The Alchemist Pub & Brewery

Fourth stop: Alchemist Pub & Brewery

Beers: Unknown

So the Alchemist Pub & Brewery was actually my fourth stop on this leg of the world wind tour that is the Vermont Breweries tour (okay I do realize that I started this process long ago, but where’s your Vermont Breweries swag?) and all kidding aside I really did slack at writing a post for this. I guess I always kinda counted on the Alchemist being there, just waiting in Waterbury to greet me like an old friend, offering delicious seasonal libations as well as old favorites and their own twist on Pub food. But alas this story (at least for now) will not have a happy ending. Disaster strikes in the form of hurricane Irene and unless you live under a rock (or in a Geico commercial) I’m sure you are aware of Irene. You might be asking yourself, “but Travis, don’t you live in Vermont?” The answer is yes, yes I do but unfortunately that did not stop the destructive path of this Tropical Storm. Usually I’d never use the words “Tropical” and “Vermont” in the same sentence unless I was referring to a drink I might’ve partook in that came with a little umbrella (ella, ella, a, a) but this isn’t one of my usual bad jokes. Irene ripped our poor state a new one, causing flash flooding that devastated the southern part of our state. I’m one of the Vermonters that lives in the Burlington area so if you talk to other Vermonters I’m not really one of them. But I can tell you we all feel the pain when something this horrible happens, and just to get serious for a moment before I go back to talking about beer…

If you want to donate please feel free to do so any way you feel like. I say any way you feel like because I posted (I should say re-posted) a link on Facebook that I saw on Switchback Brewery’s page for a T-shirt that was designed by Independent Vermont Clothing. And without getting to preachy (pulls up his soap box) people thought it would be okay to try and use that as a sounding board for their own opinions on just how you should donate. YOU MISSED THE POINT PEOPLE! Some people won’t donate unless they feel like there is something in it for them. So whether they give blood, donate directly to the Red Cross, or buy a T-Shirt, as long as they do something THEY ARE HELPING! Okay enough on that (they’re helping you overzealous A$$#OLES!) seriously, I’m moving on…

The Alchemist Pub & Brewery is one of the places to face such devastation (see Jaclyn, I did tie it all back in) and has been forced to close its doors… For now, the light at the end of the tunnel is, according to their Blog, that the Alchemist will “Like a phoenix from the flames… …be reborn.” And while we are waiting for its triumphant return you can still help support the brewery by heading to their new cannery and purchasing some of their newly canned Heady Topper Double IPA. I’ll report back to all you hop heads out there once I return with cans in hand (according to their Twitter Feed they ran out of cans until Wednesday the 7^th). I just hope I can make it out of work and to the Alchemist Cannery on time to pick some up, but even if I miss it you shouldn’t, cans go on sale at eleven, be there!

With a heavy head I walk away from this post wishing back last summer when I made the trek I took the time to report back my findings. I know the only thing that could really cheer me up is one of their awesome Brew Burgers and fries, but alas I’ll have to wait a little longer for that…

Trout River Brewing Company

Fifteenth Stop: Trout River Brewing Company

Beers: Scottish Ale, Doublebock, Whitewater, Knightslayer, IPA, Northern Brown & Nitro Stout

It had been forever since we’ve made the trek to Trout River but with the Boneyard Barleywine running low in the fridge I knew we were long overdue. Lyndonville isn’t exactly a quick jaunt around the block but armed with the Audible version of Adam Carolla’s In Fifty Years We’ll All Be Chicks, an empty growler and a big appetite for fresh poured beer and hand tossed flatbread pizza, we were on our way. The trip flew by laughing to Carolla’s diatribes about the downfalls of modern man in our watered down society. Driving back and forth to Boston got me listening to books rather than the same three mixes on my iPhone or franticly searching for anything other than country music or static on the radio. We’ve lucked out so far with our selections and would recommend the book mentioned above as well as Bossypants by Tiny Fey (Liza Lemon!) and Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern. All three can be found on Audible.com (see I can plug advertisements into these things seamlessly and without you knowing. Now where’s my quarters Google AdSense?). But I digress (see Adam I did listen to your book and it truly is funny). Trout River was never really a beer I paid much attention to as I came up. I mean, I’m from Vermont; you can get lost just looking at local beers alone. Their packaging never really spoke to me (see pic above). It was kinda… Well, hippish. I know, I know we are the state that brought to you both Ben & Jerry’s (you’re welcome) and Phish (thirty-five minute Jazz guitar solo) but that doesn’t mean every one of us walks around in a tie-dyed t-shirt and Birkenstocks kicking around a hacky sack and waiting for the next drum circle to form up (yes I do feel better now, thank you). So yes, I’m saying I judged a book by its cover and boy was I missing out. Two of their specialty beers, Boneyard Barleywine and Knightslayer, have become some of my favorites, period. And even though it’s a long drive, it’s totally worth it for their delicious flatbread pizza (that’s right American Flatbread, I called it Pizza!). This time Jaclyn and I went solo (can a couple still be considered solo?) and had free range to order whatever we wanted. It was a toss up between the Mexican or German pizza and landed on Mexico.

