Heady Topper - The Alchemist

CharlatanSin

Connecticut

4.9/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Review from notes accumulated while going through a case of HT over 4 weeks. First can was 4 days old, last can was right around a month. Mostly poured into tulips, but had a few straight from the can, too.

A: There's no two ways about it, guys -- the floaties in this beer are ugly. I don't care much about them, and I guess it gives the beer a rustic characteristic, but I've got to ding HT on the pure appearance score. Perfectly attractive beer otherwise. Nice golden amber with a big, puffy off-white head and lots of lacing.

S: The aroma of fresh HT is just wonderful. A complex and unique hop blend. Big pine, tropical fruit, citrus. A bit of caramel malt provides sweet balance. I'm almost having trouble describing it because it's basically perfect (to my own taste). A month in, the aroma is a bit less intense, but no less complicated or outstanding. I'd rank it a 5 after 4 days and a 5 after a month.

T/M: Incredibly juicy. More fruit-like and less pine compared to the nose. Tropical fruit is dominant -- pineapple, mango, what have you. Some of the more traditional citrus -- grapefruit mainly. Also getting a distinct apricot flavor, which somebody once told me was from the proprietary yeast but I'm not sure. Decent amount of caramel and biscuity malt to balance. Like the aroma, it gets a little less intense over a month but no less wonderful. Mouthfeel is slick. Carbonation's a little on the high side. Decently bitter but insanely drinkable. Not a hint of the ABV.

O: This is not going to be my highest rated beer, because of the appearance score, but I think it's my favorite. It's worth every bit of the hype. Make some good friends in Vermont, kids.

Serving type: can

05-20-2013 19:08:07 | More by CharlatanSin

KickbacksSteve

Florida

4.66/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

Drinking from a 16 ounce can, per the can's request. Thanks for this one Cheesemoose. No freshness date. I'm told that this is a "fresh" can. Still not sure why everyone isn't dating their beers. Popped the can, aroma is bursting out of the little hole, pine, grapefruit, packed full of hops, awesome aroma. Taste is resinous and flavorful. Mainly grapefruit but notes of grass and pine. Totally juiced with flavor. Even the burps taste good.

Serving type: can

05-20-2013 03:58:53 | More by KickbacksSteve

Omnium

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Can > 2xIPA Glass

A - Pours an off color amber, 2 finger white head, minor lacing. Lots of yeast floating around.
S - Very dank hop aromas, some pine & spruce, citrus peels, grapefruit, white grape juice.
T - Those dank hops are intense, lots of white grape flavor, pine, spruce and earthy tones, tart apple, and a little sweet malt.
M - Full and well carbonated, easily drinkable.
O - While I'm not on par with the appearance, everything else is solid about this beer, though its not my favorite, nor do I think its worth all the hype. Compared to Pliny, its a no-contest situation, its thoroughly better. This actually delivers, lots of good aroma and the taste is solid, love the big grape flavor in this. Its a shape Alchemy is being too hipster to expand and make other things, or even distribute more.

Serving type: can

05-19-2013 23:29:30 | More by Omnium

Beer-A-Lot

Virginia

4.46/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Had an unexpected opportunity to buy this from someone so jumped on it. Never thought I'd get a chance.

Drank 1/3 from can, then rest from pint.

A - Cloudy, nice full head. Very foamy head with lots of lacing.

S - An amazing aroma, with tons of citrus/grapefruit/lemony and herbal smells. You could find yourself just sniffing the can or glass for . . . minutes. But then you have to drink.

T - Without a doubt, the least hoppy and bitter DIPA I've ever had. Extremely smooth. Not too carbonated. While this isn't my favorite style, if this were the only IPA I ever drank, it probably would be a favorite style. Almost tastes like a sparkling beverage that's been spiked. But better.

M - Rich, creamy, and very smooth.

O - I can understand why people rave about this beer. I found myself saying several time, "Mmm, this is quite good. I'm really impressed" I rarely say that about IPAs. I'll happily drink this again. And again.

