And Speaking of Heady Topper. . .

According to Alchemist Brewing website regarding their Heady Topper, a double IPA: " we brew 180 barrels per week in twelve 15 barrel batches. We never hold back inventory, and we move all of our beer weekly in a concerted effort to provide the freshest, hoppiest packaged IPA on the market." Apparently, they aren't brewing enough.

Stephanie Hoffman, 28, from Burlington, VT, was arrested last week for selling five cases of 16-ounce cans Heady Topper on Craigslist for $825.

The beer retails for about $14 for a four pack. She sold the beer for $27.50 a four pack, almost a 100% profit.

The brewery saw the ad and tipped off the authorities. Undercover investigators for the Vermont Department of Liquor Control drove to Georgia, Vermont, to meet with Hoffman, where she was arrested for selling beer without a license.

Heady Topper is a highly prized beer, and the fierce demand for the beer forced Alchemist to close their retail shop because of the traffic.

Jen Kimmich, owner of The Alchemist said, “It's a compliment in an odd way. But at the same time, we don't want to see the consumer being cheated by paying too much and getting a product that hasn't been taken care of properly.”

Most brewers don't mind folks trading beer, but object to people selling their beer at a huge markup. Natalie Chilurzo of Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa california recently took on eBay sales of Pliney the Elder. "People were running liquor stores on eBay without any accountability," she said.

I've said it before: stop buying beer on eBay and Craigslist! Drink your local brewery's beer. Sure, it may not be as good as Heady Topper, but at least the brewer the gets the money for the beer so they can invest in their business.