White Whale Series #1: Heady Topper

"Call me Ishmael... If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me."
That's the first and last line to the opening paragraph of Moby Dick, Herman Melville's epic novel about a captains obsession with finding a white sperm whale that destroyed his previous vessel and bit off a chunk of his leg. A lot of beer fans have their own version of a white whale. 3 Floyds Dark Lord day, Kate the Great Day at Portsmouth brewery have their own special events. Have Beer, Will Travel.
The first beer that comes to mind for me is The Alchemist's Heady Topper. For one reason, we both had to go through Hurricane Irene together, with myself being forced out of Brattleboro and their restaurant getting completely destroyed. Luckily the Cannery was just about to open it's doors. Since that day the legend of Heady Topper has grown, becoming one of the most sought after beers on the east coast. Luckily I live close enough to Waterbury that a quick 3 hour drive can get me a nice case of Heady, and a delightful chat with the brewer.
The beer itself is an ugly beer. There's a reason is says drink from the can right on it. It's because this beer is an unfiltered mess with chunks of hop leaves floating everywhere. It doesn't bother me one bit but I imagine it might some other folks, and that's why they suggest drinking it from the can. Side note; Why would they sell glassware if they didn't want you to pour it into a glass?
Anyways, any hop descriptor you can come up with probably fits this beer. It reeks of pine and some citrusy grapefruit thing, but really it just makes my mouth salivate. Cracking that can is like hearing a bell ring waiting for dinner. This beer has a nice malty roastness to it, but it's a vessel for some of the best hops ever cooked into a beer. It's worth every good word ever written about it and more. It doesn't disappoint at all, in fact it actually exceeds ever expectation that can be expected of it. It's also worth the $3 a can price is typically carries at the brewery and I'd pay the $20 for a 4 pack it'd take to get locally if it ever comes back to Boston.