Heady Topper vs Ruination vs Pliny vs Hop Stoopid

Yes, I’ve had the colab, as well. It was OK. Verrry hoppy, but not all that different from Stone’s more recent colab called TBA. Brown IPAs are weird for me because they only add a touch more malt character than a pale IPA. I more like the extremes, black IPA vs pale IPA.

Yes, it was Irene. Very sad story, I’m only thirty miles from the alchemist. I’m sad to say I only went to the pub once before it had to close its doors. It was great timing that they were building the cannery brewery (in a coincidentally safer spot) about five miles away as Irene hit. They were about 3/4 done at the time if I remember correctly.

It’s a nice spot, brand new building and brewing equipment. It’s definitely a top seller locally, so I’m sure the investment is paying off. Every time I visit there are quite a few others there as well. It’ll be crazy once they release a 2nd beer, whenever that happens.

The original location is reopening soon as a gastropub called the Prohibition Pig. That’ll be fun for the locals, but not nearly as much of a destination as a brew pub. There are already quite a few amazing gastropubs in downtown Burlington.

+1! The Heady Topper can clearly states it’s unfiltered and is to be drunk from the can. Now, I despise when anyone tells me how to eat my food or drink my beer, but in this case I get it. It’s not a pretty beer, but it’s clearly not meant to be. They tried to make a fantastic fresh hoppy IIPA that is meant to be consumed early. And that’s exactly what they did. I had the luck of having someone give me a can the other day. FANTASTIC IIPA! And I’ll say, although I’m a hop head, I’m not a huge fan of IIPA or Imperial IPA’s. They’re usually just too over the top bitter or sweat for me. But Heady Topper is great. Sucks you can only get it way up in the Northeast.

Haha, exactly my thought when I first said “screw you, into a glass it goes”. Man, it’s ugly. Looks like pale mud, you can’t see a damn thing through it, and it has very little lacing / head retention. This makes sense as all that crap is destroying the head. But, damn, it’s tasty stuff.

I think the can is the second best drinking medium. The first is a glass and last is a bottle (after horns and bladders because “f–k yeah”). It’s just pleasant to drink from a can, and when they are “wide mouth”, like the Heady-Topper cans, it’s really not much different from drinking out of a glass if you close your eyes. That coupled with how ugly Heady-Topper is, It’s can for me.

Interestingly enough, they sell some nice branded glasses at the Alchemist Cannery. “BUT DON’T POUR OUR BEER INTO IT.” :lol:

I gotta chime in here with a resounding SURLY ABRASIVE!!!
I have never had the privilege of trying Heady Topper or Pliney, but bindly tested against Hopslam and Founder’s Double Trouble it won hands down among a group of six!