Alchemist Drop in Colorado

Still seeing quite a bit of Heady and Focal on shelves around the SW. never imagined I’d see them (and other awesome stuff) in Bayfield of all places!

 

I picked up a four pack of Heady at Mile High this afternoon, dated 5/3. I think it was the last, but there was Focal in the cooler when I left.

 

New guy to the forum here... if someone says Mile High does it mean the one in Belmar?

 

Yes

 

Seems like these drops are going to keep happening, which is cool with me. Plus, it's always amusing to read online posts from people yammering about Heady without knowing anything about why it is what it is. It reminds me of the beer noobs waxing poetic about Westy 12 back in the mid 00's.

 

Heady and Focal are in Grand Junction today. I'm not complaining, as gj seems to be just about the last priority in the state for good beer distro, but why on earth is this coming here and not places like Chicago?

 

Crooked Stave Artisans. Their distro wing is straight up fantastic. They don't get enough credit for some of the stuff they've brought here.

 

Weird thing is I haven't seen any Heady on south metro radar yet. Maybe this week.

 

Been trying to get some Heady or Focal for years in SoCal. Come to Estes Park and find it at the Country Market when I'm not even looking. Awesome!

 

Seen some on the south side chilling.

 

Thanks for the tip! I was able to snag a couple of 4-packs today. Can't believe it's still around.

 

I never thought I would see Alchemist just sit on local shelves. It's asinine.

 

I guess it's kind of neat that people don't have to scramble or wait in lines to get it. If it just straight-up rots on the shelf, different story. Pliny has gone from a beer you could buy off the shelf, to one you had to ask about, to one you could buy off the shelf again. I can see Heady going a similar route, which is cool by me. Not sure if it's still like this, but the last time I was up in NH/VT, Heady was still flying off the shelves in most grocery stores. People from other areas would just roll up and buy 'em out of everything all at once.

 

Sorry I kid, but seriously though you're surprised that it's sitting on shelves? Just curious. I mean to Domingo's point I feel like it's very similar to Pliny.

 

it definitely didn't fly off the shelves, but it's steady. I'd rather buy Comrade Superpower in 4 packs but since they're not interested in selling beer in that format there's always Western Conference All-Stars...or 'Bout Damn Time...or Juicy Banger...or Tunnel of Trees

 

I am surprised it sits. Pliny still seems to move in my neck of the woods. I dig heady. It's as good as I remember it being, and in a sea of same flavored neipa heady still stands out to me. That being said I passed on the heady for juicy banger so whatever.

 

To me, there's nothing approximate to the flavor profile of Heady Topper in CO. I love Pliny, but there are beers from Comrade, Cannonball, and Westbound that hit those same flavor notes. If I want cans, Breakside IPA and Melvin IPA (when fresh) cover that base. Nothing is quite like Heady, though. It's too bitter and way too toasty to be compared to something like Juicy Bits or In the Steep. Yet Heady is far too soft to be compared to the West Coast stuff, too. It has some citric notes, but it's a little piney and peachy. There's no tropical character at all. It's unique, for better or worse. It's pretty clear a lot of folks are expecting something akin to Congress Street and Heady throws them off big time.

 

Heady is the ipa that got me in to ipas. It's softer character is what made it approachable in the middle of the IBU wars that were going on at the time. I think the closest IPAs in Colorado to heady are coming out of TRVE. The flavors may not be the same, but they are nuanced and approachable for even the most casual drinkers but still offer the complexity that snobs like ourselves like to deconstruct and wax poetic over. Do I still like NEIPA or WCIPA? Hell yes. Sometimes I crave superpower and juicy bits, the stuff coming out of new image is top notch. But there are more often times where I need something like Crystal Mountain or exhumed. Not too sweet, not too bitter, no flavor that just buries the rest.