Soul Hunter DIPA by Toppling Goliath Brewing Company is a juicy hazy Double IPA that highlights Simcoe and Riwaka hops. Tropical fruit flavors dominate the beginning and middle of this DIPA, ending with a warming bitterness that lingers well into the aftertaste. This article covers a review and relation to Bill Cowher as a sports reference.
Technical Details for Soul Hunter Double IPA
- Beer Name: Soul Hunter
- Beer Style: Double IPA
- Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Company (Decorah, IA)
- Brewery website: https://www.tgbrews.com
- Purchased: Cellar in Norman, OK
- Tasted: 11/11/21
- Glass Used: Rastal Teku Stemmed Beer Glass 14.2 ounces
Soul Hunter Double IPA Scoring Categories
Beer Review Toppling Goliath’s Soul Hunter DIPA Scoring Categories:
- Can Design: a deleted scene from the original Beauty and the Beast animated movie
- Appearance: thick yellow haze 5/6
- Aroma: grapefruit up front, mango and peach fruit salad middle, lite lemon at the back end 22/24
- Flavor: peach and mango juice almost forgot to invite grapefruit juice on a night run through the forest, creamy blueberry finish, no sign of 7.8% ABV 38/40
- Mouthfeel: thick, chewy, creamy, syrupy with a warm finish 9/10
- Overall Impression: tropical fruit salad aroma, followed by freshly cut grapefruit slices throughout, ABV % is high enough to remind you that Simcoe and Riwaka hops kick ass 18/20
- Total Score: 92/100
- This DIPA is memorable for showcasing how tropical fruit flavors compliment each other from Simcoe and Riwanka hops. Toppling Goliath has figured out how to consistently brew top notch DIPAs that highlight fresh fruit flavors.
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.
Soul Hunter DIPA Background
Toppling Goliath brews the following rotational DIPAs:
- Hopsmacked – 7.8% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.18
- Fire, Skulls & Money – 7.8% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.22
- Sun Reaper – 7.8% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.11
- Scorpius Morchellla – 7.8% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.25
- Sosus – 7.8% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.26
- Supa’ Sumo – 7.8% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.26
- Trusted Galaxy – 7.8% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.11
- Dolphin Sparkles – 7.3% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.05
- Imperial Golden Nugget – 7.8% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.18
- Witch’s Broom – 7.8% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.01
- Digital Dawn – 7.8% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.20
TG definitely has the 7.8% ABV level figured out for their annual DIPA rotationals. Scorpius Morchella, Dolphin Sparkles and Digital Dawn are all worth seeking out. Current goal is to find Fire, Skulls & Money and Supa’ Sumo in 2022 to keep the TG beer tasting train rolling and on the track.
Sports Comparison for this Libation
Bill Cowher, retired head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers and inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2020. Cowher graduated from NC State in 1979 and played six seasons as a linebacker in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns. Decided to make a subtle career path change in 1985, by becoming the special teams coach of the Browns under head coach and mentor Marty Schottenheimer in 1985. Shifted to defensive backs coach in 1987 and then followed Schottenheimer to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1989 to be the defensive coordinator until 1991.
Cowher caught his big career break in 1992, by being named the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers after Chuck Noll retired. That big break translated to coaching the Steelers for fifteen seasons from 1992 to 2006. Led the Steelers to the NFL playoffs in ten of the fifteen seasons. Lost the AFC Championship Game after the 1994, 1997, 2001 and 2004 seasons. Lost Super Bowl 30 to the Dallas Cowboys in early 1996, due to QB Neil O’Donnell throwing two bad interceptions directly to CB Larry Smith. Cowher displayed an empathetic side with his wife and daughters after that game, which truly showed his off the field personality and character.
Super Bowl XL and Coaching Legacy
The football gods delivered some good luck karma to Cowher and the Steelers during the 2005 playoffs. Impressive road wins at Cincinnati, at Indianapolis and at Denver in the AFC bracket, led to a berth in Super Bowl 40 against Seattle. In a bumpy game with some questionable officiating calls, the Steelers beat the Seahawks 21-10 to capture their fifth Super Bowl title for the franchise, and Cowher’s first. RB Jerome Bettis retired after the game and Cowher followed suit after the 2006 season. Cowher’s coaching statistics are impressive with regular season games being 149-90-1 (0.623 winning %) and playoff games at 12-9-0 (0.571 winning %).
The NFL on CBS grabbed Cowher via contract in early 2007, to be a studio analyst and he continues in that role today. There was considerable speculation that Cowher would return to coaching in 2008 and 2009. He has remained true to his word of seeing all three of his daughters play college basketball and graduate. Cowher is a natural born leader and motivator as a coach and an analyst. His mentor taught him that the best defense is a bunch of crazed dogs ready to tackle the ball carrier. That’s also a great recipe for a hazy DIPA. Time to bring the blitz!
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Cheers and keep it classy everyday!
