Review a Brew: Heady Topper – Can or No Can?

As close to crawling inside a can as I’ll get…

If you’ve been reading this blog, you know the strong feelings I have for Heady Topper, the Double IPA from The Alchemist in Waterbury, VT.  The two of us have had a borderline-romantic relationship as I’ve sipped and savored my way through the stash I picked up at their cannery two weeks ago.  But it hasn’t been all rainbows and roses (despite any flowery hop-notes in the flavor profile).  No, like any good partner, Heady has challenged my pre-existing beliefs about beer.  You see, when I started learning more and more about craft beer a few years ago, I came across one steadfast rule: always pour your beer.  Always.  So much of a beer’s flavor is in the aroma and, I was told, waiting to be released with a hearty pour and a thick head.  Moreover, I learned, you should really have the proper type of glassware.  Tall and thin glasses for bubbly hefeweizens, bulbous snifters for pungent IPAs, etc.

But, lo and behold, plastered in big, bold letters across the top of every can of Heady Topper is the command, DRINK FROM THE CAN!  So I trusted the brewers (they sure as hell know their beer a lot better than I do) and kept my first couple Headys in their cans and far away from my glassware cabinet.  And I can’t argue with the results.  Heady from the can was extraordinary.  But I eventually became curious.  Wouldn’t it benefit from a bit of aroma-inducing head?  Would different flavors emerge?  What the hell color is this beer anyway?

So I decided to do a side-by-side comparison.  I poured a little over half of a can into one of my favorite tulip glasses and kept the rest safely inside.  Here’s what I found.