The Alchemist Pub And Brewery

Attention loyal Alchemist customers! It is time once again to place your votes in our local “Best of” competition.  It’s sponsored by our local Seven Days newspaper of record for all things Vermont.  There are over 100 categories in the survey, and you must fill out at least 50 to have it count.  As you are filling out the form, you can always refer back and search the database for local businesses you love.

We are especially interested in the following categories…

Category 16:  Best Brewpub

Category 18:  Best Bar

Category 19:  Best Apres-Ski

Category 55:  Meteorologist (Dave Bush of course!)

Category 85:  Web Developer (Moosedog Studios, our very own Robin
Hoover)

Category 100:  Place to get Body Art (Good Ink, our much deserving
tattoo artists upstairs)

Thank you all for your loyalty and support over the years.

That is it for my groveling.

On to the beers.

First of all, disregard my cask Holy Cow announcement on my last blog. It will not be on until August-ish.  Good things come to those who wait…..

I have a double batch of Focal Banger sitting on the dry hops as you read this.  This IPA will be poured at the pub, and at this years Vermont Brewers Festival.  It will be known as Ball n Chain IPA at the fest in honor of my niece’s wedding the same weekend.  I will be at that wedding, and my head chef, Jeff Lang, will be running our tent for the event.  We will also be pouring our annual lager, Your Mother, a German-inspired Pilsner.  This little beauty was fermented with a classic strain of lager yeast,  heavily hopped with Hersbrucker and Opal, and cold conditioned for 14 weeks.  Since half of it will be given away at the festival, it will only be making a BRIEF appearance at the pub.  3.5 barrels of Pilsner does not last long in the summer…..

With an additional fermenter coming online soon, I may be able to sneak a batch of Fluxcapacitor through the system in the late summer.  I will be carbonating and kegging the Wee Wittle Wabbit on Wednesday.  This not so Wee Heavy is stunning, and will sit patiently until 10/10/10, its release date.

I also have a batch of Farmers Daughter aging in the cellar.  I’ve been very pleased with this spring’s string of Belgian-style ales.  This one is no exception.  A little more bitter than past versions, but everything else stayed the same.

Honky , our house white ale, is absolutely at its best these days.  I had one the other night, and the phenolics have settled so nicely into place.  Well balanced and very drinkable.

Menage a Trois  will be on for the next 3 weeks or so.

If you haven’t been in during the last two weeks, I suggest you do.  El Jefe is making an off-season appearance, and it won’t be around long. I give it 2-3 more weeks.

As with all of my beers, the benefits of unpasteurized and unfiltered beer is that you get to taste them evolve over the course of their existence.

Before you know it, I will be brewing Rapture and Ouroboros.  Stay tuned, and stay thirsty.

John