Serving type: can

05-18-2013 15:59:24 | More by Beer-A-Lot

JonRogers

Massachusetts

4.84/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

I didn't see the beer in a glass as I drank it from the can as recommended, but I imagine it is beautiful judging from the smell. I also drank it a little on the cold side... to thirsty to wait. Taste is fruitful and as smooth as in Imp IPA gets. Hoppy as hell in the best way. Again, very smooth. I drink IPA's 90% of the time and I cant say I have had a better beer.

Serving type: can

05-18-2013 02:56:27 | More by JonRogers

thegoon55

South Carolina

4.91/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Heady is the real deal.

A- standard golden color, big white head disappears into little lacing.

S- wow. Grapefruit bomb. I love.

T- massive grapefruit notes, pipe, little bit of bitter hops. Lovely.

M- medium perfect body medium carbonation

O- understand why this is the number one beer in the world. Is it the best or my favorite beer? No. But there is nothing wrong with it.

Serving type: can

05-17-2013 00:50:09 | More by thegoon55

skyout

Massachusetts

4.53/5  rDev -4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Very smooth on the mouthfeel with excellent golden color. Very complex flavors, including a slight metallic taste which is common to IPA's of this type. Overall, excellent in all categories. The brewer encourages one to drink from the can, which isn't typical, but definitely adds to the experience.

Serving type: can

05-16-2013 23:07:05 | More by skyout

weonfire

Kentucky

4.65/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

A - Golden/Amber, hazy, 2+ inches big thick fluffy head, light patchy lacing, light carbonation rising, large amount of yeast.

S - Huge citrus, lemon, orange, lovely grapefruit, carmel

T - Dry grapefruit, lemon, citrus, tropical fruit, pine. finish: bitter (8/10), med/high acidity

M - Creamy, super frothy, full body, certainly a piney grapefruit lingerer, excellent carbonation

O - Phenomenal grapefruit, just about perfect IPA mouth. zero booze, love the pine. my only preference happens to be a sweeter opposes to drier IIPA.

Serving type: can

05-15-2013 02:07:28 | More by weonfire

RyanCave

Virginia

4.7/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Poured into a tulip

Appearance: Pours beautiful pale with a red/orange hue. In my opinion the best color for an IPA, the word majestic comes to mind..

Smell: As soon as I cracked it open it was like some smacked me in the face with a pine tree. Incredible amounts of pine. Reminded me of sitting in the forest.

Taste: lots of pine, not too bitter, balanced well in my opinion. Starts piney sweet with some orange with a small bitter aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Nothing remarkable, what you'd expect from an Imperial IPA

Overall: This is probably one of the best DIPA's I've had, perfectly balanced, and a beautiful experience. I'm in the process of securing a case from a friend of mine now.

Thanks to SammyJaxxxx for hooking me up, you're the man!

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 03:51:11 | More by RyanCave

LambicPentameter

Kansas

4.63/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Managed to get 2 cans of this thanks to the kindness of another BA. This is a quick review based on drinking the first one straight outta the can, as directed by said can. I'll review again out of a glass with the next one. No discernible freshness or 'drink by' date to be found.

Appearance - Can't really rate this in fairness, since I drank it straight out of the can. I do like the image of hops literally blowing a guy's mind, but alas I cannot judge the beer's appearance. That being said, I have to score it something, so I'll dock it just a little bit from the overall.

Smell - I will be interested to see how this one smells in a glass, because even out of the mouth of a can, it's intoxicating. Pine, grapefruit, citrus zest, herbal.

Taste - Delicious and balanced. Grapefruit, pineapple and more resinous pine characteristics. Bitterness is almost absent, until the beer is gone, and there is an lingering essence of hop bitters. Refreshing in spite of it's high gravity and pronounced hop presence.

Mouthfeel - Medium-bodied with pronounced but not overpowering carbonation. Finish is clean, with lingering but faint bitterness.

