Pompeii IPA by Toppling Goliath Brewing Company is a juicy hazy IPA that highlights the Mosaic hop. Orange and pineapple juice flavors dominate the beginning and middle of this IPA, ending with a perfect creamy blueberry finish that fades well in the aftertaste. This article covers a review and relation to DK Metcalf as a sports reference.
Technical Details for Pompeii IPA
- Beer Name: Pompeii
- Beer Style: IPA
- Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Company (Decorah, IA)
- Brewery website: https://www.tgbrews.com
- Purchased: Beer Geeks in Rockwall, Texas
- Tasted: 8/23/21
- Glass Used: Rastal Tubo Tumbler 17.5 ounces
Pompeii IPA Scoring Categories
Beer Review Toppling Goliath’s Pompeii IPA Scoring Categories:
- Can Design: volcano season officially starts after tornado season ends
- Appearance: thick orange haze 5/6
- Aroma: mandarin orange and a basket of citrus fruits 22/24
- Flavor: orange juice at the beginning, morphs to pineapple juice middle, big notes of mango and creamy blueberries at the explosive finish, subtle nectarine note during aftertaste 38/40
- Mouthfeel: sticky, creamy, fresh 9/10
- Overall Impression: explosion of fruit flavors from start to finish and great use of Mosaic hops 18/20
- Total Score: 92/100
- Simply making magic with Mosaic hops and keep up the good brewing work
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.
Pompeii IPA Background
Toppling Goliath brews the following Pompeii beers:
- IPA – 6.3% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.05
- Beach IPA – 5.7% ABV, Untappd Rating 3.74
Pompeii IPA has had two different iterations brewed to date. I’m on a mission to find the Pompeii Beach version to taste even more pineapple juice notes.
Sports Comparison for this Libation
DK Metcalf, WR for the Seattle Seahawks. Metcalf was a highly rated high school football prospect that landed at the University of Mississippi. He played at the college level from 2016-2018, which was marred by injuries and some whispers in the locker room that he wasn’t focused on the playing field. NFL scouts were intrigued with Metcalf’s 67 receptions, 1228 yards and 14 touchdowns during a turbulent college career. Metcalf declared himself eligible for the 2019 NFL draft, forgoing his last two years of college eligibility.
During an interview with the Seattle Seahawks on 4/26/2019, head coach Pete Carroll decided to have a little fun with Metcalf about arriving without a shirt. For Seahawks fans, this was a poker playing tell that Metcalf would be headed to Seattle during the first or second night of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Rookie season in 2019 was a productive surprise with 58 receptions for 900 yards and 7 touchdowns. Metcalf set the NFL playoffs rookie record with 7 catches for 160 yards and 1 touchdown, against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card game on 1/5/20.
Learning to be a Professional Athlete
Metcalf raised his level of play during 2020, by finishing with 83 catches for 1303 yards and 10 touchdowns. Determined hustle and pure speed on an interception tackle against the Arizona Cardinals on 10/25/20 made Metcalf a household name. Seattle laid an egg in the 2020 Wild Card round against the LA Rams by not targeting Metcalf early and even forcing a pass that went for a pick six. Metcalf then had a Pompeii eruption on the sidelines. That emotional outburst was heard by all players due to competing in an empty stadium.
Hoping that Metcalf is headed towards WR superstardom in 2021 and not regressing to a deserted city covered in volcanic ash. Move them chains!
Want to find this beer near you? Check out this article that tells you how to locate great beer near you.
Cheers and keep it classy everyday!
