Toppling Goliath Dorothy's New World Lager Review

Name: Toppling Goliath Dorothy's New World Lager
Style: California Common
ABV: 5.5%
IBUs: 11

I've been looking at quite a few offerings from Toppling Goliath Brewing and I've recently come across yet another offering from them. Today I have Dorothy's New World Lager, which gets its name from the of the founder's grandmother. Despite the immense popularity of PsuedoSue, the brewery refers to Dorothy's as their flagship beer.


Appearance - A very hazy yellow color but with some translucent characteristics and a mild amount of visible carbonation. The head has a good amount of volume to it upon pouring but it's quite soapy and loses its volume after a couple of minutes. As expected, there really isn't any lacing to speak of so it finishes clean.

Aroma - Getting some potent lager yeastiness and biscuit notes. Some graininess mixed with some light alcohol booziness while pale maltiness encompass the aroma as a whole.

Taste - Upfront I'm getting some mild lemongrass tartness & pilsner maltiness, before it gives away to the lager yeastiness

California Commons are a style that never seems to blow me away, but at the same time it doesn't disappoint either (Well, except maybe one time.) With that said, Dorothy's New World Lager is a solid beer and the pilsner touch to the flavor is a welcome addition and it comes across as one of the better California Commons that I've had.

Toppling Goliath Dorothy's New World Lager - 8.25/10

Toppling Goliath PseudoSue Review

Name: Toppling Goliath PseudoSue
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 5.8%
IBUs: 50

Well it's finally time to review a beer that has been a long time coming. That's right, after about a month of waiting, it's finally time to review PseudoSue from Toppling Goliath Brewing. Considered by many to be the best American Pale Ale currently available on the market, this beer takes its name from the largest T-Rex ever discovered.

I did a little research about this beer before trying it out and I was shocked to discover it only uses one type of hop variety; They don't say which. Well there must be a reason why everyone considers this the absolute best of the best in terms of APA style beers....right?

Appearance - A very hazy, almost murky yellow/orange color with no visible carbonation to speak of. The head takes on a foamy yet soapy appearance but the lacing is quite abundant

Aroma - Very rich grapefruit and mango notes, mixed in with some vibrant citrus hop sweetness; All of which just has a hint of hop bitterness. I wonder if the hops used in this are Mosaic?

Taste - Mango and grapefruit sweetness with some juicy citrus hop notes and ending with a resiny bitterness. The toffee malt backbone is pretty substantial here and it lasts throughout the entire flavor. I'm going to guess that it's Mosaic Hops in the brewing process but that's only my educated guess.

What it lacks in complexity, it more than makes up for it in the sheer vibrancy & robustness of the flavor. A couple of months ago, I had a Mosaic Fresh Hop IPA from Castle Danger Brewing and I fell in love with it; This beer reminds me of it an awful lot and that's a good thing.

Do I think it's the best APA on the market? No, I still think that distinction belongs to Three Floyds' Zombie Dust but it does come pretty close. With that said, it's very easy to see why people come back to this beer time and time again and I know I will be amongst those people!

Toppling Goliath PseudoSue - 9.5/10

Toppling Goliath Tsunami Pale Ale Review

Name: Toppling Goliath Tsunami Pale Ale
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 5%

Another beer from Toppling Goliath? Don't mind if I do! After having their Golden Nugget, I've been very eager to try out their other offerings. I recently came into possession of their Tsunami Pale Ale or as I heard someone else call it, Toppling Goliath's OTHER Pale Ale.

I found out too that this was a draft only beer until very recently when they decided to bottle this up. It's not PseudoSue, but it'll have to do for now. Though I've heard whisperings and rumors that PseudoSue may be arriving in the very near future; Only time will tell.

Appearance - Hazy orange with a mild amount of visible carbonation. The head is thin but foamy and has distinct orange complexion on an otherwise white head. Maybe it's just the lighting but it's worth mentioning. The lacing is also very abundant and quite sticky

Aroma - Floral hops and yeasts permeate the nose up front. I'm also picking up on some toffee malts and a bit of resin bitterness as well. Nothing I haven't already seen this far, so let's see how it is.

Taste - Floral & Bitter hops dominate the front of the palate before being taken over by some mild yeastiness and toffee malts. In the aftertaste, the bitter hops make a reappearance along with some yeast notes. The bitter hops in particular linger on the palate long after everything is done.

Tsunami Pale Ale is a solid American Pale Ale that manages to please. At the same time, it doesn't do anything that I haven't already seen before in an APA and plays it safe flavor-wise. Still, it is worth checking out if you so happen to see it.

Toppling Goliath Tsunami Pale Ale - 8/10