[doctorOb]

From what I can tell, New England IPAs–especially the coveted ones such as Heady Topper–really only work when you can control for freshness.

As soon as the beer gets canned its got 2-4 weeks where you can drink it and say "wow, that's amazing". After that you'll have it and think "ok, a bit overhyped".

Distributing beer throws freshness out the window. A liquor store may put it in the back for a month before they throw it on the shelf and then your prospective customers won't get the best impression your beer can offer, as it's tarnished while waiting in that can. So now there's this surge of brewery controlled distribution where you make these pilgrimages to buy a bunch of beer that they'd canned only a few days prior, attracting people to enjoy it when it tastes its best and spread the word.

[aczerepinski]

This is the truth. They also aren’t the same batch to batch.

Part of what makes the most sought after beers so good is that you can sometimes drink them the very day they were canned.