The big topic in beer is sales figures and brewery's closing. To find a can of Heady Topper in Cali is unheard of. My son found one in a local MA store. The lines at Tree House are non-existent and you could purchase 100's of cases a day if you wanted. The economy is just so weak, pricey beer is where hundreds of dollars can be cut from your budget. Long gone are those days when making a road trip to Tree House on a back woods road was like going to Mecca. Heady Topper is still ranked near or at top of everyone's beer list, and they probably sell every can they produce, but it seems they have some form of distribution going on.
The market just became so over saturated, and the copycat thing has watered everything down (IMO). I think it’s why I so easily gravitated back to WCIPA, and lagers. It just makes no sense to me to spend tons of money on the same hazy IPA over and over ya know? I wonder what the future holds for craft beer. Will we see a reemergence of old styles? I sure hope so 🍻
Absolutely holds up; still a happy medium between NE & West Coast. I get these fresh in Brattleboro, VT (along with Focal Banger). Great distribution in VT, and readily available in gas stations😂... Not a bad thing at all🍻
Joe- your synopsis at the end is spot on. The hunt that occured 8,10, 12 years ago was special. Things have changed for sure. The fact that they have this all over VT now, then here and there in many other states has lulled the thrill (this beer, and many others). Crazy Hill Farmstead thought too---I live in the Albany, NY area (near Fidens and soon to be Treehouse) and we have a few beer bars that have Hill Farm kegs. There's one place right now in Albany that has 4 Hill beers on tap. Unheard of back in the day. I'll say I enjoy how some of my annual favorites like Waldo and Celebration come and go in the span of a couple of months. Makes us look forward to the releases.
Beer was so different back then! I’ll always think back fondly on those days. Also - you’re freaking STOKED on having Hill kegs local to you!! I cannot imagine 😳🔥🍻
Hi- No, it was Albany Ale and Oyster House. Some of the Hill beers have come out of rotation, which I guess is a good thing. (kicked quick, so they were fresh) They are actually moving down the street from their current location, soon. Also, the 2 other places that have great lists that include Hill beers are City Beer Hall, then The Ruck in Troy. Curious- any good beer bars down in your area? (as you probably know- Dan Suarez's place is up the street from you a little ways in the Hudson valley. He brews lower ABV hoppy ales and lagers. Not sure if you know, but Dan was a big part of Hill's brewing staff early on) @@Halojunkie612
@@DJTwice1979 thanks for the thoughtful recommendations. yes, love me some Suarez. We’ve actually met a few times. I used to work at a little place called Plan Bee Farm Brewery here in Poughkeepsie. Lambic inspired wild and spontaneous stuff; excellent if you can get your hands on some. The owner is a good friend of Dan’s, and I make my way up there pretty frequently. Zach and Helen run the bar, super nice people. A bit further South of me is Beacon, which houses probably the best beer bar in this area. I’ve seen Hill, Trillium, Troon, Forest & Main, and countless others. Hudson Valley Brewery is also in the same town. They make the best Sour IPAs I’ve ever had if you’re into that sort of thing, but their wild stuff, stouts and lagers are also excellent. Closer to you is an up and comer West Kill if you haven’t heard of them yet. They’re putting out some pretty tasty lagers, ESBs and the like. Main location in the Catskills, but they just opened a satellite location Kingston. Cheers my friend!
Nice----What's the name of that beer bar in Beacon? Also, I follow Troon and see they sell-out quite quickly. What are they making, just NE-IPAs? I havent' heard of Forest and Main. Yes, West Kill is special. A couple of winters ago I went with some others in February and we stood outside around the firepits just chillin and overlooking the Catskills. Special place. I know they recent;y opened that place in Kingston too. @@Halojunkie612
I still drink this beer all the time! Living in VT, it is available everywhere now even some gas stations! If you ever make your way out here, I’d highly recommend you try the hand pulled Heady at the brewery. It is like English style beer engine situation, which alters the experience of the beer sooo much!
I have watched quite a few reviews for Heady Topper lately and every single person agreed with you. It is one of the best! Have a great and safe New Year's.
Definitely still one of my faves. $13 at brewery still for 4-pack, I will always purchase a 4-pk if I find here in NJ for $20. Its delicious, but I wish I could go back to my first time trying when it was mind blowing (and to test if it always tasted like this). I love going back and watching you taste the great ones for the 1st time. Thanks Joe!
Had a can two nights ago. First one in like 6 years. I said the exact same thing. You can tell that this was the gateway beer between the "old school" DIPA and the "new school" hazy juice bombs. I love this one still. Wish I could get it more frequently.
My pallet has changed a ton over the years and this beer has always been one of my favorites and still is. Reminds me of being in VT skiing, drinking and smoking dank! It’s always been more west coast style to me.
Hey Joe. The first time i had it was in 2015. I was on a trip back from Montreal and stopped in Burlington to find some Heady. I found one place that had it on draft. I remember it being very pithy and dank. It blew my mind. Now fast forward to today and we can get it every so often at my local bottle shop and it still has it for me. I still grab it if i see it. I don't think it will ever grow old for me. It doesn't tire out your palette like the juice bombs of today. I wish I was in the game earlier than 2015 so I could have enjoyed it longer LOL. Cheers and happy new year.
