Heady Topper - The Alchemist

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

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

A-As the bartender passes me my first glass I am amazed at the beautiful orange hue of the beer. The creamy head retains incredibly well and laces the whole glass. Just a perfect look.

S-Wow this is disturbingly hoppy. Wreaks of dry-hopping. Luscious, ripe, juicy tropical fruits. Literally smells like perfume. A wonderful fragrance. The hops waft into my nostrils. Very excited to sip.

T-Blew me away. Unbelievably long lasting taste of grapefruits, apricots, mango, oranges, clementines and pineapples. Just purely juicy and fresh. Excellent bitterness, it does not over exceed its bounds and make you forget about the hop bouquet. Resinous and dripping of hop oils. Packs a plethora of fresh cut grass and crushed pine needles too. Quite possibly the best tasting thing that has entered my mouth. A divine amalgamation of tropical fruit fit for the gods.

M-Perfect carbonation. Slick, resinous feel. Big bodied and excellent. Begs to be gulped, not sipped.

O/D-Pliny the Elder has met its match in my opinion. Just amazingly delicious and perfectly crafted. There is absolutely nothing about Heady Topper that is not excellent. Well worth the long drive to drink this all night. And the cherry on top...$4 for a twelve oz. pour of week old Heady Topper. Perfect.

----
7/21/12

Finally tried it from the can and the quality is still the best in the entire world. Heady is my perfect beer, regardless of its pouring median.

Serving type: on-tap

07-24-2011 20:54:05 | More by VelvetExtract

ChrisPro

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Tap at The Alchemist (mutliple times over two days)

A - hazy golden with nice white pillow of foam.

S - lots of lemon and grapefuruit with a huge biscuit nose

T - very nice vanilla sweetness and a huge hop bitterness

M - quite thick with a lot of residual sugar. Feels like oats or maybe lactose even. Great carbonation.

O - for the high ABV, body and sweetness, thus is super drinkable. The hop flavor is incredible on the finish and I absolutely loved this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

07-24-2011 01:20:43 | More by ChrisPro

Lillie1128

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Tasted on 7/18

A - Pours a cloudy amber with a big white fluffy head and some ridiculous lacing

S - Yeast, hops, a little citrus

T - Orange notes, BIG hop bite that actually isn't overwhelming

M - medium, lightly carbonated

D - medium

This beer is very complex, but surprisingly light and refreshing for its hoppiness

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2011 02:14:02 | More by Lillie1128

FrankLloydMike

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

After hearing so much about it and enjoying a visit to the Alchemist last fall when it was not on-tap, I finally got to try Heady Topper the evening before the Vermont Brewers Festival.

A: The beer arrived in a 12 oz. glass, a luscious, deep, hazy orange-amber with a big foamy head as implied, which dissipated slowly leaving sticky rings along the edges. Certainly a looker.

S: Grassiness, maybe even a hint of floral, lead the nose followed by tropical fruitiness--I wouldn't quite call this grapefruit, but I'm not sure what it is. Very pleasant and inviting.

T: Malts are much more predominant than I had expected with the hops tending more toward citrus and pine than the grass the nose had suggested. Much sweeter and less bitter than I had imagined or would prefer, the hops and malts seem well-balanced but neither seem to take a lead. It's a matter of personal preference, but I definitely prefer IIPAs that tend toward drier, less sticky-sweet. That said, this was quite tasty.

M: The taste is dry, but the mouthfeel is quite sticky and oily. The beer is medium-bodied and pleasant to drink, but really begs a glass of water to replenish following the glass.

O: I'm glad I finally tried this beer, but for me it didn't really live up to the hype. It was good and I wish I'd noticed that it was on cask as I'd love to try that, but personally I think the Alchemist IPAs I've had--Rapture and Holy Cow--are better than Heady Topper. That said, I'd gladly order this again (especially for the bargain $4, which probably makes this the best IIPA I've had per dollar) and am looking forward to trying it from the can.

Serving type: on-tap

07-19-2011 23:37:27 | More by FrankLloydMike

tdawgydog

New York

4.97/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

First had a taste of this at the VBF 2011. Liked it so much we made our way out to Waterbury for dinner @ The Alchemist Pub on Sunday night. Had four of these with dinner (including one on Cask) along with some other really excellent beers.

I thought I'd had some really good DIPA's, but this one is def at the top of the list. I also tasted Lawson's @ VBF and this one is easily on par if not slightly above Lawsons.

A - They pour 12oz glasses at the brew pub. Comes out looking nice and unfiltered, a nice cloudy bronze reminiscent of unfiltered apple cider.

S - A thing of beauty. Hoppy, sweet, tangy, piney. Didn't know what to think after the first sniff, only that it had to be something special.

