Alchemist / Warren VT

Whole trip was fun. The Alchemist was like walking into a festival and chaos inside. Got a seat quick and did grab Gravity heady pours. Certainly different and a great mouthfeel. Not a preferred way to have it but an experience. Also got to try a bit of Crusher as I had never had it before. Pretty good, but Heady and Focal still win. Chatted with the person working the tent right before you walked in to the main doors. He helped you get the lay of the land and was very friendly and seemed happy to chat. Glad I took a few minutes out of my day to just chat.

Skadoosh 92 with the Nectaron hops was everything John said in the video. Absolutely love it.

Left and headed to Doc Ponds. We knew it would be insane and had our name on the wait list and it ticked down as we hung at Alchemist. Walked into Doc ponds after some overly aggressive people being assholes parking. Checked in and bar seats opened immediately which was awesome and 0 wait. I have to give it to them on the food. Dry rub Wings, half chicken, blue fish dip, Autumn squash soup and pumpkin cheesecake mouse slice were f’ng outstanding. As is the service and people. Hill Farmstead excursions on and got the last pour which then switched to Citra. Great eclectic list overall too.

The whole area was mobbed though. Good on all the workers keeping a smile. I miss that area

 

Listened to the podcasts, I feel like the "origin story" parts were interesting in the first half of the first episode. The rest of the interview... Well, while I also have a dim view of the general public I'm glad I don't go thru life as outwardly disgusted by the broader world of beer.

 

The wife and I are heading up to Stowe for a long weekend tomorrow. Do you happen to know if Uber/Lyft is readily available around Stowe? Trying to plan things out. Thanks!

 

That, I’m not so sure of. We usually just have to decide who is more or less the DD on our trips. Let me ask some friends who would know. I know for sure around Waterbury it’s not really an option.

 

I wouldn't rely on Uber anywhere in VT outside of Burlington. You could get lucky, but I wouldn't risk it.

 

I’ll add my buddy said they used the taxis and Uber a little while in Stowe recently.

 

My experience, a few years dated, is that if you are willing to wait or look on the app with some regularity that you will find someone. I've Ubered from Waterbury to Alchemist and back before for sure (and it was a different driver). It's absolutely NOT reliable in the way it would be in a metro area (or is on the Cape, a place with surprisingly good Uber availability).

 

20th Anniversary Heady Topper

Did John just top his old hype?! 10%r

Excited to try this

 

Outrageous IPA, enjoy brother!

 

I was visiting there this weekend from NJ.

I had Heady on hand pull and the 20th anniversary. I liked the hand pull heady better.

20th anniversary wasn't bad, just average, I guess. More hype for sure.

 

My son is Skiing at Mt. Snow in West Dover. Can anyone recommend a store near there that might carry Heady or Focal? Any info is appreciated.

 

Probably any retail establishment with cold beer, including convenience stores and gas stations. Shouldn’t be a problem at all.

 

Yes, I would check out any and all gas stations or anywhere selling beer. Given this is very much southern VT and I know it used to be harder/impossible to get that far south. At worst, have them ask at any spot politely could they help on where or how far north to look. I’m sure there are folks that are happy to help. It may still be coveted, but it doesn’t have the same pretentious locals only vibe it once had. Ya know, the one us dickhead surfers still haven’t let go of

 

Very worst case, it's a half-hour back to the Brattleboro Food Co-op where there will definitely be Heady and Focal.

 

A friend/coworker of mine who skis at Mt. Snow and Okemo gets it all the time without a search.

 

Glad it’s so far south now. You’ll definitely score and it’s 100% worth it.

 

I pick mine up once a month or so down in Pownal, just over the border from Williamstown, and they always have a ton, so yeah, it's everywhere.

 

Meulemans' Craft Draughts

 

Anyone have an issue with heady topper cans dates 2/1? I think it’s more of a storage and handling issue, but I got some bad cans. It’s strange because I bought a single can (same 2/1 date) from brouwerij lane in Brooklyn and it was fine. I ended up finding 4 packs for $22 at a local shop in queens, so I bought two 4-packs (same 2/1 date). They were in the fridge at time of purchase. I bought heady from this shop once before and it was fine. But anyways I don’t know exactly the the issue is. Maybe secondary fermentation in the can or oxidization. I figured maybe the cans got too shaken up during distribution or the cold chain broke down somewhere along the line.

The can gushed a tiny bit when I opened it. The carbonation seemed a little weird (fizzy) and the head was weird when I poured it. I’ve seen this effect before with shitty old beers that got warm for awhile, but it’s kind of strange for a 3 week old HT. That said, I know it doesn’t take long for stuff to go wrong when exposed to less than ideal conditions, even if just briefly.

The beer seems a little darker in color and it was more hazy than usual, but I’ve seen variation on heady color and haze over the years. This is a beer I’ve had a-many times so I’m pretty familiar with it.

The aroma was extremely muted and the taste was kind of blah. Even the usual bitterness wasn’t really there. It lost much if it’s exceptional qualities.

Anyways just a bit of a bummer. I opened 4 cans and 3 of them were all like this. One was by far the worst and I ended up DP’ing it. The one they was still good wasn’t the best heady I’ve ever had, but it still retained some qualities. I feel like it had the same issue it just hasn’t progressed as quickly or reached the same level of deterioration as the others yet.