Heady Topper

Wow, what a great beer!  So delicious, so drinkable, so sad I can't have a stockpile of this around at all times.  Until last week, I wasn't sure when I'd ever have a chance to try Heady Topper, the much sought after double IPA from The Alchemist Brewery (Waterbury, VT).  I read that The Alchemist was going to start distributing Heady Topper to Philly and within a week I had a couple of cans in my fridge.  Score!

According to their website (http://www.alchemistbeer.com/), "The Alchemist Brewery is currently focused on brewing one beer perfectly. Heady Topper, our flagship Double IPA, is not intended to be the biggest or most bitter. It is meant to give you wave after wave of hoppy goodness on your palate. Tremendous amounts of hops will creep up on you and leave you with a dense, hoppy finish in your mouth. So drinkable, it’s scary."

This beer is not over the top, instead it is perfectly balanced with all of the qualities one would seek from a DIPA.  The sweet maltiness and mild carbonation do a great job providing a substantial, yet non-overpowering, counterweight to this 16. oz hop bomb.  There are loads of complex piney, earthy, citrus hops that resonate in your mouth long after you try pouring out a last drop of goodness from the empty can.

Great job to The Alchemist for making this delicious hop nectar available in the 215.  Heady Topper is one of the best DIPA's I've ever tasted and it's probably the best canned beer I've ever had!  I really hope that there is going to be an Alchemist event planned during Philly Beer Week.  Fingers crossed!!      

Glassware courtesy of Brawley's Beverage (The best bottle shop in Charlotte, NC)  http://www.brawleysbeverage.com/