If you are an IPA lover then you are probably well-versed in both East Coast and West Coast style IPAs. East Coast IPAs are known for their malty and slightly sweeter characteristics while West Coast IPAs are known for being hop-forward with a drier finish. But what in the world is a “Northeast style” IPA? I had the good fortune to travel to Vermont recently and drink some really great craft beer. Of course, since I would be driving right by the home of the famously delicious Heady Topper IIPA from The Alchemist in Waterbury, VT, I had to try it out. Heady Topper is the bees knees of the beer world. A couple of years ago it was rated the best beer in the world on Ratebeer.com and although it’s only fallen a few spots on the list, it’s still considered one of the white-whales of the craft beer industry.

This beer’s success is as much about its delicious taste as the way it’s marketed and sold. First of all, you can’t visit the brewery, which personally, I was bummed about. The word on the street is that patrons were enjoying Heady Topper too much and causing problem in the sleepy little Vermont Hamlet of Waterbury, so they shut down the tasting room. So how do you find this beer? You look on their website under “Where to Buy” and find out where they are delivering to that day. Yes that day, because most Heady Topper sells out within minutes of delivery, whether it’s at 7:30 am or 12 noon. This is partly because as popular as the beer is, it’s only delivered to a very small area in Vermont, an already very small state. Barre, Montpelier, Waterbury and Burlington are the delivery locales and people in Vermont take it very seriously. My first experience with Heady Topper was on a cold Thursday, when walking down Church Street in Burlington. I checked out the delivery schedule on my phone and sure enough, we were walking right by Church Street Tavern, one of the spots it was delivered to that day. We popped in for a noontime beer and were in great luck as the bartender told us they had the elusive beer available. The first surprise was that the beer brought to the table in cans. Apparently, the Alchemist doesn’t do kegs and when they serve you the beer, you are supposed to drink it right out of the can. I am happy to drink it any way it’s suggested and I think this is because some people might be turned off by seeing the unfiltered beer in the light of day. When I did pour it in a glass it came out a lovely, golden color with a few floaters. Nothing that would concern me, but who knows about others.  Our server also said that they are incredibly picky as to when/how the beer is delivered and if there isn’t space in the walk-in right when the delivery happens, they don’t leave the beer. Good for them for having high standards and I would guess that every bar that serves Heady Topper complies with this request with no complaints. The second surprise was that the bartender told us they had not one but two Alchemist beers available…they also had Focal Banger, their newer single IPA. Sweet…two tasty beers to try! Getting to the good stuff, does Heady Topper live up to the hype? In a short, yes. The double IPA was delicious and easy to drink. It had a bright and citrusy nose with strong pine and orange scents right off the bat. The beer has been described by many as being “juicy” and I would agree with that. It differs from a lot of the East Coast style IPAs I tried in Vermont because of its lack of malty, sweetness. It’s fresh taste is also what some might describe as dank and stands up to the 8%  ABV, leaving your palette quickly for a clean finish. You can definitely taste the Mosaic hops in the brew, with a floral, fruity taste that just lends itself to being called, “juicy.”

For the longest time The Alchemist only brewed Heady Topper, which at 8%, can pack a punch. Last year, they started canning their second beer, the single IPA, Focal Banger. This beer was also incredibly easy to drink…light on the malts and heavy on the Citra and Mosaic hops. Crisp and balanced and clocking in at 7% ABV, it’s not too much lighter in alcohol than Heady Topper, but has a lighter taste. I preferred the Heady Topper, but enjoyed this beer very much too. The funny thing is that Heady Topper tasted similar to West Coast IIPAs like Pliny the Younger (though with a cleaner finish) and even our own The Menace IIPA, which is known for it’s extreme drinkability. It’s different than a lot of the other East coast beers I tasted because of the lighter malts and that difference reminds me of our delicious double IPAs available here in San Diego. We left Church Street Tavern feeling confident in our ability to find Heady Topper and I made plans to stop at one of the stores listed on their delivery schedule to pick some up on our way to southern Vermont. Had I known it would be so hard to get at a store, I would have bought more right from the bar! On our drive down from Burlington to Middlebury on the East side of the Green Mountains, we stopped at at least five different beer stores, all of which had sold out within minutes of their allotted delivery. There were even signs at a couple of the spots stating, “No Heady Topper, Don’t Even Ask.” I had resigned myself to having the Heady Topper only in my memories when my husband excitedly called me saying he bought two 4-packs. They limit people to only buying 2 each, or else there would be a killer black market for this beer. I was excited for our brewers to taste this beer and tell me what they thought. It turns out they enjoyed the beer very much and commented on the extreme drinkability of this double IPA. Which brings us back to what the Northeast Style IPA is. It’s a sort of hybrid between the West Coast and East Coast styles. Less malts than East Coast, more juicy than the drier West Coast style and completely delicious. A couple of other standouts in the Northeast style of IPA beers were Second Fiddle a double IPA from Fiddlehead Brewing Company in Shelburne VT. This one was just as tasty as Heady Topper and much easier to find. Another beer that we really enjoyed was The Shed Brewery’s, Shed IPA. This little brewery used to be in Stowe, but now shares digs with Otter Creek Brewing Co. in Middlebury, VT which has expanded their brewing program and capacity. Because it was the easiest to find of the three, we drank a lot of Shed IPA over the week and were happy to do so.

All in all it was a beer-tastic trip back East. The craft beer coming out of Vermont is truly something to experience. Hopefully as these quality breweries expand and grow we will  get a chance to buy more of their beers here on the West Coast. Until then, make a point to find some of these delicious beers the next time you are in the North East. Anna Brigham 4/6/16