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Heady Topper
The Alchemist
- From:
- The Alchemist
- Vermont, United States
- Style:
- Imperial IPA
Ranked #1 - ABV:
- 8%
- Score:
- 100
Ranked #8 - Avg:
- 4.71 | pDev: 7.01%
- Reviews:
- 2,756
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Tuesday at 10:29 PM
- Added:
- Mar 27, 2004
- Wants:
- 9,841
- Gots:
- 6,632
SCORE
100
World-Class
100
World-Class
Heady Topper is an American double IPA. This beer 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 American hops will creep up on you, and leave you with a dense hoppy finish in you mouth. So drinkable, it's scary. Sometimes I wish I could crawl right into the can.
Freshness and control have always been my main concern when it comes to our beer. We are committed to providing you with an unfiltered and unpasteurized hop experience. Why do I recommend that you drink it from the can? Quite simply, to ensure a delightful hop experience. The act of pouring it in a glass smells nice, but it releases the essential hop aromas that we have work so hard to retain.
If you MUST pour it into a glass, you may find that some of the hop resins have settled to the bottom -- leave them in the can while pouring. This beer is perishable, and at its best when it is young, fresh and hazy. Keep it cold, but not ice cold. Drink this beer immediately, we are always making more. -- John Kimmich
75 IBU
Freshness and control have always been my main concern when it comes to our beer. We are committed to providing you with an unfiltered and unpasteurized hop experience. Why do I recommend that you drink it from the can? Quite simply, to ensure a delightful hop experience. The act of pouring it in a glass smells nice, but it releases the essential hop aromas that we have work so hard to retain.
If you MUST pour it into a glass, you may find that some of the hop resins have settled to the bottom -- leave them in the can while pouring. This beer is perishable, and at its best when it is young, fresh and hazy. Keep it cold, but not ice cold. Drink this beer immediately, we are always making more. -- John Kimmich
75 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by Jw13
4.66/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.66/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Golden mildy hazy pour with a persistent head with good lacing. Smell is of hops, grapefruit and lemon. Some dankness on the taste followed by an assertive bitterness on the swallow, making you want to take another sip.
Nov 20, 2023
Reviewed by seakayak from Massachusetts
4.75/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.75/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
-Look: Deep-golden haze with a thick clumpy head (but reviewed from can).
-Aroma: Nice grapefruit, ripe orange and pineapple, soft malts.
-Taste: Even better than the aroma, bursting with grapefruit and soft citrus!
-Feel: Soft and round, bitter and creamy, a full hop milkshake.
-Overall: Wonderful bright and bitter grapefruit explosion!
Nov 04, 2023-Aroma: Nice grapefruit, ripe orange and pineapple, soft malts.
-Taste: Even better than the aroma, bursting with grapefruit and soft citrus!
-Feel: Soft and round, bitter and creamy, a full hop milkshake.
-Overall: Wonderful bright and bitter grapefruit explosion!
Reviewed by Brumaster77 from North Carolina
4.75/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.75/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Drank from can as recommended. Super pumped at its world class rating. Lived up to the hype. Looks hazy golden color and smelled hoppy with citrusy notes. Tasted pretty smooth considering. Had some earth tones and with some pine. Overall a great imperial IPA.
Oct 28, 2023Reviewed by adioCX
4.83/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
4.83/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Went on a New England road trip this Fall and made it a point to stop at Alchemist for the OG NEIPA. Bought a 4 pack and had the first one out of the can as recommended, tried next one (canned on 9/21/23) poured into a pint glass. (No discernable difference btw)
Typical hazy golden opaque color with one interesting thing to note... the top half was noticeably a shade darker than the bottom. Have never seen that before. One inch of froth topping it off (Look: 5.0)
Floral and earth smell as opposed to the citrus scent of most Hazy's today. Gives off a hint of the hops to come. (Smell 4.5)
Once again, it it not your typical present day Hazy IPA. The hops are much more pronounced and the taste is much more earthy up front while finishing with some citrus notes. The hops do come on strong near the end, but do not overpower the balance it has. (Taste: 5.0)
Has the slightest bit of carbonation. Amazing how this is an 8% beer, you wouldn't know it by drinking. Satisfying and simply refreshing. (Feel: 5.0)
A perfectly balanced IPA. You are faced with this conundrum... Sip and savor or anticipate the next swig as soon as you're ready. It's that good. Should've bought more. (Overall: 5.0)
Oct 22, 2023Typical hazy golden opaque color with one interesting thing to note... the top half was noticeably a shade darker than the bottom. Have never seen that before. One inch of froth topping it off (Look: 5.0)
Floral and earth smell as opposed to the citrus scent of most Hazy's today. Gives off a hint of the hops to come. (Smell 4.5)
Once again, it it not your typical present day Hazy IPA. The hops are much more pronounced and the taste is much more earthy up front while finishing with some citrus notes. The hops do come on strong near the end, but do not overpower the balance it has. (Taste: 5.0)
Has the slightest bit of carbonation. Amazing how this is an 8% beer, you wouldn't know it by drinking. Satisfying and simply refreshing. (Feel: 5.0)
A perfectly balanced IPA. You are faced with this conundrum... Sip and savor or anticipate the next swig as soon as you're ready. It's that good. Should've bought more. (Overall: 5.0)
Rated by EXACTLY from Michigan
5/5 rDev +6.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +6.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Easily one of the smoothest beers I have ever tasted!!
Oct 19, 2023
Heady Topper from The Alchemist
Beer rating:
100 out of
100 with
15255 ratings
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