The Alchemist Brewing Closing Retail Shop!

rejtable · Post by **rejtable** » Thu Nov 07, 2013 8:42 pm

I assume the recent growler fill offering didn't help their relations with their neighbors.

MatttthewGeorge · Post by **MatttthewGeorge** » Fri Nov 08, 2013 9:35 am

The issue for me is that I'm on a family vacation with a family that does not want to be carted around to different bottle shops. We were getting into Waterbury Sunday night, then Monday hitting the Ben & Jerry's tour, then Alchemist for a 24, then heading south. And by south I don't mean Montpellier, but directly south into the hills. No Burlington for this trip either. I'll have to look what other places Alchemist distributes too, but besides maybe getting a pint in Waterbury on Sunday night, it seems (as of right now at least) a 24 might be out of the question.

Cass · Post by **Cass** » Fri Nov 08, 2013 9:42 am

MatttthewGeorge wrote:The issue for me is that I'm on a family vacation with a family that does not want to be carted around to different bottle shops. We were getting into Waterbury Sunday night, then Monday hitting the Ben & Jerry's tour, then Alchemist for a 24, then heading south. And by south I don't mean Montpellier, but directly south into the hills. No Burlington for this trip either. I'll have to look what other places Alchemist distributes too, but besides maybe getting a pint in Waterbury on Sunday night, it seems (as of right now at least) a 24 might be out of the question.

Yeah, that's a drag. Maybe a case might be challenging but I'm sure you could find some around...seems like a fair amount of places around.

http://www.alchemistbeer.com/heady-topper-retail-map/

Be sure to go to the Prohibition Pig, you won't be disappointed!

MatttthewGeorge · Post by **MatttthewGeorge** » Fri Nov 08, 2013 9:49 am

Cass wrote:Yeah, that's a drag. Maybe a case might be challenging but I'm sure you could find some around...seems like a fair amount of places around.

http://www.alchemistbeer.com/heady-topper-retail-map/

Be sure to go to the Prohibition Pig, you won't be disappointed!

I'm taking 100 South, so looks like I may hit a few towns that have it.
Hopes have gone up slightly, thanks Cass!

cfrancis · Post by **cfrancis** » Fri Nov 08, 2013 12:57 pm

rejtable wrote:I assume the recent growler fill offering didn't help their relations with their neighbors.

Another reason why there has to be something in the works for another retail outlet. You don't just install a state of the art growler fill machine only to close your retail store.

TheSevenDuffs · Post by **TheSevenDuffs** » Tue Nov 12, 2013 8:46 pm

Some great news in today's update:

http://www.alchemistbeer.com/updates/

Thank you, thank you, Thank You to all of our loyal supporters, friends and family as we face our newest challenge. We would also like to give a heartfelt thanks to our incredible staff—you have all done an amazing job rising above the nonsense and keeping your chins up.

Last week we made the decision to close our retail shop beginning November 16th. This decision was unplanned and prompted quickly to mitigate ongoing traffic issues and public access concerns. Each week our retail shop has become busier and more chaotic—too much for our physical location—and demand continues to grow.

We decided to post the closing as soon as we were aware of the situation. Although we did not have a lot of information to share, we understand that consumers and local businesses depend on our retail shop being open and we needed to get the word out.

Since closing last week, we believe we have found a new, larger space for our retail shop in Waterbury Center. The parking is adequate, traffic flow will be better and there is greater visibility for turning onto and off of Route 100. As soon as we confirm all zoning and public access regulations, we will begin working around the clock to get our new shop open as soon as possible.

In the meantime, while we are temporarily closed, we will be sending extra Heady Topper™ to our current accounts. Several large retailers will be selling full cases for $75. We have added two extra delivery trucks for the month. We will replenish accounts to the best of our ability until we sell out of Heady Topper™. We will have an updated ‘Where to Buy’ page on our website this week (hopefully by Wednesday). This page will include delivery days for both retailers and restaurants. We will also try to indicate which retailers will be selling full cases.

We hope to open our new shop before the holidays, but have a bit of work to do. Please keep in mind, we have never had a project NOT throw some curves. We will make every effort to open our new location as soon as possible. Until then, we will continue to produce the same amount of Heady Topper™ and we will work hard to make it available.

There's also a Q&A section if you click the link above....

Cass · Post by **Cass** » Thu Nov 14, 2013 4:00 pm

News for those heading down before the new space opens (via FB):

New website is up. We have some things to work out (mobile devices need some TLC), but wanted to make the 'where to buy' page available as soon as possible. Tomorrow we will continue to give more detailed information on limits and pricing. In the meantime, these places will be selling full cases starting next week:

PLEASE NOTE: MONDAY DELIVERIES ARE MADE LATE IN THE AFTERNOON

Hunger Mountain Coop- Monday delivery, $75/case
Healthy Living- Monday delivery, $75/case
Waitsfield Village Grocery- Tuesday delivery, $75/case
Winooski Beverage- Tuesday delivery, $75/case
Waterbury Village Market- Wednesday delivery, $75/case

Thanks for your patience!

