The Alchemist (September/October 2018)

Discussion in 'New England' started by NiceBeerCans, Sep 1, 2018.

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  1. NiceBeerCans

    NiceBeerCans Initiate (0) Mar 16, 2013 New York

    The brewery is open in Stowe:

    https://alchemistbeer.com/

    Where is it?

    Our Brewery and Visitors Center is located at
    100 Cottage Club Rd in Stowe, VT.
    Stop by for a taster, beer to take home or some schwag.

    When is it open?

    DAYS & HOURS
    Tuesday – Saturday
    11AM – 7PM

    What's for sale *now* (this is updated daily):

    https://alchemistbeer.com/

    Other more generic info:

    https://www.facebook.com/alchemistbeer

    https://twitter.com/alchemistbeer


    Q: Will there be a restaurant?
    A: No. We will not serve food or full pints of beer. However, there is a lot of great food and drink near us. Feel free to ask the staff for recommendations. There are food links on the brewery page (scroll down). Use the first link on the top of this post.

    Check out this link:

    http://www.gostowe.com/dining

    Also, not listed in the guide above is Doc Ponds, for food and drink:

    https://www.docponds.com/

    Q: What will you sell?
    A: We will sell sample glasses of beer to taste, merchandise and packaged beer to go.

    Q: What kind of beer will you sell?
    A: We will have 2 year round beers that are available every day for sale— Heady Topper and Focal Banger. Other beers will rotate throughout the year. John will be bringing back many favorites from the pub days. When these beers are ready for sale, they will simply show up in our retail cooler. We will not be promoting or ticketing any limited releases.

    Q: Will there be limits on beer purchases?
    A: Yes. We are trying to accomplish 2 things with our daily allocations. We want to spread our beer out as much as possible. We also want to make sure our customers and beer enthusiasts can purchase enough beer so that the visit is worthwhile. When we open this summer we will start out with the following purchase limits per person: 1 case of Focal Banger and 1 mixed case of Heady Topper and current specialty (to be announced at opening). Of course, 4-packs can be sold singly, but only up to 3 four-packs of Heady and specialty per person.

    Q: How much will beer cost?
    A: 16 ounce cans are $12.50/4 pack or $75/case plus tax and deposit. All canned specialties will be sold at this price.

    Q: Will you still distribute your beer?
    A: We will continue to distribute Heady Topper (VT only) but not Focal Banger. We will pull back about 30% of our distribution so that we can have daily Heady Topper allocations in Stowe. All bars, restaurants and stores that currently carry Heady Topper will continue to do so. Our larger retail accounts will be pulled back more than smaller accounts. It is our belief that lines will diminish at these stores when our retail shop is open in Stowe. We hope that it becomes simpler for locals to buy a 4-pack at their local store.

    Full credit to @F2brewers who posted the above back in July.

    ** Try not to arrive before 10:00 am. This causes an unnecessary line and traffic for the parking lot and creates trouble with The Alchemist's neighbors and the town. Thank you. **

    Q:
    Should I come early?
    A: We have a lot of beer to sell. It is not necessary to line up prior to our opening at 11am each day. If you visit us later in the day you should still have no problem leaving The Alchemist with beer. Please help us keep our neighbors happy and our parking lot manageable by visiting us throughout the day.

    Q: Will you run out of beer?
    A: We hope not. We are starting out with a limit of 1 mixed case so that we can spread our beer out as much as possible, but still make it worth a trip for beer. If we do run out of mixed cases later in the day, we will have plenty more Focal Banger to sell.

    Q:
    How do I know what is available for sale each day?
    A: You may visit our website to see what is for sale each day and the 4-pack limit for each beer.

    Q:
    Are samples available?
    A: Yes—we will have 2 ounce samples available for tasting.

    Q:
    May I drink beer outside on your beautiful lawn?
    A: Sorry, no. This is illegal. However, we have plans to create an outdoor area for sampling beer in the very near future.

    Q:
    Do you have tours available?
    A: No. However, our viewing area is in the brewery, right next to our canning line. We have lots of educational information and educated staff.

    Q:
    May I bring my tour bus?
    A: Sorry, no.

    Q: Is my dog allowed?
    A: Well behaved dogs are allowed inside of the building.

    We open our parking lot at 10 AM. Please do not arrive before that time. Parking on Cottage Club Rd is prohibited. Parking on the street causes issues with our neighbors. RV & trailer parking is allowed only after 4 PM. Please help us maximize our parking spaces.

    We look forward to seeing you in beautiful Stowe!
     
