Rare Beer Hunting Pays Off... Again!

I know I've written on this topic before, but I have cause to rehash it… I have cause to celebrate. I recently got my hands on a very special beer that is absolutely impossible to find in my neck of the woods. This rarity is considered by most enlightened beer people to be either number 1 or 1-A on the list of the best craft beers on the planet. Needless to say, this is a pretty big day in my life… right up there with my wedding day or the days my children were born. I’m just being honest, people.

Oh, and the beer in question is the coveted Heady Topper American Double IPA by The Alchemist, located in Waterbury, VT.

Another white whale has been checked off my list!

How did I get it? Glad you asked. If you remember back to some of my earlier expositions of rare beer hunting, the key to success is an expansive network of friends, partners, snitches, and well-wishers. Craft beer is truly a team sport, and to try to go it alone is only asking for heartache.

Not sure what perfection is, but this has to be close

In this particular case, one of my most trusted drinking collaborators was traveling home to the Boston area and knew a guy who knew a guy over in Northern Vermont, where Heady Topper is made. This mutual friend of a mutual friend was able to score a healthy amount of Topper and just like in the days of the Volstead Act, these shining cans of malted-barley-based ecstasy made their way across state lines and eventually into my fridge.

Heady Topper is only sold within 25 miles of Waterbury, VT and usually sells out within days or even hours of being released. This probably has a lot to do with the beer's reputation and lengths people are willing to go to get some. In fact, according to a news story from August 2013, Heady Toppers were being sold for $18 per can on the black market in Washington, DC.

As I mentioned, Heady Topper is a Double IPA, but it is not designed to be the most bitter or the strongest. The brewers’ intent is to highlight the different hop flavors and aromas of the six different hops that go into it. Flavors like orange, tropical fruit, pink grapefruit, pine and spice take center stage on your palate. It weighs in at 8% ABV and 75 IBU.

Just like with other white whales I've bagged over the years, I couldn't have done it without the network of friends and informants that made it happen. If rarities are what you seek, you need to know people, and in many cases, you need to know people who know people who know people. And so on, and so forth.

Beer in a can... always better!

P.S. - It's delicious! Here’s to The Alchemist, Heady Topper, people who know people, and America! Rare craft beer too!

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!