Heady Topper - The Alchemist

IrishKevin

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev -18%
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

siege06nd

Virginia

3.9/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into my Jackie O's snifter. Shared with IrishColonial.

A: Heady Topper pours a darky, rusty orange color. Fairly cloudy. A massive, fluffy three finger head erupts from a fairly aggressive pour. The head color is somewhere between eggshell white and cream. Fantastic lacing and head retention. Excellent.

S: Mmmm, pineapple, creamy citrus, and just a faint touch of pine resin. Very balanced and smooth bouquet going on here. Simply bursting with the promise of a massive (yet balanced) hop bomb.

T: Contrary to the smell, I'm getting a prominent pine resin flavor here. Fairly bitter, but not harshly so. I prefer mine a little creamier and citrusier, the finish here is too bitter.

M: Really nice. Flavors are well-balanced. Relatively light carbonation and an ever so slight malt shine. Nicely done.

O: This is a fine IPA. Well-balanced, hits the right notes, and has a nose that rivals any out there. An overly-bitter finish holds it back, but I wouldn't dissuade anyone from picking this one up.

Serving type: can

11-19-2011 19:50:43 | More by siege06nd

shleepy

California

3.9/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from can into snifter glasses.

A: Golden color. Very hazy, with plenty of sediment floating around.

S: Some floral hops, but mainly tons of citrus.

T: Tastes pretty dry (in a good way). The bitterness is not extreme, though some stays in the aftertaste. The main flavors are very pleasant - floral and citrusy (though less citrusy than I expected from the smell). Any bready malt flavor is masked or balanced quite well by the hops.

M: Medium body and carbonation. Certainly not as heavy as would be expected based on the ABV.

O: Quite a nice IPA. I wasn't expecting much, given that it's an East Coast brewery (no offense, but the hoppy beers are not necessarily as world-renowned as some of the West Coast ones), but I was pleasantly surprised.

Serving type: can

05-02-2012 05:33:34 | More by shleepy

Goldorak

Quebec (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had this bad boy more than once at the brewer's fest, but was salivating when I saw they had it on cask at the pub.

Appearance: Creamy, satiny smooth and lushious orange, with a burly head. It really was a heady topper!

Smell: Hop damn! Resinous, gooey cascade, piney, patchouli, weed and citrus.

Taste: Wicked bitter, but feels almost milky in the gullet (thank you mister cask!). An all-out hop attack, the malt can't do anything but surrender to this unstoppable force. The hops were so intense that I actually had my fill of it, and spent the rest of my weekend drinking lambics and other low-alpha acid brews. I loved it and will have it again, but not 2-3 pints in one session.

Serving type: cask

07-21-2005 20:26:40 | More by Goldorak

PhunkLover

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks Spence. Pint Can. Super haxzy orange ameber with a medium sized white head. Nose is full of hop resin, some sweetness, citrus. Flavor is similarly super resinous, sweet, mild bitterness. Pretty tasty, alcohol slightly noticeable. This is a very good beer and if you like super resinous double ipa's than this is probably your thing. To me, it was a little too sweet and green and lacked complexity.

Serving type: can

09-26-2011 14:52:26 | More by PhunkLover

writerLJBerg

Oregon

3.93/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Trade from JMRSN. Thanks!

4oz poured into glass to get a view of the appearance. The rest tasted from the can as per instructions.

A: Cloudy straw color. My previous can had some floaters in it, but this is devoid of the blobs.

N: Missing the hop blast I'd hoped for. Grapefruit, pineapple, pine. This falls really short of the high water mark of Sculpin, IMO.

T: Bitter hop goodness. Plenty of earth and pine with pineapple, mango, and pineapple laced through. This is well balanced and the 8% is muted if not non-existent altogether. Definitely finishes bone dry.

Mouthfeel: Expands across the palate. No complaints here.

Overall: Definitely enjoyable, and a beer I'll be glad to have time and time again. I just wish I got more than a whisper of hop on the nose.

