Heady Topper Pilgrimage

I am also curious about this. I am heading up to HF tomorrow and was hoping to snag a HT case on my way back home. Anyone have any tips? Apparently, Hungry Mountain Food's get's cases at 3pm on Fridays. How quickly do they evaporate? I am going to try at get there as close to 3pm as possible.

 

It depends on what day you head up there. Look for those locations that get deliveries later in the week.

Since it's a weekend trip, I'll assume you'll be driving up on Friday. If you're looking for a case, the best/only place to go is prob Hunger Mountain Co-op.

If you're heading up on a Sat, good luck my friend. I went up in mid-Feb, so it might be a bit easier with it being later in the ski season.

 

http://alchemistbeer.com/buy/

 

Heady has been lasting a bit longer lately. I think Hunger Mountain will be fine for you.

 

Ha my bad, I read the first 2 sentences of the last paragraph and stopped. But I would agree with Boldruler. The coop gets shipments in on Friday, and there may be some left Saturday.

 

Also sorry @HopHeadCT, I am not meaning to hijack your thread. Does anyone know if the COOP takes credit for HT cases? or is it a cash only deal?

 

They take credit.

 

Awesome, thanks!

 

Until he answers, I'm going to go with Air National Guard at Bradley.

 

The Healthy Living store in Burlington may be out of the way, but they've never been out when I have checked. I think the limit is one case per person, and they get their deliveries on Monday. But I've been on a Saturday, and they still had many cases left.
They even have a HT hotline, you can call their number, and I think you push 5, and there will be someone to let you know how much they have.
(802) 863-2569

 

If you have been to the website to see the "large list of places," then you already know which five stores are most likely to have "cases available." What you do is, jot down the days each place gets its cases, and make your plans to be at at least one of them that day. Maybe call ahead to see when exactly during the day the cases are usually dropped off.

Your list should end up looking like this: Monday: Beverage Baron Barre, Route 7 Liquor Shelburne, or Healthy Living Burlington; Tuesday: Waitsfield Village Grocery Waitsfiueld or Winooski Beverage Winooski; Friday: Hunger Mountain (3 PM as you already know). Conclusion: Hunger Mountain Coop on Friday, just as you suggested, unless you want to drive up on Sunday and stay over in the Barre or Burlington areas for the Monday deliveries. Don't count on any still being available anywhere Saturday, but the guy who said Healthy Living might still have some is worth listening to. Driving up from Montpelier to Burlington will add another hour to hour and a half to your round trip though.

Seems that Lawson's also delivers to Hunger Mountain at 3 PM Fridays. But when a friend got up there on the 15th, the Lawsons' was all gone by 3:20.

A trip after April to get all three might include: HF Friday early afternoon, Hunger Mountain mid-afternoon, Waterbury for The Good Stuff on draft with dinner, stay over at either the Waterbury Best Western or the Stagecoach B&B (both within staggering distance of the three good downtown Waterbury watering holes), hit the monthly Waitsfield Farmers Market for Lawson's early Saturday morning, and home.

Alternatively, on any week when Double Sunshine is delivered (check the Lawson's website), drive up Thursday, hit Warren Store for Lawson's before lunch (more iffy that they will still have any left), then HF, stay over for HT at Hunger Mountain Friday afternoon, and home.

I prefer the first plan, but it has to be implemented one certain weekend each month between May and October when the Farmers Market is open and Sean Lawson and family set up. April 19th they are having their anniversary party at Waitsfield Village Players Theater and will be selling like they do at the Farmers Market but they won't be selling at their usual monthly winter venue in Montpelier.

If Double Sunshine & Co. is not a priority, and to avoid the cost of staying overnight, go Friday, leaving about 8 AM, hit HF by 1 PM, then to Hunger Mountain by 3 for HT and hopefully also Lawson's (assuming the line at HF is not more than an hour long).

A non-touring option for just HT cases might be to contact someone who can go up there Monday or Tuesday (four of the five stores get theirs on those two days) and then bring them closer to your territory for you to pick up and pay for.

I agree with the guy who suggested that if you do opt for the trip, you make a mini-vacation out of it and plan to sightsee or whatever to fill in the time between when the Big Three have their best available. Every time I write out a plan, if I think of it only in terms of driving seven or eight hours just to buy a lot of beer, it seems crazy, even to me.

 

Thank you for the great response. I am planning on being in VT on a Wednesday & Thursday in mid-April and I've been lurking on this thread to see which places I should hit up on those consecutive days to have the best chance to bring home a few cases of HT. It's easy to look at the Alchemist delivery schedule; however, I always love reading accounts from people who have done these types of trips before!

I'm also going to do HF on that Wednesday afternoon and then Warren Store on Thursday morning for Lawson's, which I'm excited about.

 

Even better. Good hunting!

 

Thank you! It sounds like Healthy Living & Village Grocery will be my best best for Wednesday Heady, so I will be sure to hit those up.

 

Any one know about places on Saturday afternoon or someone could do me a solid favor and go and pick it up. Will be there Saturday afternoon at hf then Montpelier area. Would love a case or some 4 packs. Thanks!