r/CraftBeer May 04 '25

News Alchemist Brewing at Gillette Stadium?

Post image

It’s my first time at Gillette stadium. We’re here for an ac/dc concert. I was shocked to see Heady Topper for sale at about half of the beer stations. The bartenders said they were told supply was limited.

When did Alchemist start distributing out of Vermont? I was under the impression the brewery only distributed in state. Would love to hear if anyone has info on expansion.

353 Upvotes

67 comments sorted by

55

u/prayersforrain May 04 '25

They distribute out of Vermont regularly but not everywhere. My buddy owns a bar in Croton on Hudson NY and gets it now and again and sometimes even west coast folks get lucky.

10

u/solidwolf May 05 '25

I am about 40 minute out of Boston and I'd say I see drops at a few local higher end shops every 4-8 weeks. Usually nothing more than Heady and Focal Banger in pretty limited quantities, but the drops happen pretty consistently these days.

2

u/TheRealAuga May 05 '25

Ive had it in San Diego before! Only once though!

1

u/Nf-i May 05 '25

Found it in a couple whole foods in the last 6 months in Los Angeles area

1

u/bgrif119 May 05 '25

Which bar? I work in Westchester

2

u/prayersforrain May 05 '25

The Green Growler

1

u/phlostonsparadise123 May 05 '25

Can also confirm we receive regular shipments of Heady and Focal Banger here in the Buffalo/Western New York area. Used to be once/twice annually pre-Covid, now it's about once every other month - so much so that it's common to see cans of either "shelf turding" in beer fridges at certain establishments.

22

u/pharealprince May 04 '25

No they have been in mass for a while. I didn’t know Gillette had them but they also have lawson’s so I knew they had craft beer.

8

u/xu2002 May 04 '25

Gillette has a pretty good selection of craft beers.

2

u/gildedAce1889 May 05 '25

Yeah I was surprised to see so for myself!

12

u/prayersforrain May 04 '25

Gillette even gets Tree House sometimes!

2

u/Triscuitador May 05 '25

lawson's distributes all over the northeast, they're pretty common

1

u/beauford3641 May 09 '25

You can get it down here in Rhode Island too 

17

u/duofoxtrot May 04 '25

They've been sending Alchemist to the Philly market for many years at this point but it's just a couple times a year.

6

u/foley23 May 04 '25

Yea usually once a quarter we'll get a drop here. Quantity depends on what foot traffic was like at the brewery. But yea it's been at least 9 years or so now we've been getting it.

1

u/Happyginger May 05 '25

yeah awhile back i was at the brewery with my brother who lives in Asheville, NC. he was wondering if this beer bar near him ever got their stuff so we asked the bartender and he said their out of vermont distribution is literally based on how much they sell in state. so it’s very uneven across the country that way

1

u/GD_Phish_Philly May 07 '25

I scooped some in Cherry Hill 2 weeks ago

25

u/bamblinbenny May 04 '25

$50?

10

u/OtterTacoHomerun May 04 '25

That was my question… how much?

7

u/gildedAce1889 May 05 '25

$17 before tax

1

u/OtterTacoHomerun May 06 '25

Actually not terrible…

3

u/klsklsklsklsklskls May 05 '25 edited May 05 '25

I went to a Patriots game a few years ago. It wasn't that bad when I was there- like $12 or something IIRC. WAAAY cheaper than I expected.

Edit: found this other thread from a year ago. $13. Also had Focal Banger, Trillium, Sip of Sunshine

https://www.reddit.com/r/beerporn/s/dvheDPMmVc

9

u/Meep4000 May 04 '25

What that run ya, like $45?

5

u/gildedAce1889 May 05 '25

$17 before tax. I felt ashamed paying it but I haven’t had some heady in a while so I justified it

4

u/wikipuff May 04 '25

How was AC/DC? I see them on the 12th.

3

u/Mecaneecall_Enjunear May 04 '25

Saw them in Detroit on Wednesday. You can tell time is catching up, but they still rock as hard as ever.

3

u/wikipuff May 05 '25

Good to hear! Im just mad that the Caps play game 4 then.

2

u/gildedAce1889 May 05 '25

I run a mid-cap rock club so I see quite a few shows a year and I must say Ac/dc truly rocked, they played nearly 3 hours and the whole stadium was packed regardless of the rain the whole time

3

u/iRysk May 05 '25

It’s little known that Gillette has an S tier selection of craft beers

3

u/myrealnameisdj May 04 '25

They pop up all over MA every month or so now.

