Heady Topper - The Alchemist

kdb150

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Reviewed as drank from the can, as it is made abundantly clear that this is the way to drink it.

A - Since I've had this before and poured it into a glass, and I'm forced to give an appearance score, AND I'm not inclined to base an appearance score off of can art, I recall it being good as far as head, color, and lacing, but a bit cloudy, likely since the can makes it hard to see when to stop pouring to keep the sediment out of the glass.

The rest of this review is from the current can.

S - You get a hint of complex hop aroma from the mouth of the can that smells quite good, but it is obscured by the metallic smell of the can. Points off for that.

T - Whoa. This is the best tasting IPA I've had. It manages to be dank, resiny, citrusy, bright, and with enough of a backbone to not have the hops overwhelm. The hops linger for a minute or so, and then they give way to the honey malt flavor, which lingers a good while longer. You can't really peg a particular hop flavor on this one; the hop profile is far too complex, but it melds together so well that you get all of the flavors without anything sticking out as unbalanced or out of place. Truly remarkable.

M - Nice carbonation, not thick by any means. Perfect mouthfeel to deliver the experience.

O - This is a wonderful beer, head and shoulders above any other IIPA I've had. It loses points for the can thing not really being my bag, and because the amazing flavors don't quite translate to the nose, but this is still the IIPA that beats all the others. Totally worth the hype, and worth seeking out. This beer was painstakingly crafted to not be too boozy, nor too hoppy, nor too malty, and they've absolutely nailed it. The taste is incomparable for the style.

Serving type: can

07-28-2012 03:50:52 | More by kdb150

ajzy

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev -4.9%

05-25-2013 16:45:17 | More by ajzy

mriley1984

Vermont

4.98/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Absolutely love me some Topper. This is by far one of the best beers that I have had. The only other beer in my opinion is the triple play ipa from Lawsons. They upped their production so its pretty easy to get. Still sells out the day of delivery though..

Serving type: can

05-25-2013 16:18:59 | More by mriley1984

Billpare

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +5.7%

05-25-2013 14:00:01 | More by Billpare

sbxx

Illinois

4.48/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Canned 5/15
Big thanks to wyatt13 for sharing a can!

Appearance - Hazy, light yellow. Nice and fresh. Light head that disappears fairly quick. Didn't pour much in the glass. Just enough for a quick look. Drink from the can!!!

Smell - Big. Lots of pine. Background grapefruit, and a little bit of orange peel.

Taste - Massive hops, as expected. More of the citrus comes through in the taste. Astringent pine as well. Big bitter aftertaste that lingers. Packs one hell of a wallop too. Halfway thru the can, I was already buzzed.

Mouthfeel - Heavy body (for a DIPA), medium carbonation, semi-dry, semi-sticky finish

Overall - A damn fine beer, yes. #1 beer ever? No. My first impression was that this is the beer that Surly Abrasive tries to be. It tastes very natural, very raw and overall, very nice. If you love hops, you'll love this. Keep your expectations in check though. It's simply an awesome DIPA. Nothing more, nothing less. Don't compare it to Pliny. Two totally different beers, in my opinion. And both are great!

Serving type: can

05-25-2013 04:39:23 | More by sbxx

jkeefe1800

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev -10.1%

05-25-2013 04:31:49 | More by jkeefe1800

EricDu

New Hampshire

5/5  rDev +5.7%

05-25-2013 04:19:15 | More by EricDu

Rizalini

Nevada

4.91/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Received in a trade from Jeremy6566. Thanks for letting me get my first taste of Heady, greatly appreciated. Poured a little from the can just to see what it looks like, and consumed the rest from the can as advised.

A - Pours a very hazy golden yellow color with 1 finger of white head that hangs around for a while.

S - Smell is pure hoppy goodness! The majority of the hop smell is of the tropical fruit variety... mango, passionfruit.

T/M - The taste of citrus is very dominant on the first taste. On second taste, I get the mango and papaya. Get combination of flavors, and a great resinous hop flavor left on my tongue. Medium mouthfeel, really good carbonation.

O - Winner winner, chicken dinner! This beer is the real deal for any hop head out there. This brew hits all the right notes with me, and I have a hard time finding any flaws with it. Great smell, amazing taste, no alcohol burn. If I could only have 1 IPA to drink for the rest of my life, this would be the one. Cheers to you Jeremy, for without you this awesome expierence would not be possible.

Serving type: can

05-25-2013 03:16:47 | More by Rizalini

Gmanofleisure

New York

4.75/5  rDev +0.4%

05-25-2013 01:37:23 | More by Gmanofleisure

MJSJr

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +0.4%

05-24-2013 21:58:04 | More by MJSJr

tittymcj

Connecticut

4.95/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Picked up a few cases from the brewery this morning. Had first can with my dad this afternoon.

