So my wife is having a baby in 10 days and I want some awesome IPAs for her when she gets out of the hospital. I feel like I want to get Heady again, but we just weren't blown away by it as we expected to be. Maybe it wasn't fresh? So my question, I don't remember seeing a date on the can. Is there a date? If not, how can you tell if it's fresh? Also, what other fresh IPAs should I try for? I'm in GA, so obviously something not distributed here. Thanks
Alchemist doesn't date their cans. The only way to definitively know if it's fresh is to buy it in VT or trade with someone you trust to send you fresh cans. If it tasted off chances are it was not fresh.
No dates on the can. Have to rely and trust on the person that traded it to you. Maybe it's just not your kind of ipa. GASP! It's OK to not like something most everyone else does.
Not necessarily true. Mr. Kimmich himself prefers Heady after 10 weeks, so maybe it was too fresh? Either that or it was really really old.
I've had cans that were filled the morning I bought them and 8 month old can that tasted great. There's a chance you just might not completely enjoy Heady Topper.
I've had Heady several times. Once it was claimed to be a week old. The other times I didn't ask. It's tasted the same to me every time. It's not my favorite IIPA.
A ton of choices and depends on what you have to offer (how hard is the IPA to obtain). I'm from NJ, so Carton Boat and 077XX. Other Half has been putting out some great stuff (Green Diamonds and Citra are the cans I love). Singlecut is another brewery to try from NY. Waiting on their Bon Bon to be bottled. Their Billy Full Stack was great. I've had Second Fiddle recently which was fantastic. Also had some Substance by Bissell Brothers, which was equally as good. Dinner was the best beer I have had, but is harder to find. Had some PsuedoSue the other day that is highly recommended. A lot to try! Depends on what you haven't had.
Relatively speaking I've had a lot of Heady for someone from NY and while I always enjoy it, there have definitely been times where I open a can and don't get the usual blast of hop aroma or it's not as amazing as I remember. Hell I have a case in the refrigerator right now and there's cans where I sense variations and I know it was purchased fresh and transported cold. That said, everyone has to remember it's not always going to be the beer; what you've consumed that day, if you have a cold/allergies, etc. are all going to impact what you perceive.
I recently received a Green Diamonds can and a Billy Full Stack as extras in a trade... must say, I was thoroughly impressed with both.
i bought some on april 7th and have kept it cold since and it still tastes find. I have about 18 left haha
Heady doesn't usually last long enough for anyone to have it past its prime. That being said I've had a few cans that felt a bit flat, most are good though so I would say go for it again. The other issue could be that it's just been so overhyped that your expecting to meet Jimi Hendrix when you drink it and its more like Van Morrison.. Still awesome but just not quite what you were expecting.
I just got All Green everything and Mosaic from the Other Half and they are amazing! Worth the 2 hour wait in line.
The reality (for your wife, at least), is that any good IPA will taste great after this. So go with something fresh and you'll be set. Don't overthink this!
Victory DirtWolf and Sixpoint Resin are two of my favorite year-round IIPAs, and as far as I know, both are available in Georgia.