Overall a highly drinkable and flavorful beer. I was admittedly skeptical given the level of praise surrounding this beer, but I was pleasantly surprised. The beer was pretty damn close to the hype that preceded it.

Serving type: can

05-14-2013 01:14:41 | More by LambicPentameter

ClintBEERME

Maine

5/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I wish this beer was a fruit or a vitamin. I wish it was a soap. I wish it was my girlfriend. I wish it was my job. I wish I needed it to live. I wish it wasn't so hard to come across. I want a swimming pool full of Heady Topper that I can freeze in the winter and skate on. I would move to Vermont for this beer. If there is a better beer regularly available on this planet, please by all means let me know of it.

Serving type: can

05-12-2013 22:54:50 | More by ClintBEERME

Zbyler

Connecticut

4.85/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Got to try this for the first time last night at an Allagash tasting event at Decicco's in Brewster.

A- Considering I drank it right from the can (as it so boldly suggests right on the rim) I cannot comment on the appearance. The can is large and silver with a quirky drawing of a mad scientist on the front. It also says "Don't be a D-bag, recycle this can" on the back which I found amusing.

S- Great nose on this beer. Huge citrus hop aroma, grapefruit, orange, pineapple, mango, pine, all mixed together for a lovely bouquet of smells.

T- WOW. Even better than the smell leads on! Fantastic resinous hop flavors, citrus notes, lots of tart grapefruit and pineapple in there as well. Moderately bitter finish, extremely refreshing as well.

M- Amazing mouthfeel on this beer. Moderately carbonated, thick, resinous, oily feel on the tongue.

O- I have had many of the top 250 beers in the recent months and in most cases they did not live up to the hype. This is not one of those cases. Amazing from when you first pop the top to when you take your last sip. Absolutely outstanding beer and it deserves its #1 rating hands down. I had one when I first got to the tasting and then went beer shopping and had to stop and have another on the way out because it makes you crave its deliciousness. Easily my favorite beer that I have had to date.

Serving type: can

05-11-2013 15:25:52 | More by Zbyler

Stevedore

Wisconsin

4.53/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

16oz can with about the first 1/4 drank out of the can, the rest poured into a FFF teku glass and consumed today 5/10/13. Thanks to shagens for the opportunity to drink this 3-4 week old Heady.

UPDATED: Got a fresher can, about one and half weeks old. This is a much better batch and very enjoyable. I'll update with new comments.

Aroma: Holy smokes. Soon as I pop the can: tons of sweet honey, toffee, caramel and biscuits.. followed by quite a bit of tropical fruit- mango, papaya with a bit of grapefruit. Big, big whiffs of tropical fruits. If it drinks anywhere as good as it smells, it's a winner. (5) Still a winner, no change here. (5)

Colour: Can't tell when it's in the can, but once I pour it into the teku, it looks good. Burnt orange, like the University of Texas' school colours. Pours with a nice thick 2cm white head that slowly fades into a bubbly collar that persists. There are bits of lacing that doesn't really stick around, but otherwise a good looking DIPA. At the end of the drink, I poured out the last ounce of the can to see what the floaties looked like- and its nasty. I see why they recommend drinking it out of the can. I don't dock Alchemist for this though. (4) Same deal. It's a nice hazy burnt orange body with great carbonation and solid lacing. (4)

Flavour: A bit disappointing after the nose that I get sniffing the can and then the glass. I get a big malt kick up front, with caramel, toffee, honey and sweet bread. But that only sets the stage for a nice-sized blast of tropical fruit which quickly fades away into a bitter citrus finish. Pretty interesting but it just doesn't quite do it for me. Very good, but I don't feel the components come together quite as well as it does in some of the other DIPAs I've had. (4) Well, the freshness of 3-4 weeks does affect this beer for sure. It's crisper, hoppier and brighter than the first one I reviewed. It's also got a mellow backend that balances the hoppiness. I think the older can had mostly that mellow backend that was not balanced by enough hoppiness so it was overly sweet. I'll bump this up to a 4.5. (4.5)

