TheAlchemistPubAndBrewery

Best Brew Pubs in America

Luxist readers nominated their favorite brew pubs around the country as part of the Luxist Awards for best in entertainment. One brew pub is located in Vemont and the only way to sample its beer is to go there yourself. The second brew pub has won countless awards while the third one features hand-crafted beer. The fourth brew pub brews its award-winning beer on the premises while many consider the beers made by the final brew pub among the best in the world.

The Alchemist Pub and Brewery

Waterbury, Vt.

About halfway between Manchester, N.H. and Montreal, Quebec sits the sleepy town of Waterbury, Vt., home to The Alchemist Pub and Brewery. The geographical details may seem trivial, but the only way to get a beer at this Luxist-nominated brew pub is to go there yourself – all ales flow from The Alchemist's own basement brewery. The only beer that's "to-go," they like to say, is the beer in your belly.

Perhaps things would have been different if the The Alchemist had been founded a few decades earlier – the brewpub is located Waterbury's original post office, which would have made for quite the convenient distribution network. Instead, the building was renovated and reopened as a brewpub in 2003 by proprietors Jennifer and John Kimmich. The pair has been brewing handcrafted beer onsite ever since, using only the best imported malts and domestic hops.

Every Friday, new casks of beer are debuted, but four stalwarts are always available on tap alongside the newbies. There's Donovan's Red, a medium-bodied and malty ale named after Waterbury's 19^th Century Irish restaurant. Light beer drinkers will appreciate the appropriately-named Lightweight, a crisp pilsner that took third place at the 2006 World Beer Cup. For hops lovers, Holy Cow I.P.A. is an aromatic blend of six different malts and five different hops. And finally, there's Pappy's Porter, a dark and deep ale that's great for bitter New England evenings in the winter.

Gallery: The Alchemist Pub and Brewery in Waterbury, Vermont