The Alchemist (April 2017)

that was quick... Skadoosh V. man I wish I could get up there for this one.

 

So am I reading their website correctly...we can walk out of their Brewery with about 4.5 cases of beer?? Or is there some type of mixed case limit??

 

Actually 5.5 cases per person per day

FTFY!

 

Keep in mind that tomorrow could be different ... They update every morning and if allotments run out during they day.

 

I've only had the pleasure to drink focal, heady, and crusher. But crusher especially is one of the best beers I've ever had in general. These guys just are the best. I just can't appreciate them enough for the respect they show their employees and community. Beyond that, they continuously keep their prices so much lower than many of their competitors because they want beer to be as accessible as it can possibly be for a much wider range of incomes. I can't wait to have an opportunity to drink their other styles.

 

Top notch beer and culture, for sure. Came across this long-ish article about their brewpub-to-brewery journey. It's a great read regardless of your knowledge of their history -
https://longreads.com/2017/03/01/the-story-of-heady-topper-americas-most-loved-craft-beer/

 

Skadoosh V is the shit. You need to get you some of that. I find myself getting tired of zero bitterness juice bombs, and The Alchemist is killing it with the Skadoosh series.

 

I will be visiting in a couple weeks on the back end of a beer inspired road trip and just curious what I should expect. I will be coming from Portland, Maine on Saturday 5/6 and plan to hit HF around 12-1pm and then head to Alchemist. Just curious if I get there around 3pm or so will there be a line? Chance that specific beers are already sold out? I figure Saturday is probably the busiest day, but just not sure how crazy it gets there. From the sounds of it I should be there on a decent weekend though (i.e. after school breaks, but before summer). Any insights would be greatly appreciated! Cheers!

 

Picked up some Skadoosh V, FB, Farmers Daighter on Tuesday. Skadoosh is pretty darn good, not amazing but good.

Must say I had a pout of Heady at the Brewery that was downright horrible. Maybe the most vegetal tasting beer I've had in a while. Straight green pepper flavor. Never tasted a Heady like that. It was weird. FB wasn't especially awesome either. It was super musty/armpit you get sometimes from
Mosaic. Cans u picked up weren't that bad.

 

Shouldn't have any issues at The Alchemist, but getting there at 3:00 may be a stretch. You may want to push HF up to 11-12 time frame. Saturday Growler Fill lines can be a decent wait, especially if there is a popular release.

 

Heady is still my favorite Alchemist IPA but I've been consistently disappointed with how the samples on draft have tasted since the new brewery opened.

 

That's why you should drink it from the can! :-)

I agree that the samples I had of Heady were not great, but not "vegetal" as mentioned above.

 

Wish they would bust out Ouroboros one day soon....

 

Heady is still brewed in Waterbury.

 

Yeah I didn't mean to imply that. I've just been disappointed with how it's tasted on draft since they started serving it in Stowe, especially compared to my memories of it on draft at the Waterbury location and at Pro Pig (never had it at Hen of the Wood).

 

Thanks for the advice. Will definitely keep this in mind if I see something I'm going to want a growler of.

 

I oils also say that they may have sold out of something by the time you get there ... too many variables to predict. Just saying you should be prepared for that possibility.

 

Planning the same route on the same day. Thanks for asking the question and providing the answer even before I asked it!

If I can tag on to this:

I am planning to arrive at HF at about 10:30/10:45 on the Saturday. Is it better to get in the bottle, or growler fill line first? I am assuming growler from what you say above.

Also planning a mid-afternoon meal at Prohibition Pig after a stop at the Alchemist. Is it likely I will have trouble getting seated? (Party of 2).

Thirdly, If I want to hit one bottle shop in either Waterbury or in Burlington, which one should I make a priority?

Thanks in advance for all the help.

This will be my first trip to Vermont in forever. The last time I was there, Magic Hat had just started production and were giving away samples at the bar on Church Street I was at. Had my first Zima that trip too.

 

Yeah, I figured that could be a possibility especially with it being Saturday. Only ever had Heady before so just hoping to be able to grab a few cans of their other beers.

 

1. Growler - unless there is something super limited you can't live without.
2. Probably a crapshoot. Hard to predict restaurant busy times, but mid-afternoon for two is normally doable with a minimal wait. If it's slammed there, do yourself a favor and go to the blackback across the street.
3. Waterbury CBC