T - Huge fan of this style, I've had some of the better ones that his country has to offer. I would make the trip to VT just to go to Alchemist. Wish they did growler fills so that I could bring some home with me. One of the best beers I've enjoyed this year.

M - Great body and thickness. Excellent carbonation, there really isn't much missing from this beer.

Will def be going back for VBF next year and this is easily one of the reasons why.

Serving type: on-tap

07-19-2011 01:51:30 | More by tdawgydog

ggilman

Maine

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

On cask at the alchemist! 12oz. pour in a smaller tapered pint glass.

Super creamy thick frothy shaving cream head sits atop a hazy apricot body. Sticky lace clings like crazy. Smell is cut wet grass and fresh hop leaf. Taste is pure delicious citrus hop infused goodness. Bitterness climbs in from behind. Slight malt backbone with a little roasty alcohol. Oily and resinous hop mouthfeel, yet crisp. Citrusy and grassy the whole way through.

Lived up to every expectation. Excessively fresh & delicious.

Serving type: cask

07-18-2011 00:21:02 | More by ggilman

Neffbeer

Pennsylvania

4.65/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Review from multiple pours at VBF.

A: It pours a amber to golden color with some orange hues and very low clarity (hop haze!). There is a good size two finger head that appears to be seriously thick. It hangs around for a minute and slowly fades leaving behind a good amount of sticky lacing.

S: This beer just smells like a tropical/citrus fruit explosion. The hops are smashing my nostrils with heaps of mangos, papayas, grapefruit, and some skunk funk. The malt is buried under the lupulin haze, but I am not complaining.

T: The taste doesn't let down. The hops are way upfront with a load of citrus and tropical fruit. Mid-palate there is a twinge of caramel sweetness from the malt with a hint of dough. That is short lived as the backside culminates in another huge wave of hops with a good dry finish.

M: Medium bodied with a lush, full carbonation.

O: I would say this is the best DIPA I have had to date. I can't wait until the start canning this brew!

Serving type: on-tap

07-16-2011 12:52:28 | More by Neffbeer

Barlow

New Hampshire

4.97/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

On tap at The Alchemist
Nice cloudy, hazy appearance. Sticky lacing as it slides down the glass.

Best smelling Beer I've ever had. Just great. Tropical and dank at the same time. I love a pure citrus/tropical DIPA, but this type is my favorite. It adds that little extra dank grass to push it over the top.

Taste follows the aroma. Hops everywhere. Tropical fruit and some of that stinky pine. The malts are beat down as they should be here. Delicious.

Creamy, sticky mouthfeel. Perfect for this beer. I can't wait til this comes out in cans. It will be a staple my house. Another amazing VT DIPA.

Serving type: on-tap

07-07-2011 00:33:29 | More by Barlow

meeps2002

Massachusetts

4.93/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Heady Topper is a treat in and of itself. The Alchemist in Waterbury, VT has been producing wonderful elixers for years, but I personally believe brewed perfection with this IPA. The hoppy aroma just wafts itself in your direction, giving you goosebumps as you anticipate your first sip.

This incredibly hoppy brew will stick to your tongue, making any other IPA compete for 2nd Place.

Rumor has it they may start selling cans, but if you can't wait until then... head Northeast and enjoy!

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2011 16:46:44 | More by meeps2002

Buggies

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a nice dark copper/orange with a thin fizzy head. Nice ring of lacing leaves blotchy chunks on the glass.

Smells great. Dominated by big booming aroma of pine. A little earthy with citrus coming through.

Tastes even more amazing. Once again the earthy pine flavors are up front. The citrus gives it a little sweetness. Nice bitter snap at the end.

What I really like about this beer is that the body is just right. Its pretty light focusing mostly on the hops. It's quite easy to drink due to the lightness of the body. You could drink a bunch of these and not feel full or have your mouth all tied up by stickiness.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 01:15:42 | More by Buggies

Rampage1

Arizona

4.38/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Look forward to this being canned.

Appearance: This one has a nice deep, hazy golden color to it with little traces of hops throughout the pour. Nice pure white head follows. I noticed that after having one of the bottles for over a week what originally was some slight residual hops in the bottle turned into a heavy amount of hops in the bottom of the bottle.

Smell: This has all the great tropical smells to it -- mainly citrus- orange rind with some pineapple,grapefruit and a little mango. No pine notes here which is fine by me. I'm all about the Tropical citrus smells in my IPA's. I can tell you from having this once before that this beers smells change completely in a weeks time. Kind of has this funky- strong smell now after it being another week old. Unique in the smell. Drink em up now guys!

Taste: Its like drinking orange juice with a nice bitter finish. I like that there is not a ton of malt to the taste yet it still has enough to keep the bitterness somewhat in check. There is a slight biscuit flavor on the end of the taste as well.

