Fire Stoker
Toppling Goliath Brewing Company

16FL. OZ can
Served in a snifter

This beer pours black and is topped with about an inch of brown head that leaves quickly with no trace.

A great aroma of vanilla, caramel, and chocolate. It has a pretty sweet smell. Hints of bourbon as it approaches room temperature. Not much smoke

Vanilla and caramel upfront. Those flavors give way to dark chocolate that is followed by hints of bourbon. A little black coffee in the finish. Feint smoke

Full bodied with a smooth, oily mouthfeel

This is a very tasty beer. I think it pushes the boundaries of a porter. Light on smoke.

 

 

Black color. Thin, beige head. Chocolate, maple syrup, vanilla, and bourbon in the aroma. The same notes follow into a rich malty taste. Warming finish.

 

(originally tried this in Sep 2024, sharing with a friend... the empty is still sitting on my shelf, awaiting my journal entry)

Bought this along with the Medianoche 2023 at Clayton Liquors last summer; with another single included, the trio came to almost $60; this can alone was $11 - stupid... visions of a smoked red in my head, turns out it was a Porter, of sorts, but it might have outshined the financially-maligned Medionoche dime... smoke was just an overtone to the dirty, dingy, malty muck of this one... did chew on a bit of fire with its backend swoosh, but it never singed the salivary glands... knock this, the most robust and roasty of malt liquors, down to a more reasonable price tag ($7-8) and I might attempt to climb its peaks once more... Clayton Liquors, you're an overpriced hoard (2414)

 

On tap at The Brass Tap, Cedar Falls, IA; served in a snifter. This stuff is off the charts. Deep black pour, with a wisp of tan head that settled to a thin ring. Roasty and a little smoky, quite sweet, with flavors of maple syrup, cocoa, molasses, vanilla, and black cherry. At 16.6% you'd think it'd be boozy. Not so. The alcohol is damn near undetectable until it gets to cellar temperature, and even then it's pretty well under the radar. Syrupy and silky, goes down way too easily. Highly recommended.

 

16oz can poured into a TG tulip

A- pours black in color with a one-finger foamy khaki head that reduces to a ring around the glass before disappearing

S- initial aroma is a wave of maple syrup, quickly followed by fudgey chocolate brownie batter. A bold barrel note emerges, adding wet oak, bourbon, caramel and vanilla beans. Just a hint of smoke emerges as it warms, seemingly enhancing the chocolate and vanilla notes

T- as with the nose, sweet maple leads up front, immediately followed by a wave of chocolate brownie and caramel. Mid-palate brings out the barrel, adding boozy barrel juice, peanuty oak, vanilla bean and marshmallow cream. Next, more maple pops through before a light wave of smoke emerges on the finish. Lingers of bourbon, chocolate & maple

M- I'm surprised that the ratings are so low for this one. The aroma was so good that it took a solid 5 minutes before I even tasted it. The smoke is subtle but works great with the maple/chocolate sweetness. This is definitely a TG beer, well done.

 

 

 

 

On tap, pours an opaque black with a thin head of tan foam. Smell and taste are strong on the imperial stout notes, with the maple, smoke and barrel playing a very subtle supporting role. Full mouth feel, but not overly thick. Drinks like a lower ABV beer. Excellent brew.

A - Dark brown pour with minimal lacing.

S - Butterscotch, chocolate, and some Bourbon.

T - Chocolate, caramel, butterscotch, vanilla, oak, and Bourbon while ending on the sweeter side.

M - Light syrupy body and leaves a sticky residue on the lips.

O - This beer is better than the current overall score of (88). But, very alcohol forward.

 

On tap.

This is pretty disgusting. I am an ounce in and there is no way I’ll be finishing a 5 oz pour.

Tastes like nail polish remover. Wtf am I drinking? Artificially sweet vanilla, caramel, and burnt sugar. The maple doesn’t seem real. Molasses. Burnt rubber. Boozey and strong in an off putting way. Cocoa.

I have no idea where they were going with this, but it’s not good. If any other brewery released this there is no way the avg would even be over 3.

 

The review below is silly, I’m glad it didn’t persuade me to skip having one. This is a great beer with maple, bourbon, vanilla, and smokey char flavors that combine for a nice drinking experience.