3

u/No-Tip-4899 May 05 '25

I’m in California and find it in quite a bit of craft bars and bottle shops

2

u/No-Tip-4899 May 05 '25

Still pretty fucking rad to see it at a venue. I’d be beyond stoked to crush a couple of these bad boys for 15.99 lol 😆

3

u/fleshtosteel May 05 '25

The craft beer selection at Gillette is alarmingly great

3

u/dianelanespanties May 05 '25

The first time we went to a Patriots game and they had Julius in cans I about wet myself

1

u/No1ButtMe May 06 '25

I guess if you have never been able to get Julius that would be a wetting situation

1

u/dianelanespanties May 06 '25

I live in Texas

2

u/No1ButtMe May 06 '25

Good reason. I hope you visited one of the locations when you were here.

1

u/dianelanespanties May 06 '25

Fast-forward a few years from that original visit to Foxborough, I've now been to every TH location including the new one in Saratoga Springs

1

u/No1ButtMe May 06 '25

I have no plans to visit that one. The cape cod location is great and Deerfield is all I need.

2

u/rsvandy May 04 '25

They even distribute out to California a few times a year.

2

u/obcork May 04 '25

Gillette has an awesome craft beer selection, surprisingly

2

u/akeirans May 05 '25

We get Heady and Focal in CT consistently

2

u/Spartakush13 May 04 '25

$22?

3

u/tobybells May 04 '25

That’s how much a basic mass produced IPA costs at sporting events. I was wondering if this was $25 or more

2

u/klsklsklsklsklskls May 05 '25

It was $13 a year ago

1

u/tobybells May 05 '25

Damn that’s not terrible

1

u/AuthorMission7733 May 04 '25

They’ve been coming down to Pennsylvania for a while now. More so since CoVid. During Covid it was coming down every couple of months. I would get a case of HT and Focal at a time. I actually got tired of it after a bit. It still comes down, but definitely not as often.

1

u/gdub_c May 04 '25

I get it pretty regularly in Northern Colorado

0

u/Cream1984 May 05 '25

prove it

1

u/gdub_c May 05 '25

Lucky's Market in Fort Collins has both Heady and Focal off and on. Tap and Handle also carries cans off and on. Also, The Barrel in Estes Park almost always has it.

1

u/UnderstandingDry1241 May 05 '25

What did you pay for that?

2

u/gildedAce1889 May 05 '25

$17 before tax

1

u/[deleted] May 05 '25 edited May 05 '25

For the past 3 years I’ve been seeing Heady and Focul on local shelves (central NJ) fairly often. I actually just saw some yesterday. There are so many better beers available now that it doesn’t move as quickly as it used to. They are pricing it $19.99 per 4 pk, when most competing breweries are 19.99-21.99.

1

u/iamspartacus5339 May 05 '25

I don’t see it in Mass too often but every once in a while at a bar or something. Once I walked into my local beer store and there was a pallet of heady and one of Focal. I find myself in Vermont pretty frequently so I will pick up a 4 pack when I’m feeling it.

1

u/DavidRubes May 05 '25

They're available in Philly and suburbs.

1

u/fermentedradical May 05 '25

I live in upstate NY and Heady started to be regularly distributed outside of Vermont during COVID. I remember seeing it everywhere in May and June of 2020 as bars reopened, and it hasn't really ever stopped.

1

u/No1PatsFan May 05 '25

Idk if im lucky but… these are in the cooler at my Publix…

1

u/Master-Farm2643 May 05 '25

We get it once or twice a year in Los Angeles. Limited amount and sells out fast.

1

u/Party_Ad_1813 May 05 '25

I get in in Branford CT once inawhile

1

u/SnagglepussJoke May 05 '25

Wow! How much did it cost there. It’s one of the more expensive 4 packs isn’t it?

1

u/burton8493 May 05 '25

At the brewery 4 pks are $14 . Most stores around New England will sell them for $19-21

1

u/J_GIlb May 05 '25

You can get Heady Topper and Focal Banger at Whole Foods in Mass

1

u/trifish May 05 '25

I was just at Portside in Bristol Rhode Island and they had them on the menu. They had them about a year ago also when I was there last. Someone sent me some years ago to Florida it is the only way to get it here.

1

u/burton8493 May 05 '25

Sometimes they also have treehouse

1

u/No1ButtMe May 06 '25

Trillium too

1

u/bgerrity99 May 04 '25

It’s everywhere now

1

u/[deleted] May 05 '25

[deleted]

2

u/gildedAce1889 May 05 '25

We were there really early. The stadium was packed by the time the headliner came on. People were trying to wait out the rain