Mouthfeel: Nice amount of carbonation to keep the hop flavors swirling around on the palate to deliver the great,fresh flavor to be had in this beer.

Drinkability: Great beer and am very happy to have got to try it. I will be seeking this one out when it hits in cans which now looks like it will be a while. IPA's are my favorite and this is another to add to the list.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2011 20:05:58 | More by Rampage1

tarheels86

California

4.2/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz, thanks to ygtbsm94.

A- The pour is a clear, light amber orange with a thin, white head.

N- Massive fruity hops, big fresh Centennial and Cascade pellets, fresh grapefruit, pineapple, fresh pine, caramel. Really just a super dank hop nose.

T- Astringent, dry, resinous, loads of nutty bitterness piling on.

P- Dry, bitter, biting palate.

Sort of one dimensional.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2011 17:39:49 | More by tarheels86

mavbrew

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev -8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at the Alchemist.

A: Very hazy, light caramel in color with a frothy off white head that very slowly dissipated leaving nice lacing.

S: The smell is mainly a piney hop scent with some citrus breaking through as well.

T: The taste is just like the smell, very piney hoppy flavor with the bitters sticking around through the finish and there is some citrus coming through towards the middle. This is followed by a slight malty flavor that then finishes with the bitters.

M: Medium in body with average carbonation. The feel is bitter throughout.

D: Made it a point to go to the Alchemist just for this beer, it was well worth the trip. A very solid, top tier east coast IIPA that was well balanced and the 8% ABV is hardly noticeable.

Serving type: on-tap

03-27-2011 20:14:47 | More by mavbrew

mechamifune

North Carolina

4.22/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip glass at the Alchemist

Poured with a healthy .5 in head, cloudy appearance with an orange/golden color. Much "murkier" looking than most DIPA's, but still inviting.

Smell is a whole lot of pine to me... hints of citrus obvious, but the pine really dominates. All in all though not an overly floral DIPA, but still a decent amount to work with.

Taste is lots of pine up front.... finishes bitter but not overly so. Citrues notes throughout, but not overwhelming as with some DIPA's.

Mouthfeel is very smooth, and in turn very easy to drink. Not particularly crisp per se, but certainly pleasant. A very good DIPA.... not in my absolute upper echelon (double trouble, PTE, PTY, and Pure Hoppiness) but just a slight step below it. Certainly seek it out if you're in the area.

Serving type: on-tap

03-25-2011 02:36:27 | More by mechamifune

Cmack15

Massachusetts

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

The Heady Topper from Alchemist. I had this on tap at the brewpub and was very eager to finally have gotten a chance to experience this beer. This beer is awesome in so many ways. First its great to see an east coast brewery making a super hoppy beer. The aroma is piney/citrusy hops that blast your face(but in a good way). The taste has a nice malt backbone to help let the hops shine but not destroy you. A really excellent beer from a great brewpub.
Cheers

Serving type: on-tap

03-22-2011 21:14:20 | More by Cmack15

callmemickey

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle consumed a few months back.

A: Golden orange body with a pillowy off-white head that sticks around for a bit before leaving solid lacing down the sides of the glass.

S: Beautifully bitter grapefruit, orange, pine, and resinous oil. Thick and layered. Easily could get lost for minutes just exploring the aroma.

T: Ever so slightly a fall off from the nose. The Hops didn't quite "pop" with the same intensity as in the aroma. Still, the was quite complex, delicious, and top notch.

M: Creamy smoothness. Medium bodied with appropriate carbonation. One of the really nice things was with all of the bitterness, it managed to not be prickly or raw.

O: A very nice dIPA that deserves to be up with the big boys. I'd imagine super-fresh on tap would take this a notch higher.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2011 13:23:53 | More by callmemickey

ATCBTV

Vermont

4.63/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Had on tap at the brewpub in Waterbury. I made the half hour trip to try this well reviewed beer and it mostly lived up to the hype. Nose was almost overwhelmingly floral, taste was well balanced between the hop and malt flavors compared to most IIPAs that I've sampled. Am looking forward to the cans to come later this year.

Serving type: on-tap

03-18-2011 00:27:03 | More by ATCBTV

TangTKE402

New York

4.6/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Golden straw colored with an unfiltered haze. 2-finger head and great lacing. Poured on-tap into a 12oz. glass.

S: Big smooth hop aromas: flowers, pine, a hint of raspberry. I could crawl inside this aroma and never leave!

T: Full-bodied and well-rounded. Hop-forward with an herbal, floral-pine flavor. Finishes with a bready bitterness. Clean, crisp, and delicious!

M: Even-keeled and well-balanced. A touch sticky with a dry aftertaste.

D: For a beer of its abv, it's amazingly sessionable.

