The Alchemist Pub And Brewery

Wow. Talk about shirking your blogging duties!! It has been quite a while since I last checked in with everyone, so here goes. I guess I should start with some devastating news we recently received. My wife, and co-owner, Jen has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. This horrible scourge means that she can NEVER AGAIN drink beer made from barley, wheat, or rye. As horrible as this is, rest assured, I will make up for any missed consumption. It’s the least I can do. The most I can do is design and brew a gluten-free hop bomb worthy of my wife’s taste buds. We have had many requests to brew such a beer over the years, but any requests were quickly denied by a snide laugh on my part. Well, who’s laughing now?? It will take a few test batches on a homebrew level to get an idea of what is to be expected, but after that, a 7 barrel batch will follow. I hope to have this beer ready for release at the Vermont Brewers Festival. As for all you beer loving, gluten-free freaks out there, get ready…..

In the last few months, I have been working at a feverish pace in the brewery. A new beer has been brewed , and will be released on 9/9/09. It is called Heretic, and will be almost exactly nine months old when its excommunication is rescinded. Some would call this beer a double IPA, but to me ,at this strength,it is a barley wine. If all goes as planned, I will be dry hopping this beer with the hops that grow on the side of The Alchemist this summer. (and hopefully I’ll get my act together enough to post a weekly hop cam photo) I let the beer finish nice and dry, because one of the things I really dislike about most barley wines is their sweet finish. I guarantee it will be one of the most drinkable 10% ABV beers you will ever have. So, until September…….

On tap now…

Farmers Daughter- this is really at it’s peak right now. I just had one the other night and I couldn’t have been more pleased. Sterk Wit- this batch turned out nicely. It should be on through early March, but then you won’t see it for many months.

Fluxcapacitor- I made this doppelbock back in October with some lager yeast I got from my friend Paul at Burlington Flatbread. It was released at 16 weeks of age, and it continues to evolve with each passing day. I enjoy making lagers quite a bit, but it is increasingly difficult to fit them into the schedule.  If it works out in the next 3 months, I’d love to get a big hoppy pilsner brewed, it could be wishful thinking though.

Knuckle Dragger- I love having this beer back in it’s original form. For a few years, I fermented it with my house ale yeast. This year, I went back to using my Belgian strain and I’m very glad I did…

Holy Moley- essentially the big brother of Holy Cow. This is the second go around for this beer and I actually am pleased with it this time. I’ve been trying some new things with my hopping recently and I think they shine in this one. I put this on tap February 17th ,young,hazy with the hops,delicious. I love a young, raw IPA. Come and get it soon, because it won’t last more than 3-4 weeks.

Coming up ….

-The second coming of Wild child. This version is very different from the first. I guess you would classify it as an American Sour Ale. It was made by sour mashing the entire mash for 72 hours. Intensely sour and very addictive,even at this young age. I won’t be aging this for too long, as it is my quest to come up with a great sour beer that hasn’t been aged in oak for three years. I love that kind of beer, but I want to develop something complex, sour, and refreshing that can be produced on a regular basis in a high volume pub setting. I do believe I’m getting there. Thanks for being my willing test subjects.

-A new American IPA that is finishing its last few moments of fermentation as I write this. Should be released somewhere around the 10th of March. A new hop combination that I wanted to try. The only IPA of mine that really highlights Simcoe hops is the El Jefe, so I wanted to brew a traditional IPA with these at the forefront, along with another un-named hop. Should be alright. Still can’t come up with a good name though. And Jen shot down my first idea, Focal Banger. I liked it, what do you think? If I try to think out any further than that, I get a headache.

Stay tuned……

John