Serving type: can

05-04-2012 02:59:53 | More by writerLJBerg

yeahnatenelson

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance -- Pours a gently hazed golden toast hue with amber highlights and a slim sudsy white head. Not much in the lacing department.

Smell -- Firm honey malt base, lots of floral aromatic hops, and pine forest. There is a definitive whiff of diacetyl - slightly strong, though not too off-putting.

Taste -- Big flavors. Primarily pine resin from the hops along with floral and lychee flavors, There is a none-too-subtle caramel malt sweetness underlying all of the hop flavors. Diacetyl is perceptible in the flavor, though not as intensely as in the nose; think Alpine Brewing. Incredibly long resinous finish with lingering flavors of caramel malt sweetness and flowers. I should also add that the alcohol is frighteningly well-hidden.

Mouthfeel -- Medium-bodied, slightly light carbonation. A definite oily feel is on the tongue. It's good, but not stunning.

Overall -- This was a beer I was very excited to try, and while it's very good, I'm not sure if it necessarily deserves the unwavering praise it receives. Good flavors overall, and if it were distributed around me I'd consider picking it up whenever I needed a lupulin fix, but the lingering oily/bitter finish made me keep going back to my glass to get the taste out of my mouth.

If I had a blind tasting with Heady Topper and the Alpine Brewing IPA lineup, I don't know that I'd be able to pick it out of the bunch. I'm not sure if this says more about Alchemist or Alpine...

Additional Notes - The first can I opened was so full of sediment that I couldn't finish it. It looked like somebody had dumped sand into my glass. Pour carefully.

Serving type: can

09-15-2011 22:43:52 | More by yeahnatenelson

Arbitrator

California

3.98/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Chilled bottle into a glass. Thanks to the numerous Vermonters who showered me in offers of sending this: Drazzamatazz, iwantmorehops, youbrewidrink, and KristinCooks. There are some VERY generous people in that region.

A: Pours a hazy, unfiltered burnt orange-amber body. The off-white head is very thin and minimal, though it lasts the duration of the drink as a nice collar on the beer. I prefer my IPAs to be clear and filtered in appearance, so that and the small head are my complaints. If it weren't for the overweighting of the apperance category, that would remain a small factor in the overall score. It should be noted that the comments above refer to a gently-poured first glass. The second glass, which captured all the sediment, was very turbid.

S: Juicy grapefruit, mangoes, tangerine, pineapple. Like Pliny the Elder, those aromas are adorned with notes of pine needles, dried leaves, and spice. A very dry aroma that offers only the smallest cracker scent. A hop showcase plain and simple. Very complex and inviting.

T: A delicious smorgasbord of citrus flavors. It's almost in the same range as Kern River Citra in terms of pure hop flavor, though Citra has (duh) more of a straight citrus profile. Here, juicy mangoes, grapefruit, pineapple and tangerine come together with pine needles, leaves, and a slightly spicy finish. As noted in the nose, there is no substantial malt flavor to worry about, except for a slight cracker / bread taste. A fair amount of lingering bitterness, though it's not nearly as sharp as Ephraim was (the first competitor I can think of in the conversations about Vermont DIPAs).

To my palate, it could afford to step back the bitterness or dial up the sugars a bit. Or, just change the malt character to complement the hop flavors. In the second half of the bomber, the malt backbone felt thin and listless. Not enough to ruin the beer, since the hops are so well-done, but in light of the bitterness (which was stronger in the second glass, perhaps because I captured all the hop sediment), it begins to feel like thin hop juice (or hop water - thanks Tim) toward the end.

M: The bitterness and lacking malt backbone prevented the first glass from being a perfect 5 in my book. Otherwise, the medium body is supported by low-medium bubbles that showcase an ample array of flavors. The beer is dry, and confidently so: it doesn't have huge bursts of alcohol to cover up with sugars. Really well-crafted stuff. I took it down a peg on the second glass owing to the complaint above: the malt backbone is lacking, and the beer feels thin.

