Heady Topper at the Blind Tiger

by Rich

My friend, Doc and I had a nice day yesterday. We went into NYC for a Film Forum to catch a documentary about the recently deposed president of The Maldives. What you might find more interesting is that we stopped at the Blind Tiger for lunch before the movie and The Pony Bar on the way home.

The bartender at The Blind Tiger mentioned that they had a special event pairing Vermont beers and cheeses. He recommended an Imperial IPA called Heady Topper from The Alchemist Brewery in Waterbury, Vermont.  He mentioned that the ale is available in cans but is rarely seen on tap outside the brewery. It was, as you'd expect, a real blast of hops with enough malt smoothness to balance it somewhat but with 120 IBU's and 8% ABV this is not for the faint of heart.

The Pony Bar was offering a Flying Dog WildemanIPA as one of it's cask ales. The ingredients sounded interesting, among other things it contains elderberry and lavender. So, I thought I'd give it a try. It turned out to be one of the stranger brews I've had in a while. The lavender came through and we both thought the ale had an  interesting, almost medicinal quality. I asked the bartender if she had tried it and she poured herself a sample. She said it was weird but she liked it, definitely worth a try if you come across it.