Brewery: | Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. |
Location | Decorah, IA |
Style | American Brown Ale |
ABV | 5.5% |
IBUs | 50 |
Best Quote During Tasting
You've just gotta put more in your mouth.
Justin:
Aroma - Nuttiness and chocolate up front. Not peanuts but a nutty aroma (almond?). Caramel, toffee and coffee are there in small levels. |
Score: 10/12 |
Appearance - Frothy beige head with tight bubbles. The beer is a deep brown and nearly opaque. |
Score: 3/3 |
Flavor - Dark fruits (raisin) with the same nuttiness in the flavor. Subtle chocolate and caramel come across as well. No real hop character but the malts aren't overly sweet so there's a great balance. |
Score: 16/20 |
Mouthfeel - Full bodied, low carbonation and finishes smooth. |
Score: 4/5 |
Overall Impression - This bomber was brought back by a friend who was driving through Iowa so you can't purchase it locally. The highlight for me was the mouthfeel and aroma for this one. I was missing some more punch in the flavor. There were a lot of complimentary flavors but nothing was there to shine. I'm very happy with the beer and would order one on draft, I'm just not sure I'd pick it as a bomber at the store with so many other options on the shelf. |
Score: 9/10 |
Blake:
Aroma - Toffee, chocolate, and roasted almonds are all present from the malt. A little bit of coffee roast is there as well, but plays second fiddle to the other aromas. |
Score: 10/12 |
Appearance - Deep brown, mahogany highlights when held to the light, topped by a one finger tan head. |
Score: 3/3 |
Flavor - Chocolate and hazlenut/almond with a fair amount of toffee, and a bit of light roasted espresso. Beer starts out sweet, but finishes a bit more bitter with dark chocolate notes and coffee coming forward. |
Score: 16/20 |
Mouthfeel - One of the most impressive things about this beer is the thickness of it at only 5.5%. Full body with low-medium carbonation. |
Score: 4/5 |
Overall Impression - This is one of the easier to find Toppling Goliath beers, but it's still a fantastic find that I'd pick up from time to time if it were available in the area. If you are a fan of browns, and you don't want a beer with too high of an ABV, this would be a good choice. |
Score: 8/10 |
Smoove Opferator Final Score
- Aroma
- Appearance
- Flavor
- Mouthfeel
- Overall
4.3

Justin Phelps
Co-Founder at Saint Brewis
Justin Phelps is a Certified Cicerone® who was born and raised in St. Louis. His passion for beer goes beyond just drinking it as he is also an award-winning home brewer. While he may be a marketing professional by day, he's a blogger, brewery hopper, and beer enthusiast by night.

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