Mouthfeel: Definitely not lacking in the department. Thicker side of medium body, excellent carbonation, resinous and coats the palate pretty well with the bitter finish- which is mostly citrus and a bit of tropical fruit. I don't feel any heat at all drinking this. (4.5) No change. Very good mouthfeel. (4.5)

Overall: A very nice beer, good drinking experience but I expected a bit more from it. If I compare the overall "drinking experience", it doesn't hold much of a candle to Pliny. I have to think that if I drank it 2 days old, it may be better, but even if it were hoppier (which would be the only difference between 2 days and 25 days), I'm just not having the different components of the beer blending well together. While it's got its malts and hops in spades and full of flavour, somehow they just don't complement each other all that well. Abrasive, even 3 week old cans, pack even more hoppiness and still brings the malts and hops together into an integrated experience better than Heady. I'll give it a few more tries via trading, but I'm not entirely sure I'll go after this one like I do Pliny. (4)

Overall- redux: After reassessing with a fresher can, I'm a bit more impressed with Heady and it drinks very well. I think the hoppiness quotient is where it needs to be- which balances out the sweet maltiness that predominated the older can. It does come together in a better way which I definitely appreciate. It's hoppy as hell though in a very non-subtle manner. Pliny is hoppy in a more subtle way- mainly in the aroma and flavour (intense grapefruit and citrus), but not so much the bitter aftertaste like Heady gets that starts burning off my palate. But the fresher can is more drinkable and I'm very appreciative of Mr. Kimmich's beer here. (4.5)

Serving type: can

05-11-2013 03:00:59 | More by Stevedore

mjtiernan

New York

4.65/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

16oz can - Started drinking right from the can and then poured into an oversized stemmed tulip.

A: Orange color with medium haze. Solid finger of white head on top. Quite a bit of spotty lacing.

S: Tons of citrus and sweet-smelling tropical fruit. Such a nice mixture of hop aromas. Couldn’t be more inviting.

T: First few sips from the can were very flavorful, but I preferred drinking it from a glass. Mostly citrus (grapefruit) and tropical fruit (mango). Some residual sweetness and finishing with a nice bitterness, but not too strong. The bitterness does linger on your tongue for a while. Just awesome.

M: Starts sweet and then finishes dry and biting. Hop oils coat your mouth. Medium carb.

O: To be honest, I didn’t want to bother with this review. Just wanted to drink the beer. I was afraid that I wasn’t going to love this, but no worries....it’s delicious.

Serving type: can

05-10-2013 02:06:02 | More by mjtiernan

schnarr84

Alberta (Canada)

4.75/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

pint can half poured into sam adams perfect glass and half in can.
cant believe i finally get to try this. only about 4 weeks old too.

Tons of sediment when poured. no shit, with the amount of hops in this im sure their filter room is working overtime.

SIck aroma. crazy hop flavor. literally tastes like the hop storage room at the brewery i work at smells like. great mouthfeel, feels like such a light beer. almost a different experience drinking straight from the can. same mouthfeel but a bigger hop blast. this beer is obviously insanely hyped and for good reason. i could drink a case. even at 8% it feels like a sessionable ipa

Serving type: can

05-09-2013 06:53:20 | More by schnarr84

MRsojourner

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

the look outside of the can is super hazy....but what do you expect with this many hops! the foamy light head persisted till the end of the glass.
the smell is citrus and a strange musty aroma.
the taste is not that bitter at all....it's like super hop orange juice that is very drinkable. it keeps you coming back. very easy to drink given the abv level and hop usage. very glad I got to try this and will drink it out of the can next time to see if there is any difference given there recommendation.

