Golden Nugget IPA by Toppling Goliath Brewing Company is a juicy hazy IPA that highlights Simcoe, Amarillo and Nugget hops. Sweet oranges dominate the beginning of this IPA, lite berries in the middle , ending with an earthy and woody bitterness well into the aftertaste. This article covers a review and relation to Jack Eichel as a sports reference.
Technical Details for Golden Nugget IPA
- Beer Name: Golden Nugget
- Beer Style: IPA
- Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Company (Decorah, IA)
- Brewery website: https://www.tgbrews.com
- Purchased: Spirit Shop in Norman, OK
- Tasted: 2/22/22
- Glass Used: Mars Blackmon Rastal 12 oz. stemless
Golden Nugget IPA Scoring Categories
Beer Review Toppling Goliath’s Golden Nugget IPA Scoring Categories:
- Can Design: need to hit a roulette table in Old Town Las Vegas before dawn arrives
- Appearance: medium thickness yellow to orange haze 4/6
- Aroma: starts with citrus fruits and sweet oranges up front, hint of pine on the back end 21/24
- Flavor: full orange flavor from skin to pulp to pith, transitions to lite berry salad in the middle, subtle earthy and woody finish 37/40
- Mouthfeel: smooth, chewy, tangy, sticky coating, with piney notes finish 8/10
- Overall Impression: Two Hearted Ale from Bell’s Brewery reminds me why I love craft beer on a daily basis. Golden Nugget reminds me how hazy IPAs continue to stretch the bounds of brewing recipes and when they have a beginning, a middle, and an end. I want to find as many of those recipes as possible. 19/20
- Total Score: 89/100
- Simple IPA but damn good and back to the roots of craft beer drinking. Toppling Goliath has figured out how to consistently brew top notch seasonal hazy IPAs.
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 4.83 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.
Golden Nugget IPA Background
Toppling Goliath brews the following rotational IPAs:
- Nugmo – 6.7% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.06
- ZeeLander – 6.3% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.02
- MoZee – 6.3% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.12
- Intergalactic Warrior – 6.3% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.05
- Radiant Haze – 7.0% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.02
- Pompeii Beach – 5.3% ABV, Untappd Rating 3.73
- Golden Nugget – 6.8% ABV, Untappd Rating 3.99
TG definitely has the 6.3% and 6.7% ABV levels figured out for their annual IPA rotationals. Nugmo and Intergalactic Warrior are both top notch and worth seeking out. Current goal is to find ZeeLander and MoZee in 2022 to keep the TG beer tasting train rolling and on the track.
Sports Comparison for this Libation
College Career
Jack Eichel, Center, of the Vegas Golden Knights. Won the Hobey Baker award as the best player in NCAA Division 1 hockey for the 2014-2015 season as a freshman, playing for the Boston University Terriers. Led the nation in scoring (26 goals, 45 assists, 71 points) in 40 games. Terriers advanced to the 2015 national title game against Providence and lost 4-3 at the TD Garden in Boston, MA. A goal tending error by the Terriers during the midpoint of the third period, allowed Providence to tie the game and score the game winner with six minutes remaining.
Early Pro Career
Eichel was the second overall pick in the 2015 NHL entry draft for the Buffalo Sabres. A young forward named Connor McDavid went first overall to the Edmonton Oilers. Signed a three year NHL contract in the summer of 2015 and had a stellar rookie season in 2015-2016 with 24 goals, 32 assists, 56 points in 81 games. Had a bad ankle sprain during the 2016-2017 season, and managed to score 24 goals, 33 assists, 57 points in 61 games. Due to being a consistent 20+ goal scorer, the Sabres extended Eichel’s contract for eight years and $80M. Eichel changed his jersey number from #15 to #9 to match his college number, and was named team captain on 10/3/18.
Consistent for Three Seasons
Next three seasons were statistically consistent centering the first line of the Sabres offense:
- 2017-2018 25 goals, 39 assists, 64 points in 67 games
- 2018-2019 28 goals, 54 assists, 82 points in 77 games
- 2019-2020 36 goals, 42 assists, 78 points in 68 games
Failure to Communicate
During the 2020-2021 NHL season, Eichel played in 21 games before being sidelined with a neck injury. Eichel’s representatives wanted him to get spinal disc replacement surgery and the Sabres’ medical staff wanted spinal disk fusion surgery. Both sides got entrenched in their respective positions and communication stopped. Eichel was stripped of his captaincy on 9/23/21 and the Sabres placed him on the long term injured reserve list.
New Team and Surgery
The Vegas Golden Knights and Sabres completed a blockbuster trade on 11/4/21, with Eichel and a draft pick headed to the Nevada desert for two players and two draft picks. Spinal disc replacement surgery was completed in late 2021, and Eichel played in his first game in over a year on 2/16/22. Returned to Buffalo for a road game on 3/10/22 and was greeted with a loud chorus of boos from the Sabres fans for the entire game. Has already scored 6 goals and 5 assists with the Golden Knights in 16 games played.
Future Outlook
Vegas is currently on the hook for Eichel’s contract until the end of the 2025-2026 season. That is a long 4.5 seasons with an annual salary of $10M. Will Eichel pay off in Vegas similar to John Cutter in Passenger 57? Or will he bust like Clark Griswold in Vegas Vacation? Time will tell if Eichel can put the biscuit in the basket.
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Cheers and keep it classy everyday!
