Heady Topper
The Alchemist in Stowe, Vermont, United States 🇺🇸
IPA - Imperial New England / Hazy Regular|
Score
8.16
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We love hops – that’s why our flagship Double IPA, Heady Topper, is packed full of them. Heady Topper was designed to showcase the complex flavors and aromas these flowers produce. The Alchemist has been brewing Heady Topper since 2003. This Double IPA is not intended to be the strongest or most bitter DIPA. It is brewed to give you wave after wave of hop flavor without any astringent bitterness. We brew Heady Topper with a proprietary blend of six hops – each imparting its own unique flavor and aroma. Take a big sip of Heady and see what hop flavors you can pick out. Orange? Tropical Fruit? Pink Grapefruit? Pine? Spice? There is just enough malt to give this beer some backbone, but not enough to take the hops away from the center stage.
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4.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 7
Texture 7
Overall 8
Pint can. Pours a hazy yellow color with a huge white head that has decent retention. The aroma is a big blast of mixed fresh citrus. The taste is grapefruit, melons and orange pith. The palate is full and viscous with soft carbonation. Finishes long with lingering bitter orange pith. Overall: Decent, this was ground breaking stuff back in 2011 but today its just another dipa
Tried
from Can
on 17 Nov 2024
at 19:55
8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8
Notes from 2011 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.
Tried
on 31 Oct 2024
at 22:21
8.1/10
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Appearance 9
Aroma 8
Flavor 7.5
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Can Beer Republic 2024-10-11 Göteborg
AR: bitter tropical fruity pine juice, a classic beer that been on my wish list for long;)
AP: hazy golden, frothy steady head
F: bitter tropical fruity pine juice
AR: bitter tropical fruity pine juice, a classic beer that been on my wish list for long;)
AP: hazy golden, frothy steady head
F: bitter tropical fruity pine juice
Tried
from Can
from Beer Republic
on 11 Oct 2024
at 19:11
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Tap at Beer Out, Forlì, Italy. Pours hazy orange, bright, with fine white foam. Aroma is hoppy, citrus, orange peel. Body is just slightly denser than average, with average carbonation. Taste is markedly bitter. Final is very long and bitter, quite persistent.
Tried
from Draft
on 04 Oct 2024
at 15:56
7/10
The original and it shows. Tastes old school, dank, bitter, strong, mild haze. Nice but still 2000s. J&b ams
Tried
on 28 Sep 2024
at 12:51
8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Long sought after, I finally located a 16 oz can at As Is NYC yesterday. I poured a small amount in a provided glass to see what it looked like. A cloudy orange body with a nicely persisting head of absolutely white foam. It smelled hoppy certainly along with grain and tropical fruit. It tasted of cedar pine, hops, grapefruit, pineapple, honeydew and dankness. There’s a pretty decent bitterness. Is it West Coast or New England style? No matter, a fine beer although I anticipated something absolutely top level.
Tried
from Can
on 24 Sep 2024
at 19:32
8/10
Tried
on 12 Sep 2024
at 09:13
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Can at a homebrew meetup. Yellow hazy with a big nose of piney, tropical goodness. Smooth and rounded, huge complexity, not too sweet despite the high percentage. Excellent!
Tried
from Can
on 30 Aug 2024
at 19:23
9/10
Tried
on 14 Oct 2023
at 12:51
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
473ml can. Cloudy, dark yellow-ish, golden colour with average, frothy to creamy, slowly osteoporosing, minimally lacing, white head. Citrusy and slightly tropical fruity, hoppy aroma, hints of grapefruit, lemon, pale malty background with a touch of salty cracker, slightly disguised, dank, resinous hoppy notes come up lately, rather concentrated hop flavours. Taste is crisp, bitter, tropical and citrusy fruity, slightly leafy hoppy, diluted hints of grapefruit and lemon, papery and mineral overtones, pale malty basis with a touch of salty cracker; lingering, mineral and minimally metallic, bitter hoppy finish. Watery texture, dry palate, medium, mildly prickly carbonation. Seriously? This is the top-rated Imperial NEIPA? Admittedly highly drinkable, but not overly flavourful, rather mineral and papery, neither overly impressive concerning appearance nor mouthfeel - hype seems to be all about drinkability and leadership in invention/introduction. Kind of a late bloomer, would have been even more disappointing after having only the first sip.
Tried
from Can
on 08 Oct 2023
at 18:02