Toppling Goliath Mornin' Delight
A huge Imperial Stout with an explosive espresso aroma followed by strong notes of maple syrup and vanilla.
4.4
313 reviews
Decorah, United States
Community reviews
Draught at BGH (how did that happen): pours oily black with a beige head. Aroma is sublime combo of maple syrup and fragrant espresso with a combination of chocolate and roast to back that up. Taste is rather sweet with the maple taking up most of the space, but the flavors mentioned in aroma are all represented well. This is an expertly crafted beer.
Perfect beer. Very big stout with notes of coffee, maple and other sweetness. Pitch dark with a thin head. Smooth.
Oily Black pour, small brown head. Fantastic aroma of coffee, maple syrup, chocolate, butterscotch, and oak. Taste is just amazing, similar with vanilla and caramel rounding out the flavor. Syrupy thick. Amazing.
Opaque black with a medium tan head that left nice lacing on the glass. Roasted malts, chocolate, maple syrup, some vanilla, coffee beans, and booze.
Vanilla and chocolate aroma, charming, there is almost no foam, black, wine cups, slightly bitter entrance is given priority to, like be like the melting of the taste of dark chocolate with maple syrup, taste is thick, sour feeling, sense of coffee beans at the end of the drink up relatively smooth, without sudden move, the overall feeling is more complete, the taste is a bit like prepared rhizome of rehmannia, then, is not the same as I thought a bit, But it's still perfect. It's finally out of the weeds, even though it's the '17 version 355.
Tons of maple and milk chocolate in the aroma. Jet black with no head. Taste also has heavy maple and chocolate notes with no booze burn. The palate is a little thin but the aftertaste lasts a long time. Excellent. Worthy of its ratings.
Flaska från TG, 2020. Svart med gräddig khakifärgad krona. Rejält med lönnsirap och kaffe i doften. Lönnsirapen i förgrunden, kaffet väl integrerad med smakbilden. Stor, kladdig kropp. Lönnsirap, kaffe, choklad, kokos, bounty, vaniljwafers, kex. Rejäl sötma, balanseras något av kaffet och beska. Mycket gott, stor i smaken. Välgjort. Kanske inte den mest komplexa ölen. Möjligtvis något hög sötma som blir lite mycket efter ett tag. Men ändå fantastiskt gott.
Aromat syropu klonowego, kawy, czekolady, alkoholu. Barwa czarna, nieprzejrzysta. Piana beżowa, drobno pęcherzykowa, umiarkowanej wielkości i podobnie trwała. Smak słodki, odzwierciedla aromat. Ładnie zbalansowany. Goryczka słodowo-alkoholowa, przyjemna. Pełnia wysoka, wysycenie średnio-wysokie i wafle do lodów na finiszu oraz alkohol rozgrzewający przełyk.
Bottle in Sydney - thanks, Owen! Black with a lasting tan head. Aroma is very nice with huge maple, coffee, dark chocolate, roast. Flavor is extremely well balanced, medium maple syrup sweetness with a great roasty bitterness, espresso, dark chocolate. Feel is not too heavy at all, very drinkable with good carbonation. Did not disappoint.
3000th rating! Bottle at home, 2019 ed, beautifully waxed. Very dark brown, quite a thick pour, foamy brown head. Huge coffee beans, mocha, maple, toffee, caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, as it warms it gets some porto vinous character, light bitterness - incredible flavors, pastry stout avant-la-lettre. Beautiful long linger with complex coffee and maple tones. Big body, smooth, sticky mouthfeel, low prickly carbonation.
Deep dark brown with a dense, dark tan head. Aromas of rich syrup, along with dark coffee, toffee, cinnamon, dark cocoa and mild roasted malt. Flavors start sweet and rich. The pure maple syrup pours through the malt and coffee. Smooth and slightly oily.
Vintage 2019
Appearance: Pours opaque dark brown to black with lasting creamy brown head, with some lacing.
外观：深棕黑色，不透明。持久的细腻棕色泡沫，有少许挂杯。
5/5
Aroma: Toasted malt, espresso, dark chocolate, toffee, cinnamon, vanilla, maple syrup and molasses, with slight hints of smoke.
气味：烘烤麦芽、浓缩咖啡、黑巧克力、太妃糖、肉桂、香草、枫糖浆和糖蜜，伴有些微的烟熏味。
9/10
Taste: Pronounced coffee flavor with dark chocolate, maple syrup and toasted malts. Heavy sweetness balanced by same bitterness and sourness. Lingering bitter tart finish with hints of espresso.
味道：显著的咖啡味，伴随着黑巧克力、枫糖与烘烤麦芽。重甜被同等的苦度和酸度所平衡。尾韵悠长，酸而苦，呈现浓缩咖啡味道。
8/10
Mouthfeel: Full bodied, soft carbonated. Oily texture, smooth.
口感：酒体饱满，杀口感柔和。质地油润，顺滑。
5/5
Overall
Espresso-like bitterness and tartness can last for dozens of minutes. Highly balanced and drinkable. Unlike KBBS, it's necessary to serve it slight chilled.
浓缩咖啡一样的酸和苦可以在口腔中滞留数十分钟。非常平衡、耐喝。和KBBS不同的是，这款酒需要稍微冰镇一下饮用。
16/20
On tap in Madison, WI
Toppling Goliath has a reputation for excellence which made this the main draw for a night out at one of Madison's best bars. Worth every penny of the cost, it delivers an experience unrivalled by all but the best of the best. Despite the lines I may have to make a detour to their booth at the Great Taste this year to get another pour.
