I have never liked weight high in front and haven't used HB bags for 40 years but love the way my fix gear handles with Lowriders. I love that even large amounts of cargo weight down there barely affects how the bike handles when I come out of the saddle for hills, even very hard hills. I've weighed my panniers at 20 pounds each a few times.
If I ever have a basket on a bike it will be a pannier style basket on back on a geared bike. Now if you need access to beer, why not a 1950s style HB bottle cage?
Ben