The Alchemist Pub and Brewery is located in Waterbury, Vermont. This 7 barrel brewing operation is owned by John and Jennifer Kimmich. John and Jen met while working at the Vermont Brewery and Pub in Burlington, Vermont. John was the brewer there while Jen was waiting tables and managing the pub. Now this is a young entrepreneurial couple we can relate to! They new they wanted to open their own brew pub and took that chance in the small town of Waterbury, Vermont. Like many of us in Vermont we have learned that John and Jen share a similar ideal, which is supporting their local community. The Alchemist Pub and Brewery is a member of Vermont Farm Fresh, which supports local Vermont Farmers. They also support local artists, there pub is decorated with an aray of paintings and scultures creating a unique and interesting atmosphere.
We have been to the the Alchemist Pub and Brewery on three separate occasions and each time the place is packed. There is no mystery why this is the case. Vermont is know for its craft beers, but in my opinion the Alchemist is the best in the state. They are not afraid to be adventurous with there beers. The beers are bold and flavorful with a nice balance of malts and hops. The style of the Alchemist’s beers are more along the lines of what you may find on the West Coast as compared to what is readily available here on the East Coast.
If you are making the trip to Waterbury you will need something to do during the day as the Alchemist does not open until 4pm. Waterbury is also home to Ben and Jerry’s “original” Ice Cream Factory, Green Mountain Coffee and The Vermont Teddy Bear Company. Personally we do not need any other reason but beer to visit a town, however these places were a perk. Waterbury has a cute little downtown, The Alchemist is located in the heart in the old post office. Just another neat feature that sets this brewery apart from the others are the hops growing up the wall of this brew pub. We had never seen hops still on the vine before. Let me end by saying if you are planning a trip to Vermont be sure to spend a day in Waterbury, Vermont and go to the Alchemist Pub and Brewery. If you are coming from the Boston or New York City area be sure to stop for a night at Forty Putney Road Bed and Breakfast in Brattleboro, Vermont and say hi to us!
OK, so this one was a work in progress. We are slowly getting into the swing of things here… We appreciate all of the suggestions we have received and hope that the videos only get better from here on in…
I visited the alchemist tonight, august 22 2010, from 7 to 10 pm. when first arriving I was surprised how many people were there on a rainy sunday evening…at least 60, and all chairs at the bar filled, but was told it was a slow night for sunday! So I had a bar while leaning on the back railing. Enjoying observing the crowd and the bar I decided I liked the casual but customer friendly lay out. Of the five beers I tried, four were hits and only the red was IMO a miss, but some may have a taste for it. Later I had a tomato-mozzarella panini with a side order of the pickles. Sandwich was fine, pickles were great and made me wonder why more places haven’t figured out that in europe pickles are a very common accompaniment to beer. I chomped down the side plate of six long slices in about 5 minutes, they were that good. One of the bartenders told me they made them right there themselves. All the food on the menu was attributed to the local Vermont source it came from, an outstanding practice to do on your menu. This place is a model for how a successful small business should operate, with all local ingredients, fair prices, good staff and nicely laid out. I have been in a lot of bars and brewpubs. Alchemist is really right at the top of all of them. This is the authentic experience folks; if you want to see what a brewpub should be like come and visit here. Do all 3 of the IPAs too, because they all have their own merits.
Howdy! This post could not be written any better! Reading this
post reminds me of my good old room mate! He always kept chatting about this.
I will forward this write-up to him. Fairly certain he will have a good
read. Many thanks for sharing!