The Mexican pizza had sausage, jalapeños, corn, and chicken: no sauce. Jaclyn had done it, she had successfully tricked me into a sauce-less pizza (what I normally refer to as fancy garlic bread), and it was amazing and paired nicely with both my Scottish Ale and her Knightslayer. We also ordered their seasonal sampler, which had their Doublebock, Whitewater, Knightslayer, IPA, Northern Brown and Nitro Stout.

I was a fan of all of them but the winner of this session was the Doublebock (also the beer that was destined to become a growler). The Doublebock had a smooth and sweet flavor similar to the Boneyard Barleywine I love so much and was the clear front-runner. On a side note, their Belgian White, Whitewater, was as tasty, which is hard for me to say since I’ve never been a fan of Belgian Whites. It felt great to get back out, stretch the legs again and get back on the ol’ dusty trail. I realized that it had been quite some time since I hit a Vermont Brewery (at least not the ones that I frequent) and collect another stamp on the passport. Hopefully now this will start a pattern again and we’ll be able to travel to the farthest reaches of Vermont (Bennington, Brattleboro… etc.) to collect the missing stamps.

Stop #15 Complete!

Madison Brewing Co.

Fourteenth Stop: Madison Brewing Co.

Beers: Sucker Pond Blonde, Buck’s Honey Wheat, Willoughby’s Scottish Ale, Crow Town Pale Ale, Wassick’s White Wall, Seasonal Oatmeal Stout, and a Raspberry Ale.

Madison Tavern holds a special place in my heart because it hails from my hometown of Bennington, Vermont and it’s because of this reason that I was able to visit this past weekend. Over the Easter weekend I laid my final living grand relative to rest and returned to my hometown for the only reason I ever seem to; a death in the family. I know what you’re thinking starting this one out a little dark, huh? Well bare with me, I mean they can’t all be happy days, right?

It’s been a Langlois family tradition to get together on Easter Sunday (sometimes Saturday if that worked out better for everyone involved but that’s besides the point) right outside of the town that spawned us all in Shaftsbury, VT at my Aunt’s house for some kind of Holiday meal. No one that I know of in my immediate clan is particularly religious but I think maybe all the other good holidays were taken or maybe it was an ancient battle between my Über religious side of the family versus the pagan side in one finally last ditch effort to get us to convert to their secular god. Whether this event ever did have darker undertones or not, one thing was certain: once a year we loaded up in our family truckster and headed down the rabbit trail. Last year, in a stage of defiance I requested we make a brief but important pit stop at Madison Brewing Co. so I could collect my stamp and sample (at the time) the only beer coming out of the very town that pushed me out into this world. With little protest but no small amount of arm-twisting and many promises of no appetite ruining, I convinced my parents this was a necessary stop, and quite a memorable stop it became. Boasting both flavorful beer and food, Madison Brewing Co. could easily become one of my favorite haunts if only there wasn’t 128 miles between us. But maybe somewhere in a parallel dimension, one where I never left Bennington, that would’ve become my Vermont Pub and Brewery; at least I’d like to think so.

This trip to Bennington alas had a darker undertone since the main mission was to lay the ashes of the Langlois family patriarch to rest. I cannot lie though, although my blood is an eclectic mix of French Canadian, American Indian, Irish, German and god knows what else, a true mutt like most god fearing Americans, my last name is Kehoe and I hold fast to my Irish-American roots that spawn it. I was going to celebrate my grandfather’s passing the same way I’d celebrate the birth of my first child, surrounded by those closest to me with a craft beer in my hand. Madison Brewing Co. was both warm and inviting like they knew I was the prodigal son returning to his native land. I had my heart set on ordering an Old 76 Strong Ale, a favorite from my last visit, but this wasn’t meant to be because they were currently out. I knew I had liked the Sucker Pond Blonde, which I promise has nothing to do with my Dad’s adventurous off-road stories from its namesake and everything to do with its light sweet flavor, but I couldn’t remember which other beers I enjoyed. There was a very simple way to solve this question: Madison’s Brewmaster Sampler.