AROMA / APPEARANCE
A deep oily black core permeates the glass and stains everything it touches. A minimal head tracks the long icy legs which melt like sheets of snow on a warm spring day. Plums, raspberry, anise, and coffee hang in the air with a glowing warmth that feels mellow and dense. There's no mistaking the ABV but even so it feels very approachable.
FLAVOR / PALATE
Warm espresso, dark chocolate, plums, and blackberries coat the palate with layers of boozy sediment. The dense flavors complement each other so well that it is nearly effortless to follow each sip with another. The mildly bitter finish continues to warm the throat well after the glass is empty. Overall there is only one complaint - that I did not order a full pour when offered the opportunity.
Very dark beer out of the bottle with a short foamy brown head. Big alcohol and maple nose. Huge sweet maple syrup flavor with some chocolate, vanilla and sweetened coffee. Really rich dessert beer. Balanced enough to handle everything in here.
Bottle at the December Ratebeer DC Tasting. Poured a deep, dark brown color with a small tan head. Smells awesome. Aroma of pancakes, coffee. Maple syrup. Sweet, with enough roast from the malts and coffee to keep it balanced, at least balanced enough for a pastry stout.
22oz bottle courtesy of IPhonePhan, pours an oily, cola brown with no head. That will be my only complaint. Nose is WILD, I mean stupid, big big maple pancakes, coffee, dried berries, caramel. Not a boozy note to be found. Flavor is just good, coffee, maple, vanilla, berries, caramel. There's a clear pancake thing happening - clearly pancake. Smooth finish. A real treat.
Bottle cheers to Wingmane Willis cheers Dave; opaque dark brown pour with a creamy tan head, aroma has chocolate and quality coffee, taste is really airy and floaty no sense of the ABV, rich coffee, cinnamon, maple on the finish.
Lots of maple and lots of coffee to be sure. Pancakes. Roast and dark chocolate. Oily consistency. Black pour with good head and lacing. Bottle thanks to Iphonephan.
Bottle. Pitch black pour, with a small brown head. Sweet and dense, chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, maple syrup, rich fudge, and espresso. Big thick mouthfeel.
On tap at source. Pours jet black with a dirty tan head clinging to the glass. Aroma is chocolate, cinammon, maple syrup, treacle, coffee. Taste is a big coffee hit with chocolate and maple mellowing out the bitter roast coffee leaving a sweet maple syrup finish. A hint of booze but so well balanced. Absolutely stunning.
My first beer review in over 2 years, felt like this was so good I had to. Gifted a bottle from a friend in Milwaukee and enjoyed in Savannah, GA. Pitch black with tan head, aroma is very strong in maple syrup, chocolate, light coconut, tingle of molasses. Taste is like French toast with espresso nicely balanced and it’s incredible. Definitely one of the best beers I’ve ever had.
Taster at Hops & Pie. Pours black, with a small, tan head. The aroma is a quality cappuccino, cinnamon toast, butter toffee, and maple syrup. Sweet and decadent, yet somehow balanced with a crisp, mild bitterness. Very heavy body, with a syrupy, creamy, and thick palate. This is a brilliant and delicious stout. Pristine aroma, and perfect flavor. Fantastic!
Randomly on tap at Champps in Brookfield. Continually amazed by Tony's ability to get top brews! A random walk-in has this beauty freshly tapped ... Very dark brown pour with a brown head. Aroma has maple, chocolate, and roast. Strong, super smoothly blended, with very solid identifiable contributors. Taste is of sweet maple, dark chocolate, sweet malts, a barrel component, and roast. This leans sweet, with the roast just not being enough to battle all that sweet. Smooth. Very tasty. Just sweet. About full bodied, with a subtle alcohol presence, the blend is very, very good. Finishes to the sweet side, with the bitter parts losing the balance battle. This was excellent, very enjoyable, and properly rated. 17.8
On tap at Grizzlys Plymouth, pours a dark brown black with large tan head. Potent aroma of espresso, sweet maple syrup, chocolate and vanilla. Very sweet, thick slick palate, sweet sticky maple syrup, butterscotch, coffee, with a light earthy bitterness on the finish. Very tasty!!
My 2000th rating! Pours a thick, dark, oily black, with minimal head that dissipates rapidly. Aromas of maple syrup, coffee, wood, chocolate, vanilla, caramel, roasted malt. Flavor is quite sweet, with maple syrup in the forefront, followed by coffee, chocolate, caramel, vanilla, just the slightest touch of booze flavor.
Opaque black beer with a slight/medium dark brown head. Heavy aroma; taste starts heavy sweet and ends slightly bitter and dry. Wood, vanilla, maple syrup, chocolate, mocha, roasted malts and coffee. 10/5/10/5
Black appearance with a light brown head. Big aroma of espresso, roasted malt, chocolate/cocoa, mild maple syrup and light vanilla. Similar flavor, rich, dark and complex with pleasant sweetness, a full body and a warming finish. Amazing.
650ml bottle, thanks martjoobolut. Pours dark black brown, olily and without much of the foam, just light brown bubbles. Nose has freshly baked waffles with maple syrup and chocolate spread on the top, served with a nice cup of freshly brewed coffee. Serve me this with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Tastes more like a beer, oily, roast bitterness comes out at first, then maple sweetness comes with chocolate. Coffee beans, lightly drier finish, maple also present in the linger. Sweet pastry stout, I do like this, feels somewhat more real than Omnipollo's Gideon's Pancake for example.
Black with a khaki head. Nose is maple syrup, pancakes, chocolate and light alcohol. Chewy palate, heavy maple syrup, light earth, roasted malts and Chocolate.
Bottle (thanks martjoobolut). Pitch black color. Small size, brown head, stays. Maple syrup, sweet, woody, oily, cold pressed coffee in aroma and in taste. Solid brew.