Pseudo Sue - Nectaron Dry-Hop
Toppling Goliath Brewing Company

 

Pseudo Sue Nectaron Dry Hop from Toppling Goliath Brewing. 12 fl oz can, part of a mixed 12-pack, picked up at Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA, 10/11/25, $ 24.00 (including tax)/$0.167/fl oz. Reviewed 09/12/25, review 3653. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
“PKG 04/07/2025” stamped on bottom. Stored at home at 37 degrees F. Served at 42.6 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 47.8 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.25
First pour – Pale Straw (SRM 2), hazy. (Unfiltered)
Body – Straw (SRM 3), opaque. Under direct light, the same. When rear-lite, there is enough light penetration to produce a mild glow.
Head – Average (Maximum 4.0 cm, aggressive center pour). Off white and medium density with average retention, leaving an 0.7 – 1.3 cm jagged crown, with a complete cap. Small pieces of foam remain on the glass as the head contracts
Lacing – Fair. Small to medium bubbles form a single broken band of lacing.
Aroma – 4 – When the can is opened, there is an instant burst of musty grapefruit with no malt, no alcohol (5.8% ABV according to the label).
Flavor – 3.75 – Begins distinctly bitter with generic citrus. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. No gastric warming.
Palate – 3 – Medium: Slightly creamy: Soft but lively carbonation.
Style: Follows the BA style description.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 Uncredited label art, same as the base beer. Another iteration of Pseudo Sue, but not as good.

 

12oz can, PKG 04/09/2025
L: opaque yellow body; foamy off-white head
S: very fruity & tropical with zesty citrus, pine
T: passion fruit, lemon, tangerine, grapefruit, melon, blueberry, pine, biscuity grain
F: medium body, ample carbonation, zesty and tart finish
O: this was a fun mixed pack of dry-hopped Pseudo Sues. I don’t think I could pick a favorite because they’re all really good!

Pours hazy bright yellow, thick but short-lived white head. Spotty lacing. Aroma is bold, citrus and melon, a touch of dank weed. Flavor follows the nose, nice blend of sweet and bitter. Feel is medium bodied, with adequate carbonation. Overall, a very nice beer.

2.5 month old can from a "Uncaged" Pseudo Sue mixed pack poured into a tulip. Overall take is almost exactly in line with the Galaxy variant: it's a slightly lesser product than the OG Pseudo Sue, overall, with a hair-better nose but step down in taste because of a starchy green element. But still extremely good and hard to beat for a 6%-ish hazy APA (or even IPA). As with all my reviews of the Pseudo Sue series, really wish there was a hazy APA category to drop this into, or at least some kind of "session" hazy IPA category, as it's impossible to compare a beer like this to a more traditional OG APA like Zombie Dust. But this one grades favorably against any kind of APA even if it's a slight step down from the original.

Golden-orange, pure juice body, medium-plus haze with a touch of starchy murk, finger of initial bright white head that quickly drops into a nice soapy film. Decent lacing and more than I noticed with the first few Pseudo Sue offerings. Fruit juice all the way. Like regular Sue, has an awesome look for a hazy pale and remarkably competitive versus larger IPAs.

Like the OG, aroma is really wonderful, with huge citrus and big tropical fruit, but not the overripe, overly sweet kind. I don't really get peach or stone fruit but I definitely get tangerine. But more than anything the difference between this offering and other forms of Pseudo Sue is the weediness. Really digging that, as it makes it feel like an even bigger beer. A little pine, cracked pepper, some nice pineapple, and a big dose of red berry. Absolutely fantastic on the nose and definitely the strongest aspect of the beer. Better than the OG and the Galaxy variant though I'm going to end up scoring it the same (can't quite give it a 4.75 for smell).

Taste is a more meaningful step down from the nose versus regular Sue. But it's still incredibly drinkable and absolutely punches above its weight class. Heavy citrus, slightly underripe tropical fruit, very grassy, strong twang of dankness, and a strong mineral note. Really dry and wonderfully pithy finish. Tons of lingering grapefruit. Only problem is the added starchiness (presumably from the DDH), which takes things down a peg -- bit of that green vegetal "bite." It undercuts the end of the sip, leaving things a little sharper and more bitter than regular Sue. Like the OG it drinks like a smaller beer despite the big personality. I like this a hair better than the Galaxy version as the starchy bite isn't quite as harsh.

Little less thin than the OG in terms of feel, but still a little thin compared to most hazies. Then again...5.8%. Silky and smooth, with a wonderful coating quality. Maybe a step up from the OG. And compared to a typical APA, it's outstanding.

 

 

Canned 04/07/2025, into a Troegs pint glass, out of the DDH Pseudo Sue mix pack (12oz).

Pours a lighter yellow than the OG DDH, tons of fluffy white foam and completely opaque. Aroma is less potent than the OG, and skewed more towards tropical fruit than citrus and grapefruit. Flavor follows that nose with mango being the most representative flavor, but with somehow less sugar than the original? There's a lot of berry notes as well that are cool and a good hit of bitterness on the back end. Plenty of guava and papaya presence. and if I look for it there's some peach as well. Feel is similar to the other Pseudo Sues, clean and not too thick with a light body and great drinkability.

Overall, this beer is good and a decent representation of the Citra/Nectaron combo I really like, but I think Nectaron shines more in bigger, sweeter, more boozy IPAs. I kept wanting a little more sugar and heat on this one, but it's still exceptional. Not as good as the original or DDH, but a fantastic pale ale I'd be happy to buy any time.

12 oz can from a variety pack into a pint glass.
L: Pours hazy rich medium yellow gold color with a soft rocky white head that eventually recedes to froth, low carbo, medium sticky random lacing.
S: Aroma is tangerine, peach, citrus pith, lightly sweet smelling.
T: Taste follows aroma plus oats, dried fruits, apricot, caramelization in the background, a hint of dry fruit bread. Very light aftertaste.
F: Mouthfeel is very smooth, semi-juicy medium bodied with a fast and fairly dry finish that whisks itself away.
O: Overall this is a delicious tasting and easy drinking hazy with a very pleasant lower ABV compared to most Hazies from this brewery. Not thick or harsh and has no burn. I like the 12 oz offering and dry hop variety pack. Nectaron is outstanding in its style.

 

Sue continues to tear through the hop fields, gorging herself on a new crop of hops. This time it's Nectaron.

Pouring the same golden chrome and hazy orange, Nectaron Dry-Hopped Psuedo Sue crowns also with the same cottony white froth. But a scent of stone fruit gives a little extra flare to the scent of citrus and tropical fruit. The same dry malt base of honey, caramel and toast bring a similar graham cracker character as the standard Sue series, the hop flavor of Nectaron brings an overcast of peach, apricot and dates that pile onto the undercurrent of tangerine, red grapefruit, mango and papaya. Balanced with an herbal and spicy bitterness, the late taste is accented with fresh spruce, mild hemp and peppery grasses.

Medium bodied and trending dry, crisp and refreshing, there's a mild hop bite that gives the balance a peppery tannin quality heading into finish.

 

 

 

 

Look: soapy looking foamy head that dissipated quickly, no lacing, hazy, thick dense OJ
Smell: peach, tangerine, herbal
Taste: peach, tangerine, pineapple, citrusy pith
Feel: med heavy body, moderate carbo, prickly
Overall: 5.8% abv. Straight up tropical and juicy with mild bitterness. Citrusy pith and prickly on the tongue. Another tremendous brew by Toppling Goliath. Pairs well with Again by Alice In Chains.