Tracking Down a Heady Topper

A quest is defined as a long or arduous search for something.  My something was a particular beer.  I was mulling over the Beer Advocate top 100 beers in the world, and I was disappointed that I hadn’t tried the #3 beer, The Alchemist’s Heady Topper, an Imperial IPA from relatively nearby Waterbury, VT (I guess more nearby than #1 Russian River’s Pliny the Younger from CA).  And with a 9/80 day in front of me (and no desire to dedicate anymore casual OT to the company), I decided to drive over to a retail beer store in VT to pick some up, knowing that I wanted to be home by 3:15PM to see Jacob home from school.  Little did I know it would become my own personal quest.

I had planned to try to find beer at a retail store in Manchester, a short 60 miles away.  So I got there, and found out that Heady Topper didn’t make it that far south, but the store owner knew that Rutland had it.  So I set off for Rutland (30 miles north), but was told the same thing.  So we checked the Alchemist website and was happy to find out that Route 7 Beverage received weekly deliveries.  So I decided to go “All In,” and drove another 70 miles north (I still had plenty of time to make it back) to fulfill my quest.  The sign at the store read, “Heady Topper delivered 12:03 on Thursday, and sold out at 3:57 on Thursday.”  It was at this point that I realized that I was in trouble.  So I bought a bottle of Founders Frangelic Mountain Brown (when in Rome you know), and talked to the store owner, and he recommended to head north to the Beverage Warehouse in Winooski (only another 3 miles this time), who was another Alchemist delivery spot.

I knew where I was, so I stopped by Magic Hat to see if they had anything new brewing.  It was only 10AM, so I had plenty of time.  Since it was still technically breakfast time, I went with their Apple Pie Ale; not a cider but super sweet and full of apple flavor.  They also had their newest Humdinger series beer, Burn Pile, a smoked porter that was definitely had the roasted malt flavor.  So I tried it on draft, and got a bottle to go, and headed up to the Beverage Warehouse.  The sign at the Beverage Warehouse said, “Heady Topper delivered 11:10 on Thursday, and sold out at 1:46 on Thursday.”  I was beginning to sense a trend, so I bought a couple of bottles; Jolly Pumpkin’s Subrehumano Palena’ole and Maui’s Subrehumano Palena’ole. The same collaboration beer, brewed at two different locations (both were delicious).  After I told the owner my story, he suggested that I simply drive to Waterbury.  What a great idea!  So after another 30 miles, I made it to the Alchemist (http://www.alchemistbeer.com/).  Heady Topper is sold by the can, and since I had traveled so far, I decided to get a case so that I can share it with my friends.  I was able to enjoy a ½ pint on draft, and watch their canning process.  An Imperial IPA weighing in at 8% IPA, it was very good.  As to whether it was the 3^rd best beer in the world? Probably not, but to each their own.

Since it was 11:30 (lunch time), and I was right at the Prohibition Pig (http://www.prohibitionpig.com/), I decided to pop in for lunch.  Their tap menu was excellent, but I’d have to say that their food was even better.  Their specialty is bar-b-que, smoking their meets and offering their own sauces.  I was in a hurry now (I still needed to make it home), so I went with their sliced brisket sandwich, served with their house bacon bbq sauce (yum), fried onions, served on a sweet potato bun with a house pickle.  It was awesome, I can’t wait to go back.  It also came in less than 5 minutes (fast), barely enough time for me to finish my first beer, Lawson’s Finest Triple Play IPA.  I had the Hill Farmstead George next, an American Brown Ale that had a fairly good hop presence, something you don’t often find in Brown ales.  I started my journey home (I was on a schedule), but I had one more stop to make.

I decided to take scenic Route 100 home, heading 20 miles south to the Warren Provision Store so I could see what they had in stock for Lawson’s Finest Liquids (http://www.lawsonsfinest.com/).  The Provision store was the official local distributor of their beers, soI bought a couple of bottles from Lawson’s Finest Liquids; their Maple Nipple Ale and their Hopzilla.  They had a wide selection of other crafts and VT food stuffs, plus a sandwich shop.  But I was happy with the beer, and planned to always stop by when I was travelling done this path. 

I made it home, and instead of travelling a short 120 miles, it turned out to be 350.  However, I got a case of the #3 beer in the world, found a great new bar-b-que joint, and met some great people along the way.  And most importantly, I was home in time to get a hug from son on his way home from school.  That was a pretty good day. – 6119/13014

“There can’t be good living where there is not good drinking.” - Benjamin Franklin