Hazy, intensely aromatic, 8% double IPA from The Alchemist in Stowe. Drink from the can; do not pour. Considered the beer that started the New England IPA category.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
John and Jen Kimmich founded The Alchemist as a Waterbury brewpub in 2003 and began canning Heady Topper from a new Waterbury cannery in 2011; production expanded to the Stowe brewery and visitor's center in 2016. The unfiltered haze, the floral citrus aromatics from late hop additions, and the 'drink from the can' instruction on the label became blueprints for an entire category of US craft beer. Sister IPA Focal Banger followed in 2014.
Common allergens: Gluten (barley malt)
John and Jen Kimmich founded The Alchemist in 2003; the Heady Topper IPA from this Stowe brewery (35 miles from Burlington) sparked the entire haze-IPA.
Tip: Same-day Heady-Topper four-packs sell out by midday on weekends; arrive at open.
The Winooski go-to for a midnight pour; expertly curated rotating drafts plus Heady Topper and Focal Banger. Plant-based plates and classics on offer.
Try: Heady Topper pints, plant-based plates and American classics
Vermont's first brewpub and the longest-running brewery in the state. Greg Noonan lobbied Vermont to permit onsite brewing-and-consumption and opened Vermont.
Tip: The cask hand-pull is the bartender pick most evenings; the kitchen runs full menu until close every night.
More cities are in research. Want heady topper double ipa covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.