Meteora
Toppling Goliath Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Had on tap. Mostly opaque dark brown, light brown ring. Smell is intense with huge caramel, molasses, toasty oak, vanillins, bourbon and barley all combining in a beautiful way. Taste adds booze soaked dark fruit and a touch of marshmallow, really impressed. In a way this is a throwback to a couple of years ago, as despite the intense flavoring and deep barrel it never overwhelms the palate with sweetness of booze, marking a thick and chewy body that is oh so smooth. Early beer of the year candidate

 

 

 

Pours deep and brooding, dark brown… almost black. Rust-hued beige head bubbles up and quickly settles. Clear weight, but doesn’t seem overly heavy on the pour.

On the nose, notes of rich, caramelized dates & molasses. There are some undertones of dark chocolate and oatmeal raisin cookies.

The palate is rich & sweet, with subtle esters on the finish that leave a mild bitterness in its wake. The profile brings flavors of Werther’s caramels, fig jam, stroopwafel, and brown sugar. While coming on very sweet, the warmth, fruit, and subtle bitterness imparted by the barrel helps to balance the strength of the base barleywine.

As mentioned above, good weight that’s not overly bogging, with a low, even carbonation that cuts through and prevents an overly syrupy experience. The esters start to come forward on the mid-palate, accompanying a long finish with a touch of dry bitterness.