[hopfenundmalz]

Let me chime in please....The first (and only) time I tried Heady Topper I was blown away...I am hugely obsessed with IPAs and know what is good.  Most IPAs these days are way over the top with harsh bitterness and weird hop combos that leave a strange smell and flavor.  Heady Was silky smooth, very clean bitter, and the piny/fruity, juicy, peachy combo an IPA should be.  I have became so obsessed with Heady it is my new mission to create this beer using the famous Conan Yeast. This is definitely one of the best commercial IPAs ever made...
You guys mention Russian River Pliny the Elder and I must agree, It did not blow my hair back.  Their marketing department is the reason that beer is "so great."

Some points about IPAs.
1. I have made some of the historic recipes from when IPA was shipped to India. They are very bitter and dry.
2. The first IPA I had was Ballantines IPA about 1974. It had so much flavor, bitterness and alcohol it was a shock in 1974. About 7% and 65 IBU in the time of all light lagers. Lots of hops like Bullion and Cluster were used. I have been brewing a homebrew recipe of that beer, and it is one that everyone loves.
3. I had Russian River's Pliny a long time ago in Santa Rosa when Simcoe was a new hop - and it did blow my hair back. My socks were not found.
4. Hop bursting and whirlpool hopping is somewhat new. Add dry hopping, and you have how these new IPAs are made. They are tasty when used with all of the new fruity hops out there.
5. I have had a taste of heady at a club meeting and thought it was very good. I thought the Pliny that was on the table was also very good.
6. The 2 most memorable IPAs that I have had in the last few years were Fatheads Headhunter and La Cumbre's Elevated IPA. Those were really tasty.

[Multifaceted]

I've been entertaining the idea of a trip to VT under the guise of a ski/snowboarding trip with my wife... and while that will be done, my ulterior motive is to seek and and procure a case of Heady. Now, I've never had it, but as someone who is a veritable hop-head, and based off of the accounts of other's whose palates I respect and value — all they've had to say about it was nothing short of superb.

I recently received some Vermont Ale yeast from The Yeast Bay, which is alluded to be isolated from The Alchemist Heady. Very excited to work with it!

[HoosierBrew]

Some points about IPAs.
1. I have made some of the historic recipes from when IPA was shipped to India. They are very bitter and dry.
2. The first IPA I had was Ballantines IPA about 1974. It had so much flavor, bitterness and alcohol it was a shock in 1974. About 7% and 65 IBU in the time of all light lagers. Lots of hops like Bullion and Cluster were used. I have been brewing a homebrew recipe of that beer, and it is one that everyone loves.
3. I had Russian River's Pliny a long time ago in Santa Rosa when Simcoe was a new hop - and it did blow my hair back. My socks were not found.
4. Hop bursting and whirlpool hopping is somewhat new. Add dry hopping, and you have how these new IPAs are made. They are tasty when used with all of the new fruity hops out there.
5. I have had a taste of heady at a club meeting and thought it was very good. I thought the Pliny that was on the table was also very good.
6. The 2 most memorable IPAs that I have had in the last few years were Fatheads Headhunter and La Cumbre's Elevated IPA. Those were really tasty.

+1. I was blown away by fresh Pliny as well, though the hype has gotten pretty over the top IMO. Great beer though. But I drank a ton of fresh Blind Pig and couldn't get enough. It's the IPA I've tried to emulate more than any other.

[udubdawg]

You guys mention Russian River Pliny the Elder and I must agree, It did not blow my hair back.  Their marketing department is the reason that beer is "so great."

Pliny is a great beer, but it is highly over hyped. Helps to remember that it was one of the very first IIPAs (some argue the first) out there - it literally paved the way for Heady Topper. Also, as with all IPAs - if its not fresh it won't live up to the hype. I drank it at the source and it was a very excellent beer. Not the best IIPA I ever had, but brewery fresh and fantastic non-the-less.

gonna agree the beer is great and overhyped.  Give me Blind Pig.  The "marketing department" comment you replied to made me laugh though.
lbond2:  do you really think it is RR's actions, and not that of their fans, that has created the hype?  C'mon. 

[majorvices]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the marketing Dept. at RR is Vinnie and his Wife. Their beer is what drives their marketing.Not sure if it is still the case but the last time I spoke with him he didn't even have a FB page.

[ultravista]

Where's the recipe?

[blatz]

there's one or two out there on the interwebs 

the one I used was from bear-flavored.com.  I can post it later from my beersmith file if needed. 

[theDarkSide]

Where's the recipe?

Farmhouse Brewing Supply sells a kit based on the recipe on HBT.  http://www.farmhousebrewingsupply.com/heady-topper-clone-all-grain/

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/heady-topper-can-you-clone-390082/

[ultravista]

A Beersmith file would be awesome!

[blatz]

A Beersmith file would be awesome!

PM me your email and I'll ship it to you later today.

[flbrewer]

First and foremost - heavily hyped beers rarely live up to the hype, but Heady Topper is definitely one of the best commercial IPA's I've ever tried.

Aroma is like burying your face in a bag of hops. There's plenty of fruit, but there's also this great hop cone/lupulin on your fingers smell that rarely makes it all the way into the finished beer. The flavor has some citrus, but is more skewed to the piny/herbal side. Bitterness is nice and firm on the middle of the tongue, but not harsh or abrasive. The hop aroma and flavor are clearly more the focus than the bitterness. The finish has plenty of hop flavor continuing on for a good while.

What I really like about Heady Topper is that the bitterness doesn't feel harsh or raw, and it doesn't feel like someone just painted hop resin on your tongue that's never going to wash off. As much as I enjoy beers like "Go To" and "Enjoy By", or my own IPA's for that matter, I get some bitterness character that's a bit rough (almost like raw hops) when trying to push the hop flavor envelope. Whatever they're doing at Alchemist, they really have it dialed in.

Awesome review. Please mail some down to Florida.