Naughty Temple - Toppling Goliath Brewing Company

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a waxed 22 oz. bottle into a Surly Darkness Chalice. 2013 Vintage.

Appearance: Pours a hazy copper amber orange with a moderate amount of bubbles. About two fingers of off white head that fade into a thin creamy layer. Leaves a good amount of lacing around the glass.

Smell: A huge rye whiskey forward smell with lots of barrel hints. Big barrel presence upfront with hints of rye whiskey, wood, oak chips, and vanilla. Sweet hints of brown sugar and molasses. Citrus hop hints of grapefruit and orange. Also some grassy hints. Big malt backbone with hints of caramel, toffee, biscuit, dark roast, grain, and yeast. Its kind of hard to tell that there is a IPA here. A very whiskey barrel forward scent. Smells pretty good.

Taste: As big and whiskey barrel forward as the aroma indicates. Huge barrel presence throughout the taste with notes of rye whiskey, oak chips, wood, and vanilla. Some aged citrus hop notes start to come through with notes of grapefruit, orange peel, and pineapple. Also some earthy and grassy hop notes. Sweet brown sugar along with some molasses. Big presence of toasted malt with notes of caramel, toffee, roast chocolate, biscuit, yeast, and grains. One of the most unique "IPA" tastes I've had. Huge with the whiskey and very good.

Mouthfeel: Fairly full bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Creamy, chewy, and very smooth for such a whiskey forward beer.

Overall: A very good whiskey aged beer. The barrel presence is huge and pretty much overpowers the IPA hop notes, but the whiskey and malt taste is very good and smooth. A little too pricey for the bottle, but well worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 07:49:58 | More by MattyG85

Gotti311

Wisconsin

4.66/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle poured into a 12oz snifter.

The whiskey is all over the place on this one. Right up front it overwhelms the nose. The body is a tad nondescript, but to me it feels like it was built to carry the whiskey barrel aging. The medium malty backbone gives the palate a bit of a reprieve before the whiskey rages back at the end of the mouth and leaves a nice warm lingering flavor. At first I had a hard time believing this beer was only 8.2%, but I was deceived by the whiskey notes. I am glad they didnt go any higher on the ABV because it would have distracted.

This beer was really beautiful and well done. Glad I was able to get a bottle of this stuff and look forward to more bottle drops by Toppling Goliath in Madison.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 13:27:35 | More by Gotti311

rundocrun

Iowa

4.55/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a snifter from a 22 oz. bottle.

A - Extremely hazy, coppery orange color. 1 finger of fine, white head with decent retention. Little lacing on the glass. Not the prettiest beer, but honestly I could care less about how it looks. Let's get onto the taste!

S - Even while fighting off the last dregs of a cold, I can smell very intense rye whiskey aromas. It's a testament to how long this beer actually rested in the TR barrels and I love it. Not a whole lot beyond the crisp, slightly smoky rye, but I do get undertones of sweet caramel, toffee, vanilla and candied fruits.

T - This being the very first barrel-aged IPA/AIPA I have ