Heady Topper

Last updated

Customers are urged to drink directly from the Heady Topper can. Headytopper.jpg
Customers are urged to drink directly from the Heady Topper can.

Heady Topper is a double India Pale Ale brewed by The Alchemist primarily in Waterbury, Vermont and in Stowe, Vermont. It is unfiltered and contains 8% ABV. The Alchemist describes Heady Topper as having flavors of orange, tropical fruit, pink grapefruit, pine, and spice. [1] Unpasteurized, it is kept refrigerated by authorized retailers until point of sale. [2] It has been described as "a complex web of genius", [3] and as of August 2018, it was rated the fourth best beer in the world by Beer Advocate. [4]

Contents

Overview

At the beginning of 2013, production was 1,200 cases a week with plans to expand to 1,800 during the following summer. As of 2018, The Alchemist brews 10,000 barrels of Heady Topper per year out of their Waterbury plant. [5] Heady Topper has gained a reputation locally throughout New England, and its reputation has been spread nationally and internationally. In the lead-up to the 2016 Democratic National Convention, The Atlantic reported that contender Bernie Sanders had "been photographed proudly holding a can of Heady Topper". [6] In an article published by the UK's Esquire, journalist Michael Smith commented about Heady Topper that it was "so in-demand [that] [t]hey don't even get out of the brewery, let alone the country. Brewed in tiny quantities, they excite such hysteria that on the day of release buyers queue around the brewery fence: by lunchtime all the fresh beer's sold". [7] Local establishments, including the brewery itself, have imposed limits to how many four-packs can be purchased per customer. The beer is sometimes referred to as "The Heady" by regular followers of The Alchemist brewery. [3]

In November 2013, The Alchemist closed their retail shop citing traffic and public access issues, [8] and moved to a larger space in Stowe, Vermont on June 30, 2016. The new, larger brewery and retail space opened the same day. [9] However, The Alchemist continues to primarily brew Heady Topper at their Waterbury location.

History

John Kimmich came to Vermont in 1994 to learn the craft beer industry from Greg Noonan. He worked as head brewer at Vermont Pub and Brewery in Burlington, VT., where he met his future wife, Jen. [10] Together they opened The Alchemist as a brew pub in Waterbury in November 2003, with Heady Topper an occasional offering. [10] [11] After customers began illegally taking Heady Topper offsite, Kimmich began bottling the ale. [11] The Kimmichs started the production brewery in August 2011, and Hurricane Irene destroyed the pub the same month. [3] Despite no marketing effort outside of Vermont, it grew in popularity through personal recommendations and craft beer websites. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craft beer</span> Brewery that produces small amounts of beer

Craft beer is beer manufactured by craft breweries, which typically produce smaller amounts of beer than larger "macro" breweries and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as emphasising enthusiasm, new flavours, and varied brewing techniques.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">India pale ale</span> Beer with high hop content

India pale ale (IPA) is a hoppy beer style within the broader category of pale ale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magic Hat Brewing Company</span> American brewery founded in Burlington, VT

Magic Hat Brewing Company is a wholly owned brand of Florida Ice & Farm Co., which is headquartered in Costa Rica. It began production as an independent craft brewer in South Burlington, Vermont in 1994, and the brand is distributed across the United States. Their flagship beer, the apricot-tinged #9, is widely regarded as a significant early force in introducing many Americans to craft beer, especially in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in Wales</span>

Beer in Wales can be traced to the 6th century. Since the 2000s, there has been a growing microbrewery industry in Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in Ireland</span>

Brewing in Ireland has a long history. Production currently stands at over 8 million hectolitres, and approximately half the alcohol consumed is beer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in New Zealand</span>

Beer is the most popular alcoholic drink in New Zealand, accounting for 63% of available alcohol for sale. At around 64.7 litres per person per annum, New Zealand is ranked 27th in global beer consumption per capita. The vast majority of beer produced in New Zealand is a type of lager, either pale or amber in colour, and typically 4–5% alcohol by volume.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otter Creek Brewing</span>

Otter Creek Brewing is a brewery in Middlebury, Vermont, that produces two lines of beer: Otter Creek Craft Ales, and Shed Brewery Ales. It brewed Wolaver's Organic Brewery beers from 2002 until 2015, when it ceased brewing that line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in South Korea</span>

Beer, called maekju in Korean, was first introduced to Korea in the early 20th century. Seoul's first brewery opened in 1908. Two current major breweries date back to the 1930s. The third brewery established in Korea, Jinro Coors Brewery, was founded in the 1990s. It was later acquired by Oriental Breweries (OB). Hite Breweries's former name was Chosun Breweries, which was established in 1933. The company changed its name to Hite Breweries in 1998. OB Breweries established as Showa Kirin Breweries in 1933. The company changed its name to OB Breweries in 1995.

Oskar Blues Brewery is a craft brewery with locations in Longmont, Colorado, Brevard, North Carolina, and Austin, Texas. The company began as a brewpub in Lyons, Colorado in 1997 and began brewing beer in the basement in 1999. In 2002, they became one of the first to put their own craft beer in cans. In 2012, they began marketing some of their craft beer in resealable aluminum containers, and in 2012, they expanded and established another brewery in Brevard, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in the United Kingdom</span>

Beer in the United Kingdom has a long history, and has quite distinct traditions. Historically the main styles were top-fermented Bitters, Porters, Stouts and Milds, but after World War II lagers took over half the market by volume. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) was founded in 1971 and has encouraged the preservation and revival of traditional styles of ale. In particular CAMRA has promoted cask conditioned beer, which completes its maturation in casks in the cellar of the pub rather than at the brewery. As of 2014 the UK drank 634 million imperial pints of cask ale, representing 60% of ale in pubs and restaurants and 17% of all beer in pubs. In total 42.42 million hectolitres of beer were produced in 2013 of which 48% was sold in the off-trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brewing in Vermont</span>

The U.S. state of Vermont is home to over 100 breweries, microbreweries, nanobreweries, and brewpubs that produce a wide variety of beer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sixpoint Brewery</span> Brewery in Brooklyn, New York

Sixpoint Brewery is a brewery founded 2004, in Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York, USA. The Sixpoint logo is a combination of the brewer's hexagram and the nautical star. The company's motto is Beer is Culture, a play on the cultural significance of beer and brewing, as well as the point that yeast is, in fact, a culture. Sixpoint ascribes to a "Mad Science" approach to brewing through a use of ingredients and techniques.

Beer in Northern Ireland has been influenced by immigration into Ulster, especially from Scotland, and the drinking habits in Ireland until the partition of Ireland. Whiskey drinking was always a tradition with Guinness from Dublin being a strong influence in the style of beer drunk in the 19th and 20th centuries. Brewing traditions almost ceased to exist as smaller breweries closed, or were taken over, and then the large breweries in turn closed down their facilities. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) was founded in 1971; however, it was 10 years before the first new brewery, Hilden Brewing, opened its doors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hill Farmstead Brewery</span>

Hill Farmstead Brewery is a brewery established in 2010 by Shaun Hill in Greensboro Bend, Vermont, United States. It is located in the "Northeast Kingdom" of Vermont, about seventy miles from the state's largest city, Burlington.

After revision of the liquor tax law in South Korea, it was introduced that license of making small scale beer. By releasing regulation, craft beer has increased as of 2014 in South Korea. Microbreweries in South Korea have expanded the base not only in the domestic market, but also in overseas markets. It has been increasing that demand and supply of microbreweries and pubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cloudwater Brew Co</span> Craft brewery based in Manchester

Cloudwater Brew Co is an independent craft brewery based in Manchester, England. Established in 2014, the brewery began making beer the following year and quickly gained a reputation for the quality of its products. In 2017 and 2018, Cloudwater was ranked among the ten best breweries in the world by beer scoring website RateBeer, becoming the only UK brewery ever to be featured. Several Cloudwater beers have also received accolades at the same awards.

References

  1. "Heady Topper". Untappd . Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Fountain, Kristen (August 1, 2013). "Heady Topper hits the black market". Waterbury Record. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Noel, Josh (April 22, 2013). "Heady Topper: Heady Topper IPA a Vermont sensation – Chicago Tribune". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on April 23, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  4. "Heady Topper". Beer Advocate .
  5. Marcel, Joyce. "Jen and John Kimmich: 9/11, The Alchemist, Irene and Heady Topper". Vermont Business Magazine. 15 July 2018.
  6. Osgood, Matthew. "America's New Beer Test". The Atlantic . 8 May 2016.
  7. Smith, Michael. "Craft Beer Supernova: Why Manchester Is Leading The Modern Beer Renaissance". Esquire . 26 April 2018. ISSN   0194-9535
  8. "The Alchemist Blog". Archived from the original on November 18, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  9. "The Alchemist Blog" . Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  10. 1 2 Pollak, Sally (March 2, 2012). "Vermont Brews: The Alchemist transformed floodwater into Heady Topper". Burlington Free Press. Archived from the original on August 31, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
  11. 1 2 Kimmich, John. "CraftBeer.com The Alchemist Pub & Brewery" . Retrieved August 31, 2013.