Alchemist Magic
Normally I am one to bring the beer that I buy back to my house, where I can enjoy it in the comfort and quiet of these familiar surroundings. Occasionally though I do like to get out and sample it closer to the source. One of my absolute favorite local watering holes is in nearby Waterbury, VT (also the home of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters); only about 12 miles from my house. I try to get over there at least once a month. The Alchemist Pub & Brewery was founded by John and Jennifer Kimmich around Thanksgiving in 2003. The brewpub is located in the original (old!) Waterbury Post Office building right near the center of this thriving community (pop. 4915). The bar in the brewpub is about 30 feet long, they have about a dozen taps (one cask) and the restaurant has only about a dozen small tables.
So, why would I travel even this short distance to visit this small brewpub? As it turns out, that is not a very hard question to answer at all. According to my record on RateBeer for this “Place”, over the last 6 years I have sampled 52 of the 63 beers that they say he has produced during that time period. Of those Alchemist samplings, as compared to the other 850 or so other beers that I rated during the same time period, John’s beers all rated “above average” and a significant number of them pushed up into the range of my highest ratings. In short, John is an unbelievable brewer… in my opinion probably the very best in Vermont and perhaps even beyond that. Of course I am not the only one that has that opinion about this award winning brewer. To date John has won three major awards for his brewing prowess:
- Gold Medal – GABF 2004 – Sterk Wit (Beligian Witbier)
- Gold Medal – GABF 2009 – Celia Framboise (Gluten-free)
- Bronze Medal – GABF 2009 – Celia IPA (Gluten-free)
The most recent of these awards are as a result of John’s desire to produce a high quality beer that his wife was able to drink… what a great gift!
The Alchemist’s brews are only available at the brewpub. John does not bottle his beer or sell growlers. If you look at the raters for their beers on RateBeer, you will find the expected ratings from the northeastern portion of the US and eastern Canada. Quite surprisingly, however, you will also find raters from the west coasts of the US and Canada as well as ratings from several other continents. John’s beers are known and loved worldwide!
In addition to the great beer, you can find an excellent selection food here as well. Far from the simple pub fare available at any normal brewpub, Executive Chef Jeff Lang has created a menu that is inspired, according to their Web site, by “comfort, innovation and heartiness”. Many of the the chef’s regular and special menu offerings are designed to specifically compliment the beers being served. The Alchemist also participates in the Vermont Fresh Network, a partnership between Vermont farms and restaurants within the state, which allows the freshest of locally produced foods to be served at these establishments. The community-friendly sustainability of that approach really appeals to me.
Sometimes the truest mark of how successful a business has been is to look at their employees. John and Jennifer still employ their very first employee (Kenny) and, from my observations over the years, their employee turnover is extremely low. I interpret this to mean that they have hired talented/capable people to begin with and that they see the intrinsic value of retaining one of their most valuable assets by simply treating them well. They sure are a happy bunch and I love seeing the same smiling faces each time I go there.
The legend of the ancient alchemists was their ability to take common earth metals (copper and iron) and change them to gold. I have to admit that I like the Alchemist’s formula much better… take common earthy products (water, barley, hops and yeast) and turn them them into a magical golden elixir called BEER!
4 Comments to “Alchemist Magic”
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Great look at one of my favorite VT brewpubs! There’s always been a long line when I’ve visited, but the beer makes it totally worth the trip and the wait.
Nice article ! Thanks !
You are spot on. This is one of the best brewpubs anywhere(and I’ve been around). The beer and food are second to none and the staff is like the icing on the cake.