90/100) Toppling Goliath Five

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Dorothy's. pseudoSue, Golden Nugget, 1492, Rover Truck

I have to praise Toppling Goliath for their bottle art. The colors are bright and vivid. Parts of each bottle glimmer and reflect while the designs just pop out at you. In addition, the labels can be removed easily and placed on other things like stickers. And that is just the outside of the bottle...

Dorothy's New World Lager) Okay... Okay... I really don't like lagers. I know some people that do, but if a lager from even Toppling Goliath can't get my attention, I should probably throw in the towel. But wait, my rant may be for nothing. This beer is a California common lager which means that it undergoes a warmer brewing process than the typical lager. It still doesn't mean that I loved it, but for its style, it is pretty good. ☆☆☆

pseudoSue) or "tropical jungle dinosaur sweat" is amazing. Sweet and full of tropical hop flavors.

That all said, I've recently been told by a friend that these 12oz pseudoSue bottles are brewed in Florida and not actually at Toppling Goliath Brewing in Decorah, IA. I am not sure even to go about confirming this, but the bomber (750ml) bottles of pseudoSue come from the brewery. Which at the very least, might explain why the bombers sell out as soon as they arrive somewhere. They plan to switch to cans here soon. ☆☆☆☆

Golden Nugget) I hate to criticize a Toppling Goliath beer, but I really don't understand the lack of gold luster on the bottle. I understand, of course, that the name is taken from the nugget hops used, but I just want some of that to come through in the art. Regardless, this is a solid IPA. Pine. Evergreen. All those deciduous tree sap flavors come through on a slippery sliding slope of smooth washing green hops. I don't love IPAs because I prefer the malty punch of a DIPA or TrIPA, but I still rather like this one. ☆☆☆☆

1492) In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue, or in this case 100% Columbus hops make the 1492. Consider this beer a way for you to experience that hop variety at is epitome. Initially, I didn't like this beer, but it grew on me. The dank almost medicinal touch to this IPA floats soft on the palate. As with all of these TGB brews, the finish was smooth and the beer just plain easy, good drinking. ☆☆☆☆

Rover Truck) The dark one in this bunch. This Rover Truck bleeds oil black dark beer goodness. A rather straightforward oatmeal stout, if you ask me, but I love the rough, roasted feel to the finish. ☆☆☆

89/100) Crooked Stave

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Progenitor, Wild Sage, Hop Savant

Crooked Stave has been placed on my list of must visit breweries. They excel at sours. The ones I have showcased here are largely hop-emphasizing sours. Crooked Stave shines even brighter when fruit has entered the fray though. So, be on the look out for those as well!

Progenitor) Bubbly and grapefruity with a lot of raw sour. I love this. It's so crystal smooth at refrigerator temp. I get a little lemongrass mixed with a touch of lemon heads. Also, true to it's description, this progenitor had a hoppy buzz just on the fringes of its finish and linger. The kind of zest that makes it lively. ☆☆☆☆☆

Colorado Wild Sage) This was amazing. I think I have a new favorite beer. It was exactly what it says. The initial impacts with the lemony liquid sunshine from the runaway Brett. Then as you approach the finish, the sage blossoms spice up the finish with a sharp astringency. The combination of the sour and sage is a double punch for your taste buds. I highly recommend this one. ☆☆☆☆☆

Hop Savant - Centennial) A brett pale ale that was dry-hopped with Centennial hops. For contrast, I also tried the galaxy hops version alongside this. They kept the Brett straightforward and clean so that the hops could play. The centennial version has that good citrus punch and the galaxy version kept its distinct fruity, passionfruit like overtones. Yum! ☆☆☆☆

2017 update: Crooked Stave no longer identifies the hop variety used on their Hop Savant near as I can tell.

88/100) Dragon's Milk Reserve

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Coffee & Chocolate, Raspberries, Toasted Chiles, Triple Mash

New Holland has a penchant for fantasy. They've got their Mad Hatter IPAs and references all over the place from Journey to the West all the way to Ichibod Crane. I am particularly fond of their variations on Dragon's Milk. They use a milk stout as the base for these barrel-aged beers. As you will see though, that base gives them a lot of play, especially with - as one might expect - the high potency of these beers.

With Coffee & Chocolate) Exactly what it claims. Rich with coffee and thick with chocolate, this beer is a tough one to quaff. There's just a touch too much coffee for me on the nose, but the chocolate hangs out on the finish making this one a pleasant one to sip. ☆☆☆☆

With Raspberries) Too syrupy and sweet for me, but I can't deny that the raspberry makes its presence known. Not much else to say about it. ☆☆☆

With Toasted Chiles) Slightly smoked, very sweet, and subtly warming on the finish. This beer was great for taking away the nip of a cold day. Since I don't usually go for spicy beers, I was pleasantly surprised to find this one very enjoyable. Aging it will likely cut away the heat so best to drink it soon, if it is already at the right burn level for you. ☆☆☆☆

Triple Mash) What does Triple mash mean? Well, it means they tripled the grain content of the mash. The end result is a potent 14% Abv. Sip this one. For the love of all that is good, sip this amazing beer. It's super sweet, super dense, and super smooth. Also, it will likely only get better with age, so I've socked some away for later years. ☆☆☆☆☆

87/100) Confluence Virtuous Endeavor

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Dubbel, Tripel, Quadrupel

Confluence out of Des Moines Iowa has dropped this set of Belgian classics. The Virtuous Endeavor Series embodies the tradition of Trappist brewing with some robust old world methods touched up by a very modern brewery.

Dubbel) Not as thick as I would have liked, but definitely thicker than a typical beer. The sugar really plays in this one making it a far sweeter Dubbel than usual. ☆☆☆☆

Tripel) This one had a much more grainy mouth feel, which was very appropriate for the style. Sweet and soft, I liked this one a lot, except for the finish. A booziness dominated the finish. Perhaps with time, it could have been aged out, but for now, this Tripel was just too "hot." ☆☆☆

Quadrupel) Amazingly sweet. I thought the Dubbel was sweet, but this one was even more so. Unfortunately, my group pretty much decided this one didn't live up to its style, coming across more as a Strong Dark Ale instead of a Quad. The distinction is hard to make, but when you compare it with a Rochefort 10 or a Gulden Draak Quadrupel, maybe you too can see the difference. Still, regardless of that possibly pedantic or at least quibbling matter, this beer was very enjoyable. ☆☆☆☆