A: Tall, aluminum can, perfectly sized for an adult male hand. Good graphics, and distinctive black pull tab with large mouth opening. Drank from can, as demanded by can.

S: Hop smell upon opening is intoxicating. You can smell it from feet away, literally. Very citrusy, very heavy, almost overbearing.

T: Extreme hoppiness is a shock to your mouth on first sip. Gives way to a more mellow hop flavor after a few seconds. Tons of citrus and bitterness, offset slightly by some malty bread notes.

M: Thick, due to the hop overload. Pleasant though, as the coating it leaves has a beautiful aftertaste.

O: 5. 5. 5. 5. 5. 5. Great beer.

Serving type: can

05-24-2013 20:10:38 | More by tittymcj

rumorsofsurf

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -10.1%

05-24-2013 16:15:42 | More by rumorsofsurf

smitty5245

California

4.75/5  rDev +0.4%

05-24-2013 15:07:45 | More by smitty5245

dar482

New York

5/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I had this recently out of two cans, unfortunately one was absolutely flat with no carbonation. The beer in general has a lovely little bubbled good amount of carbonation. It is actually one of the highlights of this mindblowing beer.

Poured part of it into a glass as it comes in a super hazy unfiltered yellow gold color.

The aroma has a huge brilliant aroma. The best I've smelled from a beer. Pineapple, tropical fruits, mango, grapefruit papaya, almost like a fruit juice, but also this sticky candy sweetness and pine aroma. It's gooey, huge sweetness. It's so darn juicy, no Double IPA has pushed towards how good the aroma is in this.

Your initial hit on your tongue is just a bouquet of fruits and freshness. It's just shocking how much hop and fruity flavors this IPA packs. You get smooth grapefruit, peach, pine bitterness.

it is so smooth after that hit, but then after that, there's a bitter aftertaste that stays in your mouth. This is not meant non-hop heads. It has just huge strong bitterness that is very dry and astringent.

The mouthfeel is where this beer stands out. It's almost like an IPA was mixed with unfiltered fruit juice. There is a round mouthfeel that never cuts thin like other Double IPAs.

It is the best IPA/double IPA I've ever had. What stands out is the perfection of hop bomb/drinkability that this beer has. It pushes towards what a hop head wants, but just completes it with this perfect mouthfeel. No Double IPAs will be able to complete with this complete roundness of mouthfeel and flavor, at least so far.

(I'm literally having Double Trouble right now, which is a world class beer, and I'm just sitting here disappointed and picking apart how good Heady Topper is compared to it.)

Serving type: can

05-24-2013 05:10:49 | More by dar482

SwG237

New York

4.75/5  rDev +0.4%

05-24-2013 03:48:54 | More by SwG237

barnzy78

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

16oz can, poured into a glass for the purposes of reviewing in comparison to other DIPAs, even though they say to drink it from the can.
Cloudy, cloudy tangerine body with a thin, white head that fades to a layer of foam atop the ale, leaving a little lace on its way down. Super fresh aroma, with orange rind, grapefruit, juicy fruit gum, mango. Taste is super fresh again here, with loads of mango, orange rind, mandarin, bitter grapefruit juice, grassy, a little nutty as it warms. Creamy and smooth medium-full body, lower carbonation, finishes bitter but not overly - more like grapefruit juice. Insanely balanced and drinkable. I'll need to get a hold of this again....for my wife. First ever IPA or DIPA she liked! I'll have to try it directly from the can next time.

Serving type: can

05-24-2013 03:16:03 | More by barnzy78

GBallHead

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev -4.9%

05-24-2013 00:30:07 | More by GBallHead

Lurkerson

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +5.7%

05-23-2013 19:57:13 | More by Lurkerson

Boston_Steve

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev -10.1%

05-23-2013 19:15:47 | More by Boston_Steve

JayPatrolVT

Vermont

5/5  rDev +5.7%

05-23-2013 12:03:29 | More by JayPatrolVT

jtdolla911

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +5.7%

05-23-2013 02:25:17 | More by jtdolla911

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

4.75/5  rDev +0.4%

05-23-2013 01:06:25 | More by mikeincharleston

velcrogrip

Florida

5/5  rDev +5.7%

05-22-2013 18:24:18 | More by velcrogrip

melleblond

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +5.7%

05-22-2013 17:17:51 | More by melleblond

adamhand

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +5.7%

05-22-2013 16:21:01 | More by adamhand