D: The sharp bitterness hurts drinkability, but I loved the first half of the bomber and continued to enjoy the second.

I'm convinced, given the freshness of this one (~10 days old) that I'm getting something pretty close to the full experience. I don't agree that this is better than Pliny the Younger (this is much more balanced than the latter, so it's a poor comparison to start with). But I agree it's in the same conversation as Pliny the Elder.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2010 01:55:01 | More by Arbitrator

Solomon420

California

3.98/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Sean Lawson for the bottle.
A: honey amber color with lots of floaties, which detracts from the appearance. If it didnt have these in there, it would be a 4+ in this category
S: piney citrus hop blast, smells yummy
T: grapefruit and hops, pine needles, bitter bite of a good IPA
M: medium bodied, oily but smooth and bitter, but not too much bitterness, well balanced
D: Its a good Double IPA, hoppy and bitter. However not in the top 5 and definately not a standout amongst the more familiar West Coast style Double IPAs. It reminded me of Stone Ruination.
However to be fair, it was sent across country and not as fresh as it could be. I will reserve final judgement if I ever get to drink this superfresh.
Overall, one of the better East Coast IPAs I have had.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2011 02:17:41 | More by Solomon420

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter despite the can's instructions. I love the "Don't be a D-bag, recycle this can!" on the back.

3.5 A: Lightly hazed dark orange color. Small particulates throughout. Two and a half fingers of white frothy/creamy hybrid head. Retention is good and some lacing is left.

4.5 S: Nice nose on this. Incredibly floral with orange and mango citrus. Can't really pick up in terms of malts other than a light neutral sweetness and a touch of breadiness.

4.0 T: Surprisingly sweet and bitter at the same time. Pithy grapefruit with orange, papaya, and mango citrus. Malts and yeast give a hearty dose of breadiness and graham cracker.

4.0 M: Medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Reasonably creamy with a light bitter aftertaste.

4.0 D: Solid brew, though I'm not huge on bready DIPAs. Still, I'd have no problem putting down a few of these.

Serving type: can

10-20-2011 23:01:01 | More by DavoleBomb

pezfiend

New York

3.98/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Serving type can

Apperance - N/A (It says on the can, drink from the can. As far as I know... The can looks cool!)

Smell - Resin, citrus, heavy pine, grapefruit

Taste - Heavy on the citrus and tropical fruits, pineapple, orange and grapefruit really comes through, a little grassy as well.

Mouthfeel - Light and bubbly, little resin, I actually feel like I'm drinking a light IPA but know it's going to do some damage later on to my liver. Drinkability much like the Cpt. Lawrence Imperial IPA. Goes down very smooth and warms the belly too.

Overall - Excellent beer, wish I could get more but it doesn't get up to New York often especially Long Island. Had a buddy at a pub share one, and a friend from a bevy sell me one. It's good to be friends with your distro guys.

Serving type: can

03-10-2012 00:42:45 | More by pezfiend

Thickfreakness

New York

3.98/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Chunks and chunks of floating shit in this brew. Looks like a lava lamp, or the Long Island sound during late summer. Nice foamy head at first, fades away and leaves a nice ring of lacing. I have never seen a beer this disgusting to look at. Looks like a bunch of lugees floating in my beer.

S- Fresh harvested honey, some hints of citrus, mostly orange and tangerine. Smells of wet hay, pineapple, mango and some funkiness. I really like this! It's not IIPA so to speak, but it's really fantastic! Lots of sweet maltiness.

T- Green tea, honey, mulch, and a ton of pineapple, mango, and citrus. Might be old, or maybe it's supposed to be this way.. not sure. Reminds me of Hopslam... lots of honey sweetness, with some citrus character. No real definition to this brew. Sweet and citrusy. It wishes it was DFH 120 without the balls to be such!

M- Caramel, rotted citrus peel and wet hay. By far the thickest IIPA I've ever experienced.

