Heady Topper Comparison

Heady is not my very favorite but is unique.

A lot of things mentioned here are great IPAs/DIPAs but IMO not similar.

The closest thing I have had to a HT in taste and overall experience is Omnipollo Fatamorgana and that isn't very helpful because it is hard to find as well. I found the HT better.

There are so many great things out there that I find the search for similar to be unnecessary but it is always fun to look for great things and compare.

 

Relevant story:

Hopslam was released and a local bottle shop also had a new bottling of a hard to find previously tap only beer called Jade IPA from Foothills-local--just great stuff. After the Hopslam was gone, he was telling folks to try this one--most were cherry pickers who immediately ran to the next place. It was not the same, but something any IPA lover should have jumped on. Not satisfied with the lack of the special item, most left. A week later, many folks realized what they had missed something great and were asking where it was. More folks blinded by the hype train unable to see what is right in from of their faces.

 

Wormtown Be Hoppy, but I doubt you can get that either. Different beer altogether, but I would suggest Long Trail Limbo as the best available VT IPA. Gave some to a friend recently that hadn't had any of the newer Long Trail/Otter Creek stuff and he was blown away.

 

I just had heady last night for the first time ever. Had it side by side with enjoy by and dirtwolf. Honestly, dirtwolf is in the ballpark of heady, but definitely not the same. Dirtwolf is a little less sweet, slightly more bitter, and has a more pilsner malt flavor. Heady is a bit stronger smelling as well, in a good way. Enjoy by is not comparable, much more dank.

IMO, dirtwolf and heady are similar, but not the same - similar hop profiles.

 

This is real local and the 2nd batch wasn't as tasty as the first but Rocky Point Artisan Brews (long island) Crom was pretty damn close to HT. The color, the smell, the taste and the unfiltered factor all play a part.

A beer I'm actually flabbergasted doesn't get the love it deserves is Kuhnhenn's Double Rice IPA. Not exactly the same but just awesome and not too far off.

I also love the unfiltered Double Simcoe from Weyerbacher (the corked bomber) although Weyerbacher is far from my favorite brewery but the profile, to me, is similar to HT.

Have to admit, I had BR Apex in the growler last Saturday. I was impressed.

 

For the guys who say "CCB Jai Alai" is the closest you can get thats available and reasonable, I agree. It's damned good. I have had alot of Heady Topper the last year, and CCB Jai Alai is the closest I've had. That includes, Stone Ruin 10th, Sculpin, Hop Slam etc. It's FAR and away the closest and a DAMNED fine beer in its own right...

Chris

 

Heady Topper was the least palatable beer I'd ever had and then I tried Palate Wrecker. Anybody that enjoys Heady Topper probably needs a few months to reset their palate. Stoch was different. It could actually be enjoyed.

 

Guessing you work at Dan & Witt's or Norwich Wine & Spirits. I do tastings in WRJ.

 

I've only had one beer that I think is slightly comparable to Heady and that's On The Wings of Armageddon by DC Brau. I've had many other IPA's and DIPA's I enjoy more than Heady but Heady is still a great brew. Just wish the hype would die down a bit. OTWOA is a stellar brew that IMO can stand up to Heady and perhaps even knock it down when it is super fresh.

 

I have never had Heady but I have had Pliny the Elder three times. Any comparison between the two?

 

I agree that there are good comparisons to be made between Heady and Dirtwolf, but Dirtwolf is much harsher. The flavor profiles are definitely reminiscent of each other.

For reference, I have also had Heady side-by-side, as well as many of each beer on their own.

 

Some of the local Heady Topper retailers have recommended Ballast Point Sculpin when Heady is out of stock.

 

No, not at all - very different takes on the style - Heady is rugged and sharp/crisp, while Pliny has a softer, sweeter vibe. Different hop and malt profiles, I suppose. You would never confuse them in a blind test.

 

Thanks, never had or seen Heady on the West Coast, even PTE is hard to come by.

 

lol, if they are in vermont looking for heady topper, they have no chance whatsoever of scoring pliny the younger.

 

I haven't had HT since Christmas, so my memory may be a bit off. I'd compare it to the body of Jai Alai blended with the hop profile and taste of Gandhi Bot. I like Jai Alai, but it can get to be too much after a can or two. Gandhi is great, but sometimes lacks the body. There are some local NY brews I've had recently that are inching closer. The Newburgh Hop Drop is nice and Peekskilll Higher Standard and Rushing Duck War Elephant are out of control. Of course, you have to go there to try them or get lucky and randomly find them on tap.

 

I really think the best approach is to say, "Well nothing is really like Heady but here are some other great DIPA's....".

 

Love some Fatamorgana.

 

Never had HT, but I'd love to try some...

I was down in Jax this weekend, got to have some Jai Alai on tap. I wasn't as blown away with it, as I thought I would be. I think I prefer it in the can. Then again, I don't know how old the Jai Alai was, that I had on tap. I did get a 6er of two week old ones though!

 

To me Mettle by Trillium is about a close as I've seen to Heady Topper. I've drank a lot of HT over the past 7 months and nothing else really compares to the unique hop profile and taste. Someone mentioned Hi-Res and that to me is nothing like HT.