Serving type: can

05-09-2013 00:52:44 | More by MRsojourner

basickness

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev -11%
look: 1 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

i searched low and high for this bad boy. i listened to the directions and drank straight from the can. no idea how old it was when i got it. IPA's are my go to all the time, and this thing is awesome. i will say not worth the $15 a can ive seen charged for it, but i'd drop an easy $8 on it.

Serving type: can

05-08-2013 17:01:20 | More by basickness

IrishKevin

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Had a real hard time getting this beer. A friend hooked me up with 1 can from his 4 pack.
My expectations were really high to finally try this. Split it with my brother who was also trying it for the first time.

Poured into a pint glass out of can.

Grapfruit and citrus hop aroma jumped out of the glass which was awesome.

Taste followed the nose extremly hop forward, which was to be expected. Citrus notes stood out the most to me. Hard time tasting the malt. Very fresh with extremly long aftertaste.

Overall, I was not that impressed, maybe because my expectaions were too high. Still a great beer, especially if you love this style. Need to try directly from can.

For what it is worth my brother absolutly loved it.

Serving type: can

05-08-2013 15:38:06 | More by IrishKevin

magictacosinus

California

4.93/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I'm so glad that angrybabboon could provide me plenty of these for the coming weeks. I've already had this once, but I'm reviewing it today 15 days since canning day - about the widely considered perfect time to drink this. For this review, I got a bit experimental. I love how this is in the can, but I poured it alongside in a glass and reviewed both side by side - half in the glass, with the other half with the remaining sediment in the can. Poured into a teku glass.

Appearance:
Can: Has a silver label with a fun, delightful illustration showing what could be the brewmaster himself demonstrating the wonderful hoppy things to come. Not having this in the glass is the only downside of drinking this out of the can, but I can live with that.
Glass: Pours a sunset orange amber complete with a frothy as hell, bubbly head. I left the sediment in the can, so it looks slightly hazy with a good deal of floaties. Patches of carbonation streak the glass's edges, as does lacing. Head eventually vanishes, with very frothy bubbles remaining at the sides. Slightly hazy without the extra gunk. Looks very pretty and rustic, and very much near perfect in its presentation as a full-bodied, rich DIPA.

Smell:
Can: Huge, earthy, hoppy citrus rind zest immediately captivates my nose, with slight tropical fruits to boot. Guava, papaya, oranges, limes, lemons, hop vine mineral-y characteristics, as well as a pungent, floral finish. This has everything you'd expect in the style, only incredibly well spread out and balanced. No metallic aftertaste from the can. Yeasty phenols are all out here, in in a way that's delightfully funky yet sharp and robust. Cannot smell any alcohol, although there is a slight sweetness underneath. No malts or grains here - the hops are completely victorious. Absolutely unlike any DIPA I've ever had.
Glass: It's incredible how much this loses a lot of the hoppy, resinous profile when poured in the glass. While there's still a strong, sharp flavor of well dried citrus notes, and maybe some apricot and grassiness, a lot of the tropical flavors are pretty much gone, and the malty flavor is far more present, in a classic East Coast, caramel/toffee profile. Slightly funky and rustic for sure, but a lot of that initial earthy flavor has definitely been lost.

Taste and Mouthfeel:
Can: I think the first time I ever took a sip of HT straight out of the can, my head exploded. This is unbelievably good and lives up to every bit of hype. Right at the front of the tongue there's a juicy, creamy, completely refreshing cascade of hoppy and fruity flavors, ranging from oranges to lemons to mangoes to papaya and pineapple in a way that seems to last forever. TONS of grapefruit. However, rather than feel sweet and overwhelming, these fruity phenols are immediately followed by a pungent, dank, earthy flavor in the sense that takes you to the core of the hop aromas in a fresh, lively, and robust manner. Some slight butterscotch, maybe even toffee aromas follow, but the hops do their job and finish in a ridiculously astringent manner to the point of nearly tying up the tongue in knots, only to release and reveal the smoothened creaminess from the well carbonated feel of the beer, thickness of the malts and oils, and well accentuated alcohol bite that goes down well and warms up the throat in the long run. Thick, hearty, juicy, and pretty much fabulous. It's not balanced, but it's flawless as far as great drinking experiences go. Never thought I'd ever say it, but here we are.
Glass: Out of the glass, it's delicious as well, although you get far less of those earthy flavors, as expected. The only difference otherwise is it feeling a little bit more balanced and allowing the malty syrupy feel to meld with the remaining hop oils, which still gives it the impression of being a full-bodied and well integrated beer. Less tropical notes too, although there's a delightful grassy flavor that sticks around and combines very well with the citrus. Definitely more mellow than out of the can, but still world class.

