The Norwich Inn and Jasper Murdock's Alehouse
Greetings,
Last summer I had the opportunity to visit the State of Vermont, while on the way to retrieve a summer-camper. A friend of mine was retrieving Son #2 and I signed on to ride shotgun in exchange for plotting a day of visiting the breweries and brewpubs of the state.
The first thing I did was to list of every brewery and brewpub in the state into a program called Microsoft Streets & Trips. It was going to be a fantastic voyage. And fantastic it was.
First of all, you must understand that I am a pedestrian. I live in a city that is a walker's dream. I do not drive a car. You need to know this in order to grasp the logic that drove me to actually believe that my designated driver and I could make eight stops; chat, tour, taste and travel to the next one, all in one day.
It began with a two hour late departure; I had a feeling that the triage tent was going to fill up fast, as I made the first cell phone call to cancel a visit to the Harpoon Brewery in Windsor, VT. (I didn't want anyone staying late in the office for my sake.)
It was just on eight o'clock when we rolled up to The Norwich Inn and Jasper Murdock's Alehouse, in Norwich, Vermont. Just in time for a dinner reservation that I was glad I made on the trip up.
Figure 1 The Sign for The Norwich Inn, Norwich, VT
After a six hour trip from New York City, it was a pleasure to stretch the legs and walk, even if it was only from the parking area to the front desk. Our accommodations were in an out building that had once been a "Motel" attached to the Inn over fifty years ago.
Figure 2 - The "Motel" at The Norwich Inn, Norwich, VT
The care in the reconstruction and restoration was not surprising once I entered the main building.
Figure 3 - The Main building of The Norwich Inn, Norwich, VT
I will allow their promotional material fill you in on some basic information in that I can find no fault with its content.
"In 1993 we revived this brewing tradition at the Norwich Inn when Jasper Murdock's Alehouse began producing traditional English-style ales in 5-gallon glass jugs. By 1995 an historic livery building was renovated and outfitted with a new four-barrel brewhouse, enabling 125-gallon batches. Though the vessels are now larger, we remain perhaps the smallest brewery in America, with an annual production of less than 200 barrels. Jasper Murdock's Ales are sold only at the Norwich Inn. As in days gone by, we make just enough ale for the brewer and our guests."
And the description of their brews is also "spot-on."
"Jasper Murdock's Ales are crafted from fine English malts, with hops grown in England and in our own hop garden here at the Inn. Because filtration can strip flavor and body from a beer, the ale yeast is allowed to settle out naturally in an extended cold-aging period to ensure that all the goodness reaches your palate. The beer is then pumped underground from the beer cellars to our pub at the Inn, or packaged in jumbo 22-ounce bottles for sale in our Bottle Shop."
Figure 4 The Brewhouse at The Norwich Inn
(Yes, those are hops growing on the left, and a smoker in the middle.)
Figure 5 - An early evening view of the Jasper Murdock brewhouse.
Figure 6 - Tim, cleaning-in-place.
Figure 7 - Bottling line at The Norwich Inn/Jasper Murdock
Figure 8 - Tim Wilson's hops growing. The Norwich Inn, Norwich, VT
Figure 9 On the left, your humble scribe with Tim Wilson brewer/innkeeper
The brewmaster/owner Tim Wilson (See attached picture.) gave me and my buddy a tour of the brewery and the brewpub part of the inn. As the hour approached midnight, just before last-call, he ushered us into the library. There, hung on the wall, was a print of the old Norwich Meeting House. Set to either side of the building in the print, set back away, were two three-story buildings. They were a familiar design. Well, Tim begins to tell us a story about how this Colonel Partridge founded this military college right there, in Norwich Vermont. He told us that the three-story buildings in the print were the barracks of that college and that soon after that print was made, the barracks caught fire. The brave cadets tried to form a bucket brigade to fight the fire but those rowdy boys from Dartmouth, who didn't take kindly to the Cadets anyway, decided it was time to "rumble" and the barracks burned to the ground. He got quite a chuckle when I told him that I spent the years between 1969 and 1974 as a cadet at the present home of Norwich University, Northfield, VT. Yes, quite a chuckle.Jasper Murdock Ale List:
Whistling Pig Red Ale
Inspired by an Irish classic. Garnet-red in color with a rounded malty flavor and a lingering hop aftertaste.
Old Slipperyskin India Pale Ale
A strong amber ale, full bodied, with a hearty hop flavor and a pronounced hop finish.
Stackpole Porter
A dark ale style dating back to the 1700's. Roasted malt lends chocolate and coffee-like flavors and aromas.
Second Wind Oatmeal Stout
This black ale has the characteristic flavor of dark roasted barley, the sweetness of caramel malt, a full body contributed by oatmeal, and an intense but balanced hop flavor.
Other styles served on tap at Jasper Murdock's Alehouse:
Jasper Murdock's Extra Special Bitter
A rich and flavorful ale, it has a mahogany color and a strong hop aftertaste at the back of the tongue. A touch of molasses contributes a hint of rum to its malty palate.
Fuggle & Barleycorn
Fuggle is the distinctive hop variety which flavors this pale ale, and is one of the few varieties used in brewing today which your great-great- grandfather might also have enjoyed. A classic golden ale.
Oh Be Joyful
Vermont's soldiers in the Civil War used this name for the often frightful concoctions they fermented from hardtack and other camp supplies. We use the moniker as an invitation. Despite its earlier incarnation, we think you'll like this, a classic English Mild Ale. Light and refreshing with very little bittering hops.
Last Pick Pale Ale
Pale amber in color and lightly bittered, this beer uses our home grown hops in the brewing process to impart flavor, and again in the serving cask for aroma. Like none other.
Dr. Bowles' Elixir
Named for the former Innkeeper and Dentist who owned the Inn at the time of the great fire and proceeded to rebuild. We salute his Yankee gumption with this hearty amber brew, laced with Belgian crystal malt and smartly hopped with Norwich Inn hops.
Jasper Murdock's Private Stock
A strong ale, packed with flavor and made with hops from our own hop garden. Extra aging and small batches make this a limited edition brew for special occasions.
That's the story.
Cheers!
Peter LaFrance
( peter.lafrance@beerbasics.com )
