Sosus
Toppling Goliath Brewing Company

I love the story behind this beer's name and art, and I do enjoy giving Mosaic single-hop DIPAs a shot, even though I have a storied history of finding them to be among the most inconsistent form of pale ale to ever grace my glass, so I felt like I needed to give this one a good shot. Toppling Goliath has generally impressed me with their hoppier beers, which I'm very glad to find in my area after years of only hearing about them! Here goes nothing!

This pours a hazy, nearly-opaque orange color with a creamy bent to its overally hue. The head measures almost four fingers at its highest point, eventually settling down at about a finger-and-a-half. There's some inconsistent, sticky lace show here, and the foamy halo itself has some legs to it, for sure, but the soapiness of the proceedings leaves a bit to be desired. Some shimmering suds appear if I swirl my glass, which does cause some slight remnants of foam in my glass, but I'm still not overly impressed.

The nose is green and dank, with alternating elements of grass, chives/green onion and spicy pine/spruce. This is much less fruity than I thought it'd be, if I'm to be honest. I don't get any of the berry elements that can come from Mosaic, and the tropical element is muted by spice and earthiness. This smells very much like a trip down a forgotten hiking trail in the wilderness. The spruce-like scent really does block out a lot of the more subtle notes that I know this hop can provide. Luckily, I really like the smell of aromatic coniferous trees, or I'd be hating this right off the bat! You probably can't tell, but I'm winking ever-so-slightly as I write this. That's okay if you can't tell... I forgive you!

On the tongue, I finally start to get some nice tropical fruit! Blasting forward on the palate with papaya and mango, this is more along the lines of what I expect from a big ol' Mosaic DIPA! Granted, some of that dankness, pine and grassiness is present toward the mid-palate, but the initial flavor is a really fresh, juicy burst of paradisiacal heaven. A touch grainy, with an almost rye-like spice. If I try, I can even pick up a little bit of ripe raspberry and blueberry jam, kind of falling in line a bit more with how I think of Mosaic hops. Wow, this really comes together better than expected... I was a bit worried with how specific and seemingly one-dimensional the nose was to my senses.

The feel is thick and chewy with a nice complexity and surprisingly fine carbonation for a moderately strong DIPA. Finishes with a detailed, oily hop element and some light ethanol presence. A fine Mosaic IPA, but I think it could be even better with a slightly different hopping schedule.

 

Pounded 5. Unreal. Great with a funnel. Very little burn.

 

 

 

L: A murky pale gold, small white, some spotty lace.
S: Pineapple and tropical fruit.
T: Flavors and aromas are similar.
F: Medium bodied, great carbonation, a bit sticky,
O: Solid offering from TG.

 

04/14/25 can @ home

 

 

 

PKG 01/22/2025. Poured into a tapered glass mug.

A: Hazy gold with 1-2 finger frothy off-white head with good retention and bands of lacing.

S: Pineapple, berry, and guava dominate the nose with softly sweet pale malt

T: Flavor is excellent with moderate-intensity tropical fruit pineapple, guava, mango, and light berry with light herbal, dank quality. Pale malt is lightly sweet and complimentary. Bitterness is low-medium.

M: Highly drinkable with medium body, high carbonation, and dry finish.

O: Sosus is an exceptional DIPA with a blend of hazy and west-coast IPA character. Super enjoyable beer.

 

Brief Review:

O: Interested to see this is still a Top 250 beer. Pretty crazy to pull this off the shelf in Michigan (probably couldn't say that 10 years ago). Nothing super special here now though. Middle of the road DIPA for me. Little too bitter on the finish. Lacks some punch and sweetness.

Recommendation: Never had peak Sosus, but this one is just okay. Unless you absolutely need to tick it, there's probably better stuff out there in this style.

 

A delicious expression of Mosaic. Balanced profile, easy drinking but with a floral, berry nose and flavor that makes you feel wrapped in the blanket of old school IPAs and sneaking your face into the new school breeze.

On tap:
Nice looking slightly orange-hued golden with a little bit of haze. The white head sustains well and provides a decent amount of lacing.

The nose has a slight cattiness to the tropical hop notes and honey malt aromas. Opening malt sweetness is a bit less than medium and seems the proper amount fur the following hoppiness. Tropical fruit skin bitterness with less cattiness than the nose, but still a little. Overripe fruits come out late, with a somewhat woodsy finishing bitterness. Pretty soft and not too heavy for the ABV.

Poured chilled from a can into a 16oz pint glass. Appearance is pale gold color with a very slight chill haze. Dense white head that lasts and clings aggressively to the glass.
Aroma is fruity and pine, some faint malt. Very earthy and tropical....typical of the mosaic hop. There is a slight 'dank'aroma to this one.
Taste is hoppy, malty, and tropical fruitiness....a bit of earthy dankness.
Mouthfeel is medium with a fair amount of smooth carbonation. Good amount of bittering hoppiness and earthy tones with less of a sweet profile.
Overall, this is a decent Imperial IPA. Seems to fit the style....which isn't my favorite, admittedly. Still a very enjoyable craft beer, quite tasty.

I guess I'm a heretic. This one didn't hit for me.