Toppling Goliath Rover Truck Review

Name: Toppling Goliath Rover Truck
Style: Oatmeal Stout
ABV: 5.7%
IBUs: 35

When I moved back from Duluth a couple months ago, I knew there were some breweries that I enjoyed on a regular basis that I would no longer access to and I'm not just talking about the many brewpubs up there. Amongst those breweries that I said goodbye to was Toppling Goliath Brewing, who had arrived on the store shelves in Superior, Wisconsin earlier this year. Some readers may even remember the numerous reviews I did of their beers.

Well a few weeks ago, Toppling Goliath made its way to Minnesota store shelves and beer lovers everywhere are going wild over it, for good reasons of course. Anywho, since most the beers currently available in Minnesota are ones I've already had, I decided to try the only one I haven't had called Rover Truck, which is an oatmeal stout. For reasons I don't fully understand, the label features a penguin driving a Range Rover and flying out of the back of the car. The only thing missing from this label is the phrase "#Swag" below the car; Ewww, I feel dirty just typing that.

Appearance - Pitch black with no visible carbonation. The head, upon initial pour, appears to take on a healthy dark brown color with a good amount of volume to it. However it quickly fizzes away, leaving a very thin filmy appearance. Also, there is no lacing to be had here.

Aroma - Potent chocolate malt and flaked oatmeal notes start things off, followed by some a moderate roasted barley profile. I'm getting some mild floral hop notes but it's buried under the rest of the nose.

Taste - Sweet milk chocolate and oatmeal notes make up the front end of the flavor, which is followed by some moderate roastiness and a mix of bitter & floral hoppiness. The aftertaste is surprisingly dry for the style, save for a mild roastiness on the very back of the tongue and an even milder bitter hoppiness.

On its own, this is a very good oatmeal stout. The chocolate and oatmeal notes are nice & pronounced and the roastiness isn't quite as strong as you'd might expect from this style. If you're looking for a tasty, yet approachable, stout, this one is for you.

Toppling Goliath Rover Truck - 8.5/10