It's clear that the full experience of this beer lies in the can, and it's definitely how I'll be drinking my Heady Toppers from now on, regardless of how pretty it looks to me. This is really an experience unlike any other, and while it remains an world class beer in the glass... Out of the can, it's utterly mind blowing with all of its flavor, earthy nuances, and scarily drinkable qualities. I could have every day, but its intensity (especially out of the can) does not make it as versatile or diverse as my #1 rated beer, Pliny. However, this is unbelievable and is too good not to stay in my top 5 forever. Hate to add to any hype, but this was worth every damn penny. Do seek it out. It's simultaneously glorious and humble. It's super flavorful but never overwhelming. It's designed for anyone to enjoy of any background, if they enjoy a good beer. Absolutely brilliant.

Serving type: can

05-08-2013 06:44:57 | More by magictacosinus

tastyville

California

4.93/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

My homeboy Javier at Vendome Wine and Spirits in Placentia had a can of this. He knows to go to the backroom where he keeps all his exclusive collection when I arrive. He brought a can of this out and I asked him what he would trade for it. He said he would take $4. What a steal! I shared it with my other homeboys at Art and Craft Brews (and homegirls). They all got excited when I showed up with it. You should have seen their eyes open up and mouth the words Oh My God! So here is my review, trying my very best not to be biased since I'm west coast and the west is the best...
It poured out a bit murky- I expected it to have been filtered, but the color was a nice golden orange. The aroma was a prelude to nice balance. Exactly what is to be expected from an exquisite IPA- rich pine, citrus and apricot all in a perfect blend- and in that order! The taste was very smooth. I only had two gulps so I had to make them count! Like I said the aromas were a prelude to the taste and it tasted very predictable (which is good) and inviting. The rich flavor profile and dynamic masks the alcohol which is very nice too. I just wish it was filtered to get a more acute, pure flavor without the murk masking anything. The aluminum in the can added to the brightness of flavor. Very close to Pliny the Younger, which nobody could help but compare it to. What makes this slightly inferior was that it is nearly 4% less ABV than Younger and not as smooth. So there. Can't wait for another can! The hunt is on.

Serving type: can

05-07-2013 15:39:15 | More by tastyville

BenTenison

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Having had this beer on multiple occasions...I can not say enough about Heady Topper. When compared to the other top DIPA's I've had there is a few traits that set this beer apart from the rest. The main two are its balance and drink-ability. It is an unrelenting wave of hops across the palate yet still has you coming back for more.

A - Appearance on this beer is perfect. Hazy, unfiltered, and loaded with yeast. While some may count such characteristics against the beer I prefer unfiltered beer. Makes the beer feel less refined and more what it truly is, just a beer.

S - The smell you pick up as you crack a can is an assault of grapefruit on your nose. It never truly fades and if drunk from the can the aroma lingers for days after consumption.

T - Grapefruit and pine, a mixture of citrus and hop bitterness that bombards your tongue with flavor but never goes overboard.

M - I chill my cans to ice cold before drinking and I like to let it warm as I drink it, the mouth feel from a heavily chilled can comes off as crisp and refreshing and it thins as it warms with a growing bitterness.

