The Alchemist Pub And Brewery

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…

I know that I am a terribly inconsistent blogger.  While I do apologize for that, the record will show that my blogging skills are being under-utilized but I have been cooking up some incredible food back at The Alchemist lately.  As I previously prognosticated, the new kitchen would not directly impact you, the customer but it would make it so much easier for me to cook up the food that you all love so much.  Well, I was right.  On the other side of that same hand I hope it does impact you.  In my many years of cooking/working short-order lines/ being a Chef,I have never worked in a kitchen that is so efficient and just flat out fast.  I hope that our new kitchen is making your night out at The Alchemist that much better, because I am enjoying the hell out of cooking in it.There’s just another gratuitous chili picture.  Makes me hungry just thinking about it.

This year’s chili assault began with my favorite chili from last year: Pleasant Ridge Chili.  I deviated from the formula and ordered two cheese coneys with extra mustard and a three way.  That is spaghetti topped with chili and cheese.

The chili could have used a little more salt and the spice was kind of mild, but overall it made for an excellent first outing.

That is how to eat a cheese coney in case you wondered.

In keeping with my great success last year, this year at the record store I found vinyl copies of The Rolling Stones’ “Beggar’s Banquet”, “Let It Bleed”, and “Exile On main Street.”  Yay me.  As of yet I have had little succes turkey hunting, but that is generally how it goes.  Hopefully today I will post two more chili reviews if I ever figure out how to work my damned camera.  Also look forward to an account accompanied with pictures of my conquering of the “Atomic Wing Challenge” at Quaker Steak And Lube.  Ouch.

Until Next time…

Jeff

As anyone who is reading this blog knows, The Alchemist is shutting down for 8 days to renovate the kitchen.  As Robin(our resident cobbler/tire re-vulcanizer) has already said, you will not notice anything startlingly new when you walk in the door, but this renovation will definitely make things drastically easier for me to stuff your faces with your favorite Alchemist dishes.  I have a feeling that when we are done and back in operation everyone in the back will say “wow, I can’t believe how much easier this is.”  Word for word hopefully.

Now down to the nuts and bolts of this blog…  I know you, the reader has asked yourself “gee, I wonder what Jeff is doing while the kitchen is shut down.?.”  Well since I decided that you asked, I am packing up Mrs. chef and the official chef dog and going back to Cincinnati for another chili tour.  As most people know I have been in seclusion since my crushing defeat at the Waterbury Chilympiad this year and after many quiet hours of reflection I have come to a healthy spiritual place.  About time, right?  I now understand that the only way to reclaim my crown as the Chili King is to humble myself and once again sup at the tables of the masters.  I will, as is my habit, be making the rounds to my favorite chili parlors and hopefully trying some new gems that have here-to-fore eluded me.  As usual, I will be blogging about all of my adventures.  This trip to the land of my roots is just the thing to rev up some fine high music in the brain and once and for all be shut of this whole losing to Sean Carey mess.

In addition to stuffing my belly with chili, I plan to do some serious turkey hunting in Ohio.  I should get my chops tuned up on the birds in Clermont County and come back to Vermont primed for the second half of Spring turkey season here.  Hopefully in addition to my chili reviews I will be posting a triumphant account of my hunt.  As it turns out, I am a great shot as long as there is not a turkey in front of my shotgun.  Lets see if we can’t fix that, eh?

I have officially used the word “chili” far too many times in one blog.

Chili.

Until indigestion sets in,

Jeff

This was an old blog of mine from the original website. I thought that it deserved a second life. Enjoy.

This year’s Brewers Fest was a hell of a good time. Aside from the part where my dog ran away and was roaming around Burlington for 2 1/2 hours that is. I am happy to report that she was found by Mr. and Mrs. Chef safe and sound. As promised, here is my chili recipe from Saturday:

In a heavy sauce pan or stock pot, sweat in 2 tbsp olive oil:

1 cup diced sweet onion
3/4 cup diced red bell pepper
2 tbsp chopped garlic

When the onions soften and begin to appear transparent, add:

1 lb lean ground beef

To the vegetables and beef add:

1 tbsp Hungarian paprika
1 tbsp smoked Spanish paprika
2 tbsp ground ancho chili
1 to 2 tbsp sea salt or kosher salt
1 tbsp toasted ground cumin seed
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice

Stir constantly while the beef cooks through to ensure that there are no big chunks of beef in your finished chili. In the end you want a smooth chili with an even consistency throughout.

To the pot add:

3/4 cup unsweetened tomato paste
12 oz. low bitterness porter
12 oz. low bitterness light ale or lager

Bring the pot to a boil and reduce to slow simmer. Cover and stir occasionally(you will need to remove the lid to do that) for 2 to 4 hours.

To fully recreate the Cincinnati experience, serve the chili over spaghetti and top with shredded cheddar cheese. You can also add diced raw onion and/or red beans to the toppings. For those who are really curious, chili, spaghetti and cheese is a three way; chili, spaghetti and cheese with onion or beans is a four way; chili, spaghetti, cheese, red beans and onion is a five way.

To further recreate the the Cincinnati experience, watch a really bad professional baseball team get their guts stomped out by their opponent. Love ya Griffey!

Enjoy many happy days of chili-making joy and don’t forget to chill down six or thirty of your favorite beers to enjoy while cooking/eating your chili.