O- Horrible to look at, AMAZING to sit and smell... tastes sweet and has a nice honey citrus flavor. Almost too sweet for an IIPA. Not enough citrusy punch for my liking. Very unusual and glad I tried it. Big thanks to Ubufan2112 for hooking me up! I'd certainly love to try this one again. This woulda scored much higher if it weren't for the appearance.

Serving type: can

03-26-2012 22:36:19 | More by Thickfreakness

Bierman9

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My last bier of the night (16APR09) with dinner... The Holey Moley having kicked, this was the one to satisfy my hop habit...

Listed at 8.20% now, my 12oz flute was filled with a flat, dull, apricot-colored liquid. It was a bit cloudy, with a creamy tan head and good stick. Nose was quite fruity, with citrus and hints of tropical action weighing in. Solid mouthfeel here; body was easily medium, and it felt quite good on the tongue.

Topper had a touch of toasty malt at the outset, with subtle caramel, then segues into lots of citrus and rindy-ness. Some grapefruity resins coat the palate, and last quite well in the finish. Not as robust in the hop department as Holey Moley, but quite tasty nonetheless. Prosit!!

4
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | drink: 4

1120

Serving type: on-tap

04-20-2009 14:29:08 | More by Bierman9

kbutler1

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle. Pours a light amber straw yellow color with a slight white head. Some sediment floating around. Danky type aroma of citrus and some pine type notes, some onion as well. Some lace. Medium mouthfeel. Slighlty sweet taste with a strong hop bitter flavor. Lingering bitterness. Does it live up to the hype? Hmm, it's decent but nothing that I think warrants the hype that it gets.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2010 21:17:38 | More by kbutler1

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

4/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 16 oz. can into a tulip. Thanks to CharlieMurphy for dropping this in my box.

Appearance: Out of the can, Heady Topper has a bright orange amber color, slightly hazy, with a soft sea foam froth.

Smell: Pale malt, some honey, and a long drawn out bitterness. Pine, grapefruit, and a little spice.

Taste: The flavor starts with a little malt sweetness and toasted grains, then moves to a blend of hoppy bitterness - pine, grapefruit, and a bit of herbal spice. The finish is a straight bitterness.

Mouthfeel: The body is slightly fuller than medium. Grainy character, with some hoppy resin from the middle to the end. Medium carbonation.

Overall: This has a strong, pleasant bitterness, with the hop flavors taking a backseat. Good, but I don't see how it really differentiates itself from the top notch DIPA's.

Serving type: can

10-14-2011 04:29:34 | More by KickInTheChalice

Wasatch

Utah

4/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks goes out to Hojaminbag, and dsgolovin for this brew.

Poured into my Roosters true pint glass a very nice cloudy golden orange color, lots of floaties also, very nice carbonation, with a very nice one-finger thick creamy off-white head, with some nice sticky lacing left behind. The second I popped this open I could smell hops, the nose is hoppy, with a nice little malt blend, a very nice citrus note, and some nice pineyness. The taste is slightly sweet, hoppy, malty, with some nice citrus notes, and pines. Medium body, with a nice slightly bitter/dry finish, pretty chewy also. Just had a side by side comparsion with a fresh bottle of Pliny the Elder and this brew (fresh also), looks and taste are a HUGE difference, no comparision at all, the PtE wins hands down. I cannot go with the hype on this brew at all, nice but no where near the hype, sorry. This is a nice DIPA in a can, and I have another can also, LOL Thanks Ben and David.

Serving type: can

02-10-2012 00:39:09 | More by Wasatch

BrewerB

California

4/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Huge, huge thanks goes out to aasher, one of the best BA's out there for hooking me up with this beer. Not only am I grateful to Al for this can but I'm also grateful for the Surly Darkness snifter I poured a sampled into (the rest being enjoyed from the can per the brewery's guidance).

Poured a hazy yellow with a thin crop of white foam sitting on top. Lacking head retention although some lacing clings to the glass.

