King Sue DIPA by Toppling Goliath Brewing Company is a juicy hazy Double IPA that highlights the Citra hop. Citrus juice flavors dominate the beginning and middle of this DIPA, ending with a perfect bitterness that lingers well into the aftertaste. This article covers a review and relation to Ray Kinsella as a sports reference.
Technical Details for King Sue Double IPA
- Beer Name: King Sue
- Beer Style: Double IPA
- Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Company (Decorah, IA)
- Brewery website: https://www.tgbrews.com
- Purchased: Cellar in Norman, OK
- Tasted: 7/17/21
- Glass Used: Rastal Teku Stemmed Beer Glass 14.2 ounces
King Sue Double IPA Scoring Categories
Beer Review Toppling Goliath’s King Sue DIPA Scoring Categories:
- Can Design: “We should’ve stayed in the damn car.” Dr. Ian Malcolm quote from The Lost World:Jurassic Park.
- Appearance: dark yellow to orange thick haze 5/6
- Aroma: strong citrus up front, sweet orange and pineapple on the back end 22/24
- Flavor: orange juice smoothie quickly shifts to mango & peach juice, smooth pineapple juice finish with minimal bitterness, no sign of 7.8% ABV 38/40
- Mouthfeel: creamy from start to finish, a little sticky and some alcohol warmth 9/10
- Overall Impression: great use of Citra hops to showcase orange, peach, mango and pineapple notes all playing nicely together on Isla Nublar. Top notch creamy mouthfeel and bitterness finish. 19/20
- Total Score: 93/100
- This DIPA is memorable for focusing on the Citra hop and then letting the fruit flavors stand out. The finish is almost perfect for lingering bitterness and wanting another swig after the first taste. I’ll take two please.
Brewery Background
Toppling Goliath Brewing Company (TG) is located in Decorah, Iowa and opened in 2009. Founded by Clark and Barbara Lewey after a very successful run in the home brewing market. TG focuses on hazy IPAs and barrel aged stouts. Current beer portfolio includes forty beers that rotate throughout the calendar year. Have strategically expanded distribution to thirty states in the USA as of 2021.
Beer Advocate named TG the #2 brewery in the world. TG’s Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout has held the title of #1 rated beer in the world since 2015 (current Untappd rating of 4.84 out of 5.00). Hazy IPAs and barrel aged stouts are TG’s forte, and their sours are improving on a daily basis due to unique brewing techniques and using top notch ingredients. TG gets a ton of beer geek hype across the internet, in magazines and in beer stores. Agree the hype is warranted, due to the TG beers I’ve tasted have been extremely good and complex. TG is very active in the social media market with timely posts on Twitter and Instagram.
Due to the annual rotation of forty beers, TG has focused on improving their “flagship” beer recipes, by tweaking with new hop profiles and adding fruit. Structures Brewing has a similar approach in Bellingham, WA. I’m now wondering why more breweries don’t follow this business model. Best guess is that most breweries don’t have solid flagship recipes that enable tweaking and testing during a calendar year. Nothing wrong with trying subtle changes to a baseline product, enabling the beer geek community to have debates about special releases and best batches.
King Sue DIPA Background
Toppling Goliath brews the following flagship beers:
- Pseudo Sue Pale Ale – 5.8% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.14
- King Sue Double IPA – 7.8% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.34
- Dorothy’s New World Lager – 5.0% ABV, Untappd Rating 3.58
- Pompeii IPA – 6.3% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.06
King Sue DIPA has had five different iterations brewed to date. Currently on a mission to find the Double Dry Hopped version to taste even more Citra hops and their juicy notes.
Sports Comparison for this Libation
Ray Kinsella, Iowa corn farmer and a big baseball fan from the movie “Field of Dreams.” Kinsella hears a voice telling him “if you build it, he will come.” That leads Kinsella to build a baseball diamond in the middle of his corn fields, even though all of his farming neighbors thinks he’s going to go out of business. A road trip to Fenway Park in Boston, a late night walk in Chisholm, Minnesota, leads everyone back to the baseball diamond in Dyersville, Iowa. Baseball games are played by deceased baseball players from the 1900s-1920s. Kinsella and his family are content with having baseball played on their farmland.
Well timed speech about the historical importance of baseball is given by author Terence Mann. Leads to the idea that this field can be a money making experience for Kinsella when visited by baseball fans. I don’t want to give the hidden meaning away from the end of the movie, but watch “Field of Dreams” this summer with family and loved ones. That will help put 2020 even further in the rear view window.
8/12/21 is a big night for the State of Iowa
An outdoor MLB game will be played on 8/12/21 between the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox in Dyersville, Iowa. MLB diamond will be approximately 500 feet from the original field used for filming “Field of Dreams in 1988. 8000 fans expected to be in attendance and the game will be televised nationally on Fox. Due to Coca-Cola ending their contract with MLB in 2020 for exclusive drink rights at all games, its time for a new sponsor to arrive on the scene.
Well placed cans of King Sue DIPA and Pseudo Sue Pale Ale on 8/12/21 would go a long way for craft beer advertising. How will those cans be shown on Fox? Track down the Marlins Man, since he will most likely be sitting behind home plate and have him display some beer cans. King Sue DIPA will compliment his bright orange jersey. Batter up!
Are you interested in finding this beer? Check out this article that tells you how to locate great beer near you.
Cheers and keep it classy everyday!