Overall - While I can understand why some people do not regard Heady Topper to be the best beer in the world or even the best double IPA, I personally enjoy Heady Topper in any and all situations. I give this beer a perfect score because no matter my mood, location, or food pairing I can always enjoy a can of HT. John Kimmich is also a super friendly hands on brewer who truly cares about the beer he brings to market.

Serving type: can

05-07-2013 06:34:52 | More by BenTenison

JerryG

Oregon

4.75/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75

This is one well hyped beer. Usually that would make for some disappointment, however this one lives up to the hype... Almost. I had a friend from NH ship out a 4 pack about six months ago, of which I distributed 3 and drank one. I have just had a case shipped out, and am enjoying the rare nice weather here with this beer.

Great complete hoppy nose, like the best imperial/double IPA's the hops fill the full spectrum of smell and flavor. I disagree with keeping it in the can. I think it is better served in a chalice where you can appreciate the plethora of smells.

In my opinion, the Northeast style of DPA is too malty. This one is more malty than Pliny, but not too much and is still about right to balance the bitterness of the hops.

The single most unique characteristic of this beer is the drinkabililty. Despite the strong flavors, after you are finished, you want more. It should be leaving a strong aftertaste, but it doesn't. In that respect it is a 5/5.

Serving type: can

05-06-2013 22:48:55 | More by JerryG

JohnnyMc

Ohio

4.73/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Oh man look out for the hype train!!! ;)

So you're supposed to drink this from the can, but I wanted to try some from a glass too so I poured a little out.

This pours a very hazy golden orange with a finger of off-white head.

The aroma is very floral, there is some pine, grapefruit and some citrus as well. Not really any malt that I can detect.

The taste is very hop forward with a good amount of floral, pine, grapefruit and orange right up front. There are some sweeter tropical fruit notes like peach and mango too. There is a bit of caramel malt, but not too much and to just add some balance to the beer.

The body is medium and the mouthfeel is crisp and clean, but leaves some hop residue on the tongue. The alcohol is extremely well hidden and it's very, very easy to drink.

You definitely wanna drink this from the can because it really does enhance the hop flavors compared to pouring it in a glass. This is a great DIPA, but certainly not my favorite. It has very nice flavors, but I prefer a more intense DIPA and more tropical, juicy fruit notes too. Definitely worth trying, but nowhere near perfect in my eyes.

Serving type: can

05-06-2013 21:56:32 | More by JohnnyMc

BlurryVisi0n

New York

4.66/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Drank from the can itself, but served a portion of it unto a 3 ounce snifter for appearance purposes.

Appearance: From the small portion served in the glass it's a semi-cloudy gold with a thin white head rising to 1/3" settling quick without touching the glass.

Smell: heavy citrus skin, strong wet hops. I admit it disappears quick but it's super unique.

Taste: Strong bitterness, hardcore citrus does it live up to the hype...really depends on your palates. If you life floral this brew delivers. On top even more grapefruit, coming off a hint sweet.

Mouth: Heavy carbonation, with bubbly texture all over. Best move on this take your time, letting it sit in the can still after minutes upon minutes carbonation still there with a heavy floral finish. A rarity, a beer when served unto the glass; it actually loses property...I compared this to the small portion I had sitting here in the glass and the glass was much "flatter". Doesnt hurt for you to try the same method.

Overall: Awesome...is it my favorite ipa? Definitely not but probably maybe my top 10 but considering what I want in DIPAs. Thank you to Tap and Barrell here in Smithtown for carrying this gem. Salud!

Serving type: can

05-06-2013 21:33:42 | More by BlurryVisi0n

jtierney89

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured into glass despite what the can said, super hazy with lots of bits and what looks like hop bits floating around in a bright orange glow. Sticky bright white head. Tons of resinous hops on the nose. Grapefruit pine citrus and floral.

A wonderful delivery of hop flavor. Not overbearing, but full of flavor, balance is beautiful. Flavor is like the nose, malt bill extremely well hidden and really showcases the hops.

Serving type: can

05-06-2013 15:48:42 | More by jtierney89