Heady is still my favorite hoppy beer. I drank a 1 year old can a few weeks ago, and it was still bright, floral, and hoppy. I have a can that will be 2 years old in February 2024. Hoping it has held up as well 🍻 *Edit - they said the 20th Anniversary TIPA will have 4 releases from 2023-24. Their 20th Anniversary party is the last weekend in May. I’m planning on making the trip with a beer buddy of mine. 🍻
I’ve got a video on my channel somewhere with a (I think) 2 year old can? I’d have to go back and watch it to see what I thought of it back then 😬. I’ll try my best to get that 20th anniversary can the next time they release it! 🍻🍻
The Heady 20th Anniversary is going to be going out in 3 more batches throughout the year. The recipe will be altered slightly each release. I'm local to the area so it's easy enough to get and will be saving 1 of each release to do a side by side. Cheers!
just found your channel. most craft beer reviewers don't know anything about beer. you are spot on with your evaluation. I've been at it since the 80's as far as craft beer. you must live in New England. I'm from Michigan and I can only dream of having a Heady Topper in my hand. or Lawsons or Tree House. but Michigan has some awesome beer .Cheers! from a new subscriber.
Glad you found the channel and I appreciate the kind words. I’m actually in San Diego, but have been fortunate over the years to experience all of the best NE IPAs there have been to offer thanks to amazing friends. Michigan has some great beer, no doubt! Cheers and thanks again for hanging out! 🍻
Follow the instructions on the can and DRINK STRAIGHT FROM THE CAN! Seriously thanks for the review. I love HT. HT is the ultimate blend of EC and WC IPAs which is why it rules. I've been homebrewing since 1991 so def old school.
I still dig me some heady topper, for sure. Love the old school New England/VT profile which is more akin (aka inspired by) the west coast style, that pithy bitter dankness you allude to. I continue to prefer it to the overripe juicy stuff everywhere these days, though those can certainly be tasty too. Being in CT, I still gravitate to the local classics like NEBCO’s sea hag and g-bot, even fuzzy, which all lean bitter/pine/sappy/grapefruit vibes. But there are a lot of local spots pumping out all kinds of great IPAs. Great review, cheers Joe!
Drinking this now on a Frieday end of work day. Before "hazy" there was "unfiltered." Heady's "Drink Out Of The Can" campaign was when clear beer had no fear, but sedimental floaties hazies were seen as "different." Now when poured, it's seen as tears from heaven haha. Good times, great beer. If I catch their next 20th release I'll hit you back!
Hey Joe, got to Stowe last night, had a can of 20th Anniversary, looking forward to stopping by the Alchemist and Hill Farmstead.....Heady is still Great, and yes tastes very much like West Coast these days
As a life long Vermonter I’ve been drinking this for a long time. One of my favorite things about it is it’s always the same. You know what you’re going to get very single time.
It’s how I feel about Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. As a dude who grew up in CA, that beer has been around since the 80s and it’s the exact same every single time. No matter where I’m at, or what I’m doing, I can see cans, or see it on draft and I know exactly what I’m getting. So fucking great 🍻
The OG. In my opinion it's still such a unique experience every time I drink one. I'm in MA so can get it pretty easy, especially if i feel like just driving to VT. Heady never disappoints in my opinion.
Yes I still love this beer up in Maine when I can get my hands on it. This beer definitely inspired many New England breweries including Bissell Brothers. Not sure if anyone else has commented this but the 20th anniversary Heady has 2 more releases coming up so …..
Your review caused me to seek this out to try, as I thought I saw it at Total Wine here in Sacramento after watching. They do indeed have it so picked up a can. Definitely fun to try. It has some dankness and is bitter like you said and digs into the tongue. $20 a 4-pack at TW.
I absolutely love this beer! Still my favorite beer of all time. Literally the dankest beer I've ever had, its like drinking liquid weed or like drinking a "sweet" joint. Cheers Joe!
I make regular treks to New England to visit family and always go through Stowe to get Heady Topper from the source! Focal Banger might be just as good, IMO. Hits a little different at 7% but is a great IPA as well. But yes, Heady Topper is STILL the OG and is a must have for every beer nut. Cheers!
I need to get my hands on some Focal again! I remember when I first got some I couldn’t believe it. My buddy said only certain bars in VT would get cans and you had to drink them there? He somehow convinced the person to sell him a 4 pack. This was like 9ish years ago I think? 😂
Although HT is "hazy", it has never been a true New England IPA "Tree House Hazy" -type beer. It always had that grapefruit bitterness to me.. I had my first taste of HT 9 years ago, in January 2015. Hard to believe. It was the best beer I had ever tasted at the time. On the same day I also tried Second Fiddle, which also blew my mind. Fast forward to 2020-2021 or so, HT became just a regular hazy beer to me, due to the oversaturation of the market and the hundreds of other great hazies. Now, I am with you... I gravitated back to the WCIPA, mainly because my beer store shelves are loaded with hundreds and hundreds of hazies that all taste the same to me 🙂. I don't crave the hazies like I used to. Old school SNPA and Guinness is what I buy these days.