My favorite part of this beer was the nose which showcased intense citrus hop aroma with an initial burst of grapefruit and then some lemon wedged between a back-end of tangerine. Detecting some grassiness as well. Cleanly fermented.

Prominent grapefruit in the flavor combining with an herbal/grassy component. Very high level of bitterness that I find somewhat harsh and detracting from drinkability. Finishes a touch sweeter with a mandarin-like fruitiness.

Medium-light in body, moderately carbonated. Slightly viscous mouthfeel was unexpected, perhaps due to hop oils. Also picking up some astringency and a warming sensation.

Layered complexity in the hop aroma is a real treat here but the bitterness is somewhat harsh and hinders drinkability. Wishing for something smoother. Certainly a very good beer but there's definitely room for improvement.

Serving type: can

03-22-2012 01:48:36 | More by BrewerB

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours out a hazy, light yellow-orange body strewn with fine particles and topped with a barely off-white head.

Smell: Heavy, heady resins, staunch florals, crushed aspirin tablets, and a squirt of white grapefruit juice over a thin cracker-toned malt base.

Taste: Lightly bready, lightly crackery malts with just a little bit of honeyish sweetness. Strongly floral, heavily resinous rounded with a fruity kick of grapefruit. Medium-high bitterness. Dry, citrusy, pithy finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Oily mouthfeel.

Overall: Not bad. Not bad at all.

Serving type: can

04-05-2012 15:49:05 | More by ChainGangGuy

jibbyvonjibb

California

4/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Copper color. Large fluffy white head. Sediment floating.

S: Grapefruit. Tropical fruit. Some pine.

T: Nice balance. Fruity flavors and some maltiness balance bitterness. Finishes quite dry.

M: Medium body. Medium carbonation.

O: Quite good. About as good as IPA's get. And actually drinkable!

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2012 03:02:54 | More by jibbyvonjibb

doppelmeup

North Carolina

4/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer was kind of hard to review. The can is stamped all over with "Drink from can" so that is how I had it. Very hard to rate appearance with a beer in a can. So, I'll give it a 4.0, assuming from the rest of the characteristics that it would look good in a glass.

Aroma coming out the can was almost all grapefruit.

Taste was full of hops, yet had a nice caramel base underneath that really added balance. Very citrusy, some pine and cut grass.

Mouthfeel was very thick. Lots of hop-oils that left a lasting sticky, dry feeling.

Overall, I liked this beer a lot - not sure about drinking from the can instead of pouring into a glass, however that is how the brewer recommended so who am I to argue?

Serving type: can

07-25-2012 03:24:42 | More by doppelmeup

JRoth420

California

4/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

I also didn't buy into the hype of "Drink it from the Can" because I wanted to see what I was working with. I can see why they wanted me to though, because there was a ton of gnarly looking sediment in my glass when it was all said and done.

Aroma was really nice, but not quite as strong as I was expecting from reading all of the reviews and hearing from friends.

Great tasting IPA for sure, but not nearly as aggressive as most of the West Coast styles that I am accustomed to like Pliny, Green Flash, or Alpine.

Certainly a decent IPA, but it definitely doesn't deserve the hype it receives. I bet it would be far better on tap than in the can, but since I live at the complete opposite side of the country from where that could happen I will just settle for the little taste that I got.

Overall, there are far better IPA's and DIPA's out there, but this one is definitely worth a try!

Serving type: can

03-27-2013 20:36:46 | More by JRoth420

SpeedwayJim

New York

4.03/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at The Alchemist on the release date, 12/4/10. Poured into a Heady Topper pint glass.

A: Served with one of the thickest heads on any beer ever. A 1.5 finger white sponge of a top that never seems to dissipate and only regenerates after every sip. Beer is a cloudy, unfiltered, grapefruit-orange. Lacing is spotty and weblike with decent stick.

S: Nose is tropical and hoppy. Mango, pineapple, citrus, grapefruit, and cane sugar. Piney hops predominate and there's a well recognized resiny hop character lingering in the background.

