An American double IPA that’s ranked as the best New England IPA and the sixth highest-rated beer overall with a score of 100 on Beer Advocate, Heady Topper from The Alchemist is one of the most beloved craft brews in the United States.
Distributed in limited quantities in Vermont and made using a yeast that originated in the 1980s in England, Heady Topper has been luring beer lovers hoping to score a can or two to The Green Mountain State since husband-and-wife team John and Jennifer Kimmich began brewing it.
But 8%-ABV Heady Topper isn’t the only strong brew drawing craft beer fans to the 14th state, as Vermont is also home to excellent breweries like Lawson’s Finest Liquids and Fiddlehead Brewing Co.
In fact, despite being the second-least-populated U.S. state (behind Wyoming) and the sixth-smallest by area, Vermont is actually the top destination in the nation for beers lovers according to a new ranking from Vinepair.
Taking into account factors such as the state’s number of craft breweries per 100,000 21+ adults in 2021, total number of barrels of craft beer produced in 2021 and its top 25 brewpubs, nano breweries, microbreweries, regional breweries and macro breweries as ranked by Untappd, Vinepair determined that Vermont is the top spot in the U.S. for suds.
“Vermont is a true beer lover’s paradise. But, Vermont is more than a critical darling. It’s a state that is practically overflowing with beer,” according to Vinepair. “Its 74 craft breweries (34th overall) are good for first place on a per capita basis. As you’d expect, they punch above their weight on volume. Good for first place in terms of craft barrels produced per capita, the state’s total production rank is 18th overall. That may not sound that impressive, but consider that Vermont is the second least populated state, home to more people than only Wyoming.”
As good a reason as any for a weekend visit.
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