The sampler consisted of Sucker Pond Blonde, Buck’s Honey Wheat, Willoughby’s Scottish Ale, Crow Town Pale Ale, Wassick’s White Wall, Seasonal Oatmeal Stout, and a Raspberry Ale (to replace the missing Old 76 Strong Ale). Beers of interest were the Wassick’s White Wall, their Belgian inspired unfiltered wheat ale that was Jaclyn’s favorite and a very flavorful beer if you are a fan of the Belgian style ales. I’m not a huge fan of coriander but I can appreciate good ale when I taste one, and as far as local Belgian ales go this was a good one. My father enjoyed the Crow Town Pale Ale, which I found to be slightly hoppy. It’s a golden ale, but it uses Fuggles hops. I found this interesting because I’ve had quite a few Fuggles-based I.P.A.s but not a lot of golden ales boasting Fuggles hops. Now that I type this, I’m going to have to put in more research (i.e. drinking) to back this up; stay tuned for the retraction. The Seasonal Oatmeal Stout was a favorite amongst the table (ordered in pint form by both my parents and my brother). Although I tried a sampler of this it wasn’t my main focus, it had a smooth creamy flavor and was quite delicious but I have to say my favorite beer of the evening was the Willoughby’s Scottish Ale. To me it had a crisp first sip with a smooth mouth feel and malt finish. After I finished my sampler I ordered a pint of the Willoughby’s Scottish Ale and I know if the growler didn’t have to spend 48 hours in a car I would’ve purchased one of these. My time at Madison was short but worth it and I look forward to my next visit and my next sip of both Willoughby’s Scottish Ale and hopefully Old 76 Strong Ale.

Stop #14 Complete!

The Shed Brewery & Trapp Family Lodge Brewery

Twelfth Stop: The Shed Brewery

Beers: Amber Ale & Shed Mountain Ale

Back into the fray: It seems like it’s been forever since I last had an opportunity to visit some of Vermont’s finest breweries but like a phoenix rising from the ashes, our quest has returned better than ever. First stop: The Shed. I didn’t have a chance to blog about my last visit to The Shed (ok more honestly I didn’t take the time to) but let’s just say I was underwhelmed. The beer and food were great, but the service was horrendous. We ate in the pub side not the restaurant side and the place was empty, usually a good sign that you’ll be well taken care of, but that wasn’t the case at all. Our waitress looked annoyed that she had to wait on us and took her sweet time to do so. Once she did, she sat down in a booth and began to socialize with one of her friends that came in after us. I finished my pint and she never came over to ask if I wanted another one, even though our table was in her line of vision. I turned to meet her gaze and she glared at me as if to say I was inconveniencing her by being there. It was more than obvious that she’d much rather talk to her friend than do her job, and The Shed left me with a bad taste in my mouth because of this individual’s actions.

But rather then write The Shed off completely, I decided to give the restaurant side a chance and what a great choice that turned out to be. The food was once again excellent, the beer was great and the service matched. We were doing the Brewery Challenge this time with some friends so this was their first Shed experience and they were both pleasantly surprised. We started with a round of samples and The Shed Sampler for our appetizer; the Shed Sampler consists of ribs, chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, and potato skins. This was a great choice because I was having a hard time deciding between The Shed Smoked BBQ Ribs and The Shed Hot Turkey Sandwich. I will say, as much as I love the Hot Turkey Sandwich I will have to go with the Smoked BBQ Ribs next time because they’re amazingly juice and the BBQ sauce has just the right sweet tangy flavor, but you can’t go wrong with either choice. Now let’s talk about the real reason we went; the beer. We ordered a sampler not only because it’s the best way to try all of The Shed’s offerings but also because they have one of the best presentations for a sampler: it comes out on a miniature ski.

It’s fun and practical and makes the experience enjoyable since you are at the base of the Mountain. Speaking of Mountains, Shed Mountain Ale has always been my favorite; it’s their flagship beer and a great offering of an English style strong ale that drinks as advertised, smooth even though it boasts a 7.0% ABV. But this time I really found myself falling in love with Shed Amber Ale. There is something about Cascade hops that I’m just head over heels for lately and Shed Amber Ale is no exception. It’s sweet aroma and smooth flavor won me over, and I cannot wait to return to The Shed to pair it up against some of their Smoked BBQ Ribs. But it was getting close to 2:00 p.m. and we had to be on our way to our next stop, Rock Art Brewery in Morrisville.

