Legendary IPA Heady Topper debuted in 2003 at The Alchemist brewpub in Waterbury, Vt., and customers immediately began pouring their pints into bottles for offsite consumption. Illegal? Yes. A testament to how amazing of a beer it is? Also, yes. Though many years have passed since, Heady Topper remains as the pioneering example of the New England Double IPA, and its popularity has been at a fever pitch ever since. And as 2023 marks 20 years since The Alchemist’s inception, the brewery just released its first of an amped-up, special edition of its flagship double IPA to celebrate.
In a video posted on Thursday to The Alchemist’s Youtube account, co-owner and head brewer John Kimmich announced the release of 20th Anniversary Heady Topper.
“I wanted to design a beer that is gonna clearly be a nod to Heady Topper, but at the same time forging its own path,” Kimmich explained. In describing the process behind concocting this special brew, Kimmich admitted that he and his team will occasionally make subtle tweaks to batches of Heady — so subtle that customers don’t even notice — and release it as normal Heady Topper. After much experimentation, they landed on the recipe for the 20th Anniversary edition, which the brewery has described as “everything you know and love about the original brought to a whole new level.”
20th Anniversary Heady Topper comes in a revamped can that reveals more of the silhouette of the signature “Heady Topper guy” with hops exploding out his upper cranium. It arrives at 10 percent ABV, pours a bright golden hue, and bursts with fruity notes of Simcoe hops — all with the same balance and drinkability of the original.
Kimmich plans to brew three more batches of the 20th Anniversary brew throughout the course of the year, each with little tweaks and improvements made along the way.
20th Anniversary Heady Topper is currently available for curbside pickup at The Alchemist Brewery in Stowe, Vt. It costs $20 per four-pack, with a limit on three packs per customer.