T: The first sip tells me that this is a west coast style IIPA being made in the east. Citrus and piney hop bitterness upfront with a slight lingering cane sugar malt backbone in the back. Bitterness builds and builds through the experience. Notes of resiny hops towards the middle and end. Sticky and hoppy at the finish with a slight tropical pineapple flavor. Bitterness coasts the cheeks and tongue and builds with each successive sip.

M: Medium bodied and lightly carbonated. Real smooth and subtle in the mouth with just a touch of bubbles going down. Substantial. Finish is sticky and oily. Aftertastes lingers on and on.

D: I never expected this one to blow me away and it doesn't. That being said, it's still a very very good beer and a solid representation of the west coast style IIPA. Bitter and hoppy without being too overwhelming. Very enjoyable and now that they'll can it some time in the future, go out and get some!

Serving type: on-tap

12-05-2010 03:25:07 | More by SpeedwayJim

PEBKAC

New York

4.03/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Gift from a buddy up north. Not inlaws, indigestion, or even nagging children could deter him from personally delivering the goods. Good man.

Poured into a Rave Vos Tumbler. Solid inch of stiff, off-white head. Hazed, light orange/amber body.

Smells fresh. Haven't had a fresh beer in a while. Soft citrus rind, muddled leaves, & a splash of orange juice. Aerosol. Not tropical, just green.

Taste is a satisfying one two of citrus & really dry cracker-like malt. Leafy/herbal/rind bitterness is big, but not as big as the fruit. Green Peppers? Very dry middle on in. Bitter aspirin & grain finish.

Carbonation is soft, but active; foamy. Unfiltered of course. Alcohol doesn't hide.

Very solid & refreshing. Bonus points for being fresh.

Serving type: can

10-18-2011 04:22:41 | More by PEBKAC

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Heady Topper came out the can looking like a muddy stream but settled in the glass looking reasonably presentable. Its complexion really varies depending on the angle and closeness of the light, ranging from clear straw yellow to thick mango smoothie. Heady does not have much head, nor does it show any signs of carbonation.

The aroma has such a floral and fruity bouquet that you'd think it was designed by a gardener. That being said, there's a little bit of butterscotch and nutty-sweet malt that can't be ignored. Still, the bouquet's most prominent feature is likely the flower petals or the citrusy pineapple notes. There's a bit of white wine grape too.

The flavor is far from overwhelming but there is a notable absence of any alcohol. The soapy, pungent bitterness that lingers is the smoking gun for some early kettle hop additions. For something so strong and so hoppy the beer is incredibly manageable and composed. Warming unties things slightly, but that is to be expected.

I think anyone who's graduated past pale lagers should be able to appreciate this IPA. It tastes like a combination of grapefruit, orange, papaya, and lime, and leaves a distinctly floral aftertaste. Hints of pine bark pop up here and there as well. The malts taste like some kind of caramel and almond biscuit and have an almost nougat-like sweetness.

If one believed all he read on Beer Advocate then so he would think Heady Topper the best DIPA in the world - and so he would be wrong. I don't wish to take anything away from the fine people at The Alchemist - this is a damn fine brewsky - but there are many out there just like it. Seek it out, by all means, but don't trade the stars and the moon.

Serving type: can

04-20-2012 04:28:19 | More by biegaman

GregSVT

Texas

4.03/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

16oz can into a tulip

A: Pours a hazy yellow with a nice white head that fades to a ring and leaves some lacing on the glass.

S: The nose is full of tropical fruits along with nice pine and hop aromas in the background.

T: The taste is similar with great flavors of tropical fruits like pineapple, apricot, and peach as well as some pine and nice malt sweetness in the background.

M: The feel is medium bodied and kind of creamy.

O: This is a pretty damn tasty DIPA but really not that different from others of the same quality. It's good but doesn't have that quality that says "wow" to me.

Serving type: can

05-02-2012 02:15:36 | More by GregSVT