place to be.

Just wanted to send out a quick update on a few things down in the brewery.

Hops: 5/12/09

As you can see, the hops are really taking off.  Probably up to about twelve feet now and growing about 4-6 inches a day.

I just released this years batch of Heathen, and a couple of days ago, I released Sass-Mouth, a Saison-inspired hoppy treat.

The primary reason I put out this new blog is to inform all of my red drinkers that we will be temporarily out of Donovan’s Red. Gasp!!! “What will I drink?” you might ask?  Something else, that’s what you’ll drink.  The process of brewing has an uncanny way of throwing you curve balls, and this is a new one.  Two nights ago I was carbonating the latest batch of Red before I left for the evening, and when I came in yesterday morning, I was STILL carbonating the batch of Red….. SHIT!

The long and short is that I now have to brew a new batch to cut with the horrendously over-carbonated batch in order to come out with two batches of tasty, delicious Donovan’s Red.  So you’ll have your red back in about two weeks.

Other than that, The Crusher is just about done with fermentation and should blow your hoppy socks off.  Stay tuned …..

And again, another month has slipped on by.  It is almost May already, I

Hops 4/20/09

can’t even believe it.  The hops are absolutely going nuts right now. I took a picture last week, and it is out of date, so here is a shot of last week, and this week.  I chopped a bunch of the shoots back, and they are well on their way up the twine.  Keep in mind , I’ll be giving away A LOT of rhizomes next spring…..

Hops 4/27/09

I just put Shut The Hell Up! on tap this afternoon.  I’m very pleased with it. Very hoppy and crisp for an American mild ale, and coming in at 3.9% ABV! It’s a little stronger than I wanted, but I am still figuring out my new mash tun. Sometimes I get very good extract and overshoot it a bit.  Oh well…

The Heady Topper will be on for about three more weeks, and after that, this years batch of Heathen will be released.  A beautiful blond hop bomb coming in at 7% ABV.   The Wild Child is as sour and delicious as ever, and on tap for May.

I also have a new spring Saison sitting in a serving tank waiting to drop bright.  I’ll release it as soon as I come up with a name.

Next week, I will be brewing a new batch of The Crusher. If you loved the last one, just wait…Also being brewed in the next few weeks will be Mortal Sin, to be released on June 6^th.

As for the gluten –free beer, Celia, I will make it in the next three weeks or so.  The test batches came out with encouraging results. I should be able to brew a very good pale ale with the sorghum, but I think it is best suited for a Belgian-style beer. As for which version I make first, we’ll see.

For now, that is all the updates on the beer front.