Return Stop: Rock Art Brewery

Beers: Sunny & 75, IPA, Ridge Runner, & Stump Jumper

It had been six months since I’d last made the trek to Rock Art Brewery; last time I made the quest with parents in tow but sans Jaclyn (see previous blog) and we missed the tour. This time I was going to get the tour so I could cross it off my bucket list. And I’m happy to say that we made it with minutes to spare. I knew Rock Art was a smaller brewery in comparison to Switchback or Otter Creek but I had no idea just how small until I got to follow the brewery behind the magic door and into the brewery itself. In this oversized garage is where one of my favorite beers, Ridge Runner, is crafted on some of the same brewing equipment that was first used when Rock Art came alive in a basement back in the late nineties/early two thousands. The tour was quick because they were in the middle of brewing but it was neat to see the facility finally and get to see the 1940 bottling line that came from an old Dr. Pepper plant. All of this was just proof to me that with a dream and enough heart in Vermont you can do anything. On the other side of the wall we then got to stand at one of the most beautiful hand crafted bars I have seen to this day and sample some of Rock Art’s fantastic beer. On tap this time was Sunny & 75, IPA, Ridge Runner, and Stump Jumper. Sunny & 75 is their Belgium White offering that is rich with a spicy coriander that is unique to this style of beer. It is one of Jaclyn’s favorites but not a style I’ve ever gotten into. I have previously reviewed their IPA and Ridge Runner, two of my personal favorites, so I’ll skip right to Stump Jumper. Stump Jumper is billed as their Gnarly Stout and it lives up to its name. Not quite as strong as some of their other offerings weighing in at 5.8% ABV, Stump Jumper still packs plenty of punch as far as flavor is concerned. I like the rich malty flavor that instantly floods your mouth as soon as you take a sip. This isn’t a Guinness Stout, but a Gnarly Stout that can only be described as a “chewy” and delicious beer. This past Father’s Day my friend and I did our best to drink the Islands dry of Stump Jumper and I can see it easily happening again. So with our palates quenched and tour complete, we left Rock Art behind for the final stop on today’s tour.

Thirteenth Stop: Trapp Family Lodge Brewery

Beers: Golden Helles, Vienna, Dunkel, & Trostenbier

Trapp was a new adventure for us and actually a new beer as well. I’ve heard places in downtown Burlington carry it but I wanted to try it at the source before I had it out on the town. We drove back past The Shed and I will admit I was almost tempted to beg Steve to stop so we could imbibe on some more Amber Ale and mouth watering Smoked Ribs, but we were on a mission and I was still quite full from my Thanksgiving-esque meal. I’ve never been to the Trapp Family Lodge before and even though I was born and raised in VT all I know about the Trapp family I learned from The Sound of Music. I was excited by the pictures on the internet of the large Austrain-style mountain resort but I should’ve paid more attention to the fine print. Brewing was new to Trapp, and I had imagined a small pub fashioned after a ski chalet with mounted goat heads and large beer steins overflowing with the frothy head of a German inspired brew. But alas the presentation wasn’t what I had imagined; their taps are located in the Deli Bakery, which was nice for the ladies because they could snack on desserts while we got to sample our beers. Trapp is new to the brewing game (a 2010 addition to the Vermont Brewery Tour) so I’ll give ‘em a pass. Hopefully after their beer takes off they’ll have a dedicated brewpub on the property. I will say their taps are pretty awesome (they’re goat horns) and I wish I would’ve taken a picture of them but there were families in line behind me and I didn’t want to be “too” touristy. I did get a four beer sampler which included their Golden Helles, Vienna, Dunkel, & Trostenbier. We found a table by the door and sat down to try Trapp Lager for the first time. First on the list, Golden Helles was a light golden lager that I could see myself enjoying more in the summer months but it still had a nice crisp flavor to it. Next was the Vienna, and much like The Shed’s offering I found myself really liking the Amber lager. With its smooth malty flavor and slightly hoppy finish I could see myself enjoying quite a few of those. Next was the Dunkel, which I had heard was their best offering, and I can’t say I disagree. And finally we finished with the seasonal Trostenbier, which according to Trapp translates to comfort beer and lives up to its name. Being a new brewery and already having three beers I really enjoy I cannot wait to see what the future holds for Trapp Brewery (I do have my fingers crossed for a future brewpub though). With our third stop complete and our group re-energized we headed off towards home, bellies full of good food, great beer and looking forward to future brew tours.

