Norseman's Wrath | Toppling Goliath Brewing Company

3.75/5  rDev -10.3%

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

poured from growler into tulip glass

A-black with no light getting through and almost no head

S- lots of sweet molasses, dark fruits and some brown sugar

T-much like the smell molasses and dark fruits a little coffee bitterness and some brown sugar and raisins

M-heavy thick bodied with a sweet finish

O-sweetness makes an excellent desert beer or something just to sip on for the night weel woth the trip to Decorah to try some of the beers from this brewery

 464 characters

4.62/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a growler into a Sam Adams pint.

A: Pours an opaque, dark brown color with a quarter inch of medium brown head. Some retention but little lace.

S: Vinous chocolate, coffee, and molasses. Rich and complex.

T: Starts with a little coffee bitterness, then brown sugar and molasses come flooding in-- very sweet, but balanced by the bitterness. On the finish, some dark fruits and then coffee again on the aftertaste. As the beer warms, coffee comes into play throughout the sip. Hints of maple, chocolate and anise also emerge from time to time. Lots going on here, all of it great.

M: Medium body overall, very smooth. Seems a bit thin at times, but not a major flaw.

O: This is great stuff. Dangerously drinkable at 9%, take it slowly or you'll feel the Norseman's Wrath the next day. Will definitely buy it again.

 830 characters

3.75/5  rDev -10.3%

3.75/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This was had on-tap at the Toppling Goliath tap room. It was served in a chalice tulip. I reviewed this from notes.

Appearance- The body on this beer is dark! If you did not hold this one up to light, there would be no doubt about the black out nature of the beer. Only slight mahogany highlights are able to peek through.

The head mustered about a half-finger of milk chocolate colored foam. It is pretty puffy with a good amount of bubbles in the cap.

Smell- First impression is the sweetness and coffee character of the nose. Definitely some toffee and roasted malt in play. The way that the molasses mixes with that roasted coffee scent reminds me of leather. The complexity of this is a good sign!

Taste- Sweet and strong is definitely the direction they went with this one.Right away, there are some fruit flavors playing around, cranberry and plum.

As the drink continues, a sweet bit of molasses comes out with a smokey leather character. The sweet really rides into the finish strong, with just a slight roasted quality.

Quite the unique flavor profiles! It is on the verge of being awesome, but that smokey leather mixing with the really sweet is clashing a little.

Mouth feel- It is not really big and chewy, but coating is decent. It is pretty creamy, but I feel like this should be thicker on the palate.

Overall- This is a good Imperial Stout, make no mistake. The beer is awfully complex, and obviously made with great skill, but I am having a hard time reconciling the sweet and smokey flavors.

And I really wish the feel was a little more imposing, like the Viking adorning the tap handle.

 1,635 characters