MatttthewGeorge · Post by **MatttthewGeorge** » Thu Nov 14, 2013 4:43 pm

Sigh. I'm in Waterbury, driving through Waitsfield on a Monday. Guess I'll be having this on draught but not to take home. Oh well, more of other stuff I guess!

icemachine · Post by **icemachine** » Fri Nov 15, 2013 10:07 am

Hunger Mountain Coop in Montpelier shouldn't be too far out of the way

Tapsucker · Post by **Tapsucker** » Fri Nov 15, 2013 2:38 pm

Cass wrote: Healthy Living- Monday delivery, $75/case

"Healthy Living" LOL

Cass · Post by **Cass** » Sun Dec 29, 2013 9:51 am

Heading down to Waterbury today for 2nd annual Xmas VT ski trip. Will report back the situation on Alchemist from the front line.

P.S. not sure if this got mentioned but this opened up a bit after our conversation, right in downtown Waterbury:

https://www.facebook.com/CBCwaterbury

Looks like a pretty awesome addition to the scene in town.

jprime · Post by **jprime** » Sun Dec 29, 2013 12:11 pm

I've been to the Craft Beer Cellar in Belmont outside of Boston and can assure you that this will be an awesome addition to Waterbury!!

Cass · Post by **Cass** » Sun Jan 05, 2014 1:45 pm

Sitting in downtown Burlington chilling out after a weekend of skiing.

Will post up more updates into the main thread about Vermont, but can report that Heady-mania seems to be at its apex right now.

It's actually easier to find the beer at bars & restos - it's on tap in more places than ever before (used to be just ProPig and Hen of the Wood). And lots of bars have it in the can, even the house bar at the Old Stagecoach Inn.

Very hard to find it at retail - the hype seems to be so big that its snapped up by locals and tourists alike as soon as it hits the shelf.

Another great trip - but I think the next "hot" beer in the state is going to be one called Backacre - had it and was just great. Even found a bottle at Hunger Mountain as I don't think too many people know about it yet

J343MY · Post by **J343MY** » Sun Jan 05, 2014 2:42 pm

Cass wrote:Another great trip - but I think the next "hot" beer in the state is going to be one called Backacre - had it and was just great. Even found a bottle at Hunger Mountain as I don't think too many people know about it yet

Agreed. We had a bottle at the Three Penny Taproom and I really enjoyed it.

Cass · Post by **Cass** » Tue May 06, 2014 1:02 pm

News from the Alchemist front...

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/stor ... n/8735183/

Alchemist proposes Stowe site for brewery construction

The Alchemist applied Monday to the town of Stowe for a construction permit to build a 14,652-square-foot building off Cottage Club Road, according to Rich Baker, zoning director for Stowe. The Alchemist is the Waterbury brewery that makes Heady Topper beer, a highly popular double IPA.

The site is off the Mountain Road (Vermont 108) across from a cemetery and just before the Sunset Grill, according to Alchemist co-owner Jen Kimmich. The project involves a purchase contract to buy the land from Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa, a resort on the Mountain Road.

The application calls for a commercial building for beer production and a retail outlet on a proposed 4-acre site, Baker said. The application will go to the town’s seven-member Development Review Board June 3, Baker said.

Act 250 approval is also required, according to Baker and Kimmich, who owns the Alchemist with her husband, brewer John Kimmich.

“We love the spot,” Kimmich said. “We had a list of criteria we needed for our new brewery, probably a list of 10 different items that were critical. Most important were traffic, access to village water and sewer, and plenty of land for growing hops and cherry trees.”

The Kimmich family lives in Stowe less than four miles from the proposed site. “We didn’t want to be in a strip mall,” Kimmich said.

An exciting part of the project is a water treatment/recovery system in which the water that drains from the brewery will be clean and potable, Kimmich said.

“The town of Stowe and the Agency of Natural Resources are super-supportive and excited about this,” she said.

The footprint of the proposed building is 9,600-square-feet, Baker said. The building would have a mezzanine level, he said.

Heady Topper will continue to be produced at the Alchemist’s Waterbury brewery, Kimmich said. But the double IPA in the 16-ounce cans will be sold at the retail outlet/visitor center that is part of the proposed project, she said. The Alchemist brews about 9,000 barrels of Heady Topper a year for distribution within 30 miles of the Waterbury brewery.

Seasonal beers and other brews, including Focal Banger and Holy Cow IPAs, would be produced at the Stowe brewery, Kimmich said. There is no timeline in place pending approval of various applications, Kimmich said. But if construction were to proceed as broadly envisioned, the facility would likely not open until spring 2015, she said.

The Alchemist stopped retail sales of Heady Topper at its Waterbury brewery in November, citing traffic and crowd concerns.