The Alchemist Heady Topper
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What the brewers say
Heady Topper is not intended to be the strongest or most bitter DIPA. It is brewed to give you wave after wave of hop flavor without any astringent bitterness. We brew Heady Topper with a proprietary blend of six hops—each imparting its own unique flavor and aroma. There is just enough malt to give this beer some backbone, but not enough to take the hops away from the center stage.
What our panel thought
Aroma: “Grassiness, earthiness, spiciness, sweet tobacco notes, tropical fruit, lemon zest with a touch of leather in the back. Little-to-no malt aroma.”
Flavor: “Had some oddness to it—curry? Complex flavor with some spice notes—smokey, earthy, cheesy, leather. Good sweet hop fruitiness of citrus, orange juice, slight grapefruit with mild notes of pine. Juicy character comes through. Touch of malt backbone. Finish is bitter but not lingering. It’s great how clear the hops were.”
Overall: “An odd, aggressive beer that highlights the complex fruit hop character that is balanced well through the beer. Nice grapefruit lingering in the finish.”