  2. wasatchback

    wasatchback Pooh-Bah (1,574) Jan 12, 2014 Tajikistan
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Finally drinking one of the Pappy’s I grabbed a few weeks ago. Wow this is an awesome 5% Porter. So soft and full yet crushable. Session porters might be as unfashionable as amber ales these days but damn this is a well made beer.
     
    rbbnbl likes this.
  3. BoldRulerVT

    BoldRulerVT Initiate (0) Oct 2, 2013 Vermont

    Pappy's is one of my favs. Silky and full of body but totally crushable.
     
    spersichilli likes this.
  4. Mjmoney23

    Mjmoney23 Initiate (0) Sep 28, 2017 Connecticut

    I saw in Facebook that the Alchemist was pouring Double Dry Hopped Heady Topper at Siptober fest. Did anyone try it???
     
  5. meefmoff

    meefmoff Pooh-Bah (1,922) Jul 6, 2014 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I only make it up to the Alchemist about once a year and the past two times I went they were out of Heady Topper so it's been forever since I've had it.

    A friend was kind enough to just surprise me with some and hot damn if that shit still ain't the king. Have they upped the dank over time or did my memory just fade and/or my palate change a bit?

    Quite an attractive batch too - not a floatie in sight! :slight_smile:
     
    jhavs, midegrou and bsullivan like this.
  6. midegrou

    midegrou Crusader (459) Dec 14, 2013 New Jersey
    Trader

    Still the king for me, too. Just nothing else like it. Among the most unique and untouchable beers in the world.
     
  7. Justin42

    Justin42 Initiate (0) Apr 3, 2013 Massachusetts
    Trader

    We go to VT each summer, and every year I think I am going to like Heady less after being exposed to so many "new" NEIPAs from Trillium, Tree House, etc. And every year, I end up loving Heady just as much if not more.
     
    Davl22, jbarletto, meefmoff and 3 others like this.
  8. midegrou

    midegrou Crusader (459) Dec 14, 2013 New Jersey
    Trader

    Does Heady still sell out some afternoons/evenings? I was hoping to make it up to Stowe Thursday evening around 6 or so.
     
  9. ajthegreat

    ajthegreat Initiate (0) Nov 11, 2010 Vermont

    You should have no problem getting it there. I am pretty sure Stowe Beverage also has it on Thursday's just in case.
     
    midegrou likes this.
  10. EDNOSE

    EDNOSE Pundit (996) Oct 27, 2007 Connecticut

    Based on my experience, my only concern would be that this is the height of leaf peeping tourism and that late in the day you could be in trouble. Heady does run out sometimes (it's uncommon). They will have everything but Heady almost guaranteed. I could see Heady running out though. That said, Waterbury Craft Beer Cellar should like have it (2 per) as their delivery is Wednesdays.
     
    midegrou likes this.
  11. BlueJackets

    BlueJackets Initiate (124) Sep 13, 2015 Ohio

    Stopped in today around 3pm and it was pretty quiet. I was surprised as it's leaf season. Plenty of beer to go around.
     
    midegrou likes this.
  12. midegrou

    midegrou Crusader (459) Dec 14, 2013 New Jersey
    Trader

    Thanks for the tips, everyone!
     
  13. BoldRulerVT

    BoldRulerVT Initiate (0) Oct 2, 2013 Vermont

    We must have been there at same time. :slight_smile:
     
    BigStein88 likes this.
  14. ajthegreat

    ajthegreat Initiate (0) Nov 11, 2010 Vermont

    How are Light and Dark tasting? Thinking of heading up today to grab a couple of 4-packs.
     
  15. duchessedubourg

    duchessedubourg Savant (1,181) Nov 2, 2007 Vermont

    Two distinct styles, and both spot-on. Someone brought both to our homebrew meeting last night, and although the pils was great though a bit hoppy, the schwarz was exquisite!
     
  16. PHLDude

    PHLDude Initiate (0) May 15, 2018 Pennsylvania

    Did anyone hit the Heady Trotter 4-miler? I made it to the Alchemist for my first time this past weekend. It was cold, but I thought it was a pretty cool event. However, with all of those people, the brewery did run out of Heady.
     
  17. cetherid

    cetherid Savant (1,105) Aug 23, 2010 Indiana

    Agreed. Got back from Vermont this past weekend and the lagers were my favorite beers I got from alchemist. Especially the Dark. I’m a hop head but love lagers..honestly didn’t expect much from an alchemist lager but I was blown away.
     
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