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2011 23:47:37 | More by TangTKE402

Lunch

Maryland

4.35/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Thanks to Thorpe429 for supplying the bottle. Sampled just a couple weeks after bottling and poured into a Darkness snifter (being a glassware fanatic, I was quite envious when I noticed that Mike possessed the official Heady Topper glass, bastard, but very cool)

Really excited to try this and very generous of Mike to share the bottle.

Beers pours a traditional light light golden color that was a slightly hazy. A little lighter than expected and I likened it to a lightly paler and more hazy PtE.

Smell was all hops with no real malt to speak of...very nice.

Taste was certainly delicious and it lives up to its name, but I may have played it up a bit more in mind than I should have. Some nice bitterness and citrus flavors.

Mouthfeel was spot on with nice carbonation and this is certainly a beer that I could sit and drink all day.

Thanks again Mike!

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2011 20:21:01 | More by Lunch

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

4.63/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks Sammy for getting this bottle into Ontario! Pours a bright orange colour with thick white head. Lots of lacing coats the side of my glass. Some hop floaties in the beer, which I think just adds to this. I can smell the hops before I even lift the glass off the table. Lots of resiny pine and citrus hops in the aroma. Very nice bitterness, but there seems to be a malt balance as well. This is certainly one of my favourites.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2011 16:34:37 | More by kwjd

willyvt

Vermont

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

An exceptional IPA from John Kimmich in Waterbury. The heady is about perfect from start to finish. It's slightly cloudy just after pour. You can smell the floral aroma from about 1 foot away. Some IPA's can overpower with hops but this one is all about balance and subtly. They will be releasing the heady in cans late April. I hope they keep the same magic from the tap to the can.

Serving type: on-tap

02-24-2011 00:03:32 | More by willyvt

Pentastar

New York

4.9/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance: A hazy dark copper with whispy thin white lacing and a thin head.

Aroma: Sweet citrus, orange peel, a little piney, fresh cut grass.

Taste: Hop bitterness revealing orange peel and zest and grapefruit flavors too. A little sweetness settles in but the flavor profile is dominated by herbal and citrus hops.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied beer, good carbonation.

Drinkability: Easy drinking beer. This is a great IIPA.

Serving type: on-tap

02-23-2011 21:21:38 | More by Pentastar

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Very impressive DIPA. The hop aromas, very C-hop, are very satisfying and very fresh as if I am at the brewery now , as if hand bottled. Great lacing and head. Unfiltered look and taste, a full mouthfull. A little astringent. Grea carbonation. Bottle from Fred.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 15:51:35 | More by northyorksammy

SkunkWorks

New York

4.65/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on tap from a freshly tapped keg at the Alchemist Pub and Brewery in Waterbury, VT. Served in a 12 oz glass.

Look: great looking DIPA. Hazy amber color, but the Alchemist is a bit dim so its hard to tell exactly the color. A finger and a half worth of head sits atop the beer with excellent retention and excellent lacing.

Smell: huge hop aroma. Tropical fruit like pineapple, citrus with some grapefruit and lemon-lime, hints of pine and some caramel sweetness lurking around back there. Exceptional.

Taste: follows the nose with a huge hop flavor. Some resin, huge citrus flavor, bits of pineapple and grapefruit, orange, and lemon... everything you could want in a hop profile. There's a bit of caramel maltiness to balance but its not really pronounced. Exceptional taste.

Feel: medium bodied and feels about right at 8% alcohol by volume, with a moderate amount of carbonation that is perfect for the style, a bit of lingering hop bitterness in the finish but not so much that it kills your palate. Alcohol is nicely hidden.

Drink: great. I drank my glass a bit faster than I would've liked and you'll have to force yourself to savor this one. Could drink a few of these and its very sessionable for a DIPA, only coming in at 8% alcohol.

Overall, I am quite impressed by this one. This has become my favorite DIPA. Everything about it is great, from the hop profile, the meek presence of the malt, the way it looks, the way it smells... everything. The Alchemist did a great job with this one.

I should also add that I went into this one with a heavy dose of skepticism. Having had Pliny the Elder, which is generally promised to be the end all be all of DIPAs (excluding the Younger, of course) and being very disappointed I thought that Heady Topper would be a product of the BeerAdvocate hype machine. Well, its not. Its the ultimate DIPA and I recommend trying it as soon as you possibly can. Hopefully The Alchemist begins a production line soon because more people need to try this.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

02-14-2011 16:24:20 | More by SkunkWorks

sherm1016

Wisconsin

4.38/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle in trade with Glouglouburp. Thanks! Pours a hazy amber color with a big white head and nice lacing. Aroma is citrus, grapefruit hops. Medium on the palate with average carbonation. Excellent citrus hop flavor with a nice malt balance and a nice bitter hop finish. Very similar to some west coast DIPAs I have had the pleasure to try. A very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2011 00:49:08 | More by sherm1016