Beer 271: Heady Topper and Naked Topper

I am strangely dumbfounded by the number of people I see driving around without shirts on. I could almost understand it on a warm Saturday afternoon. Maybe you just went swimming or worked outside all day...ok. But at 7:45am on a Thursday? In a car on the highway? That is just weird.

I'll contrast my musings on naked-on-toppers with a can of Heady Topper.

Brewed in Vermont by The Alchemist, Heady Topper is a double IPA with an ABV of 8%. The label suggested that I drink it from the can so I did. Evidently that preserves the hop aroma. The can also suggests avoiding being a d-bag by recycling the can. I have to assume that the brewer John Kimmich has something to do with these suggestions. That makes me really like him.

This beer also really makes me like John Kimmich. This beer makes me think he's a genius. It smells of pine and resin. Maybe some citrus? Curiosity got the better of me and I ended up pouring a tiny sample into a glass to find out what color it is. Bright golden yellow in fact.



The flavor is potent...to say the Heady-Topper is hoppy is an understatement. But it strikes a balance between lots of hops and the extreme punch you in the throat over-hopped beers. This double IPA finds the exact level of hop that makes a beer a winner in my book.

I also noted grapes and pineapple as I was savoring it and also remarked on the nice dry finish it had. This beer is best enjoyed fresh. I'm not sure how old this can is...definitely a few months since we took possession of it. Is it better closer to the canning date? Hopefully I'll luck into another can soon and will report back.

This is a very good beer. Go out and find yourself a friend in Vermont and enjoy one yourself. Sadly The Alchemist saves all the goodness for the citizens of Vermont exclusively. Cheers!

Go For the Gold TodayI

Beer #268 Heady Topper / The Alchemist, Waterbury, VT

Lost in the excitement of the weekend was the fact we're now under 100 days to go for this blog adventure! Plenty of good beer in the books, plenty of good beers still to come.  People always say if you love what you do, it won't feel like work, and that's completely true here.  Now, if I can just figure out how to get someone to pay me money to do this, I'll really be set...

I'll celebrate this milestone with a great beer: Heady Topper from The Alchemist.  The can is clearly labeled with, "Drink from the can!", so I did.  However, curiosity got the best of me, which led to a quick pour of a splash into a glass, which showed off a very light amber color.  The aroma is straight up hops, with wonderful notes of grapefruit and piny hops.  When you take a sip, you get the perfect amount of hop bitterness.  This isn't an IPA that's trying to bury you under a mound of hops just because it can.  Instead, the flavor has a welcome bitter undercurrent, with a strong citrus and pine backbone, and a nice malt balance.  Truly a fantastic and very easy drinking beer; without a doubt a standout among the IPA crowd.  This beer (which was a gift from a fellow beer geek!) and brewery has earned a spot in my Top 25 list for being so awesome - the second brewery from Vermont to do so this year.

I like it in the can.

Right now, The Alchemist is only producing Heady Topper, although there are plans underway to add additional capacity and to can other beers as well.  If you're looking for this beer, good luck if you're not in Vermont - they currently do not ship outside their home state, although obviously I hope that changes sooner rather than later.

Thing to Think About Today:
Alchemy commonly refers to attempts through the ages to turn ordinary metals into precious metals such as gold.  Not sure anyone has figured that one out just yet, although The Alchemist Brewery certainly turns his ingredients into some amazing beer.  In the spirit of pursuit of gold, we'll let The Black Keys wrap things up today with Gold on the Ceiling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yCIDkFI7ew

Back to work tomorrow, so let's enjoy the rest of today, shall we?