Heady for some reason their yeast and hops paved the way tillium did the same we have to go back and remember what life was like when only these two existed with treehouse and now our palates are so wrecked from overly hoppy beer like monkish and some here in Michigan. Like Arvon and wax wings making similar stuff.
I routinely get shipments of The Alchemist beers. Heady, Focal, Skadoosh. I could drink these all day every day. The heavy, hazy TH beers, not so much.
Having been drinking modern hazies a lot lately, I get hazed out. These Vermont style IPAs or even west coasts IPAs seem nice to have as in your rotation to keep that palate fatigue for hazy in check. The Alchemist and Trillium seems to make its way down to SoCal roughly every 4 months or so.
Just my opinion, I have had it several times, and I got the recent release this month. It’s a good beer, and it kind of has its own niche, but I like hazes from Pure project, North Park, etc … more. Everyone has different taste buds so to each their own cheers 🍻
Def varies batch to batch somewhat but when it hits its still the 🐐 for me! 30th Anniversary Version they're doing 4x total up till they're anniversary party on memorial day weekend Joe so maybe you'll catch one! Was solid for a 10%er, really well done, didn't get out of balance like alot of triples but still prefer the of no doubt! 🍻
@@jsenigaglia I can get it next round Joe.. if I do I'll save you one! 🍻.. happy new year brother! You and Matt still the only two beer reviewers I pay attention too!
Heady Topper hasn't changed. They are very good about consistency up there. IPA's have evolved since then for sure, but Heady is still great. It is, as you say, more like a west coast IPA but that's not a bad thing at all. I live in the NE where Treehouse is making some of the most incredible IPA imaginable, but Heady and Focal Banger are still primo. I'm enjoying a Heady now.
Took me years to get a can in the UK and first managed to get one maybe 6 years ago or so. I’d watched every video on RU-vid so hyped it up for myself a bit too much. I definitely was surprised it was more west coasty than I was expecting. Delicious though.
I did the same when first trying to get it. Watched, listened to, talked to everyone about it. It was so hyped but back then it lived up to the hype for me. I was at a Halloween party the first time a can ever got passed around. We all took sips and were like “yep, that was worth the wait”. Such a fun time back then. I’ll always remember that 🍻
My first was at a local craft beer bar, they got four cans in and we had to buy tickets for the tasting. It was like a seance, cupping our tiny pours and nodding to each other 😅
Thanls for the reviews. Im from Oklahoma and limited in options. Ill be in Boston and Maine in a couple weeks. So far my list is Treehosue Green, Julius, Lord Hobo Boom sauce, Trillium not sure which one yet, Maine Beer Co Dinner, and Alchemist Heddy Topper. Any others i should try?
Those are all good choices - though I’d skip the Boom Sauce (unless it’s gotten way better over the years?). As far as Alchemist goes - I’d add Focal Banger and Skadoosh to that list. Crusher, too if it’s available. Maine Lunch is also fantastic. Anything Trillium you can’t go wrong, either.
@@jsenigaglia Awesome, thanks for the insight. Subscribed and looking forward to seeing past and future videos. Cheers! If you ever get a chance to try any Oklahoma Beers, my faves are the Coop F5, Stonecloud Chug Norris, and Astrodog.
@jsenigaglia I'm still big into NE Hazy especially being located in NY. Treehouse/Fidens/Root&Branch...even in Canada you have Brasserie Du Bas and Messorem, just to name a few. The game has surely changed with the influx of hops in recent years. Keeps me coming back.
I think I got sick of the over saturation of it all. Hazies were everywhere, and so many of them were so over done. That chalkiness, the palate fatigue, and they always made me congested and lots of times made my stomach hurt after a few. Was just over the yeast bombs ya know? 🍻
My first reaction would be to say Pliny just because it was so influential in my beer drinking life. It’s legit the perfect DIPA IMO. Having them side by side fresh would be fun! 🍻
Is it just me or when I drink a Heady Topper I get like a weird, dizzy, headachey buzz? The beer is delicious but I dont like that weird feeling it comes with from drinking it.
Always my opinion on this beer is that this is bitter. This is more West Coast than NE IPA with the soft soft. I've actually come to enjoy this way more than having it into my early entry into craft.
@@jsenigaglia hey Joe, after I comment I wish that I added that I still like Heady. Being a New Englander I have been lucky to enjoy Heady from its earliest days to the present. To me the earlier versions were hoppy as F but still smooth as silk going down. I am more of a focal banger guy. Cheers
I think Heady is gross personally. To me, it's super bubblegum yeasty and overly sweet. I like Focal Banger more but... I don't think The Alchemist is for me...
When was the last time you had heady? Only asking because I didn’t even notice the yeast in it when I drank this. I was expecting to but it was so hop forward. Love it.
@@jsenigagliaI think it was in 2021. I've had it a few times though just to see if my opinion changes - but nope. It's not for me. Yes, it does have that WC bitterness that modern NEIPA lacks. But I find the rest of the beer so unbalanced and unappealing that I just don't get why people dig it.