Stops #12 & #13 Complete!

And Just another note... Yes there are blogs missing, stops that happen that were not written about. I will fix this but for now just had to press on and deliver. Consider this an I.O.U. ;)

Rock Art Brewery & Hill Farmstead Brewery

Second Stop: Rock Art Brewery

Beers: Whitetail Ale, American Red Ale, IPA, and Ridge Runner

So the plan was to head up to Rock Art Brewery for 1:30 p.m. and get there in time to do a tasting (Offered Wednesday thru Saturday) and then get a tour which I didn’t have an opportunity to do when Jaclyn and I first visited Rock Art Brewery when we last did the passport program. So I climbed in the family truckster with my Mom & Dad and headed up to Morrisville Vermont and making really good time unlike the Griswold’s we arrived before 12:30 p.m. so I’m sad to say that I’ve still yet to enjoy a tour of Rock Art. But since Jaclyn was missing from the adventure I know we’ll make the trek again.

The beers on tap were all beers that I’ve had before and enjoy with the exception of the new IPA. Most recently I had the Whitetail Ale, which was featured at a Beer and Food pairing hosted by John Atkinson at Timber’s Restaurant Sugarbush. Atkinson a former Magic Hat brewer (designer of Single Chair Ale) paired the Whitetail Ale with a pumpkin soup which was a fantastic mix of flavors. Also featured at the meal (but not on tap was Rock Art’s Vermonster which even if you’re not from Vermont you might have heard of it because of the legal battle of Rock Art Brewery Vs. Monster Energy Drinks but that’s another story all together. The highlight of this tasting (besides getting to share it with family) was getting to taste the new IPA which reminiscent of the Magic Hat Brewery’s Blind Faith and H.I.P.A had a strong hoppy aroma but not an over powering bitterness. If it wasn’t for my love of Ridge Runner (the very first Rock Art I had) I would’ve easily filled my growler with the IPA. Ridge Runner introduced me to the barley wine style and it was love at first taste, the caramel malt flavor is amazing anytime of the year and especially good straight from a growler which way back in 2001 when I turned 21 was the only way I could buy it. Another highlight of trip was to learn that their Pumpkin Imperial Spruce Stout would soon be on its way which means, I will soon be on my way back to Rock Art Brewery, maybe this time with Jaclyn in tow. In the meantime hopefully the growler of Ridge Runner and the 22 of Stump Jumper will keep her happy.

Third stop: Hill Farmstead Brewery

Beers: Edward, Florence, Harlan, Everett, Sorachi Ace, & guest tap Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch

I was excited to venture to the Hill Farmstead Brewery after getting to sample Edward at my Dad’s house (courtesy of a growler from Frank Pastor, thanks Frank!) and because we recently got to try Florence at Three Penny Taproom’s Beer and Cheese pairing. What makes Florence even more unique is the wheat used in this saison is grown in Vermont and is the first beer I’ve heard of that makes use of Vermont wheat, making this a true Vermont beer. Shaun Hill’s brewery is one of the smaller breweries I’ve had the pleasure of visiting and his beers are insane when it comes to flavor. I easily could’ve spent the day savoring each beer but we were lucky enough to roll in before the crowd began forming and didn’t want to overstay our welcome. If you go, I’d say go early and bring your cash (Hill Farmstead is cash only) but don’t be surprised if you have to wait in order to sample or buy a growler because Hill Farmstead is unique in the fact it’s located on the farmland owned by the Hill family for generations. The brewery itself is located in a converted garage, which doesn’t leave much standing room, but I will say I don’t care how far you have to drive or how long you have to wait it will be worth it.

All the beers were amazing but the two standouts were the Everett (robust porter) and the Sorachi Ace (single hop IPA). I had a really tough time deciding which growler I was going to bring home with me and because of a lack of cash (thanks Dad) I had to make a Sophie’s choice and just pick one. My love for dark beer took over and I went with the Everett a beer that even now I cannot wait for Jaclyn to get out of work so I can share it with her. What also made this visit unique is when I last did the brewery tour Hill Farmstead Brewery wasn’t on the passport yet so unlike Magic Hat or Rock Art Brewery this was a first time visit for me and with Earl (Oatmeal Stout) on the way I’m sure it won’t be my last.

Stops #2 and #3 Complete!

And just a special note, I did did indeed get to try the Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast which was a treat due to it's limited availability and found it's coffee/malty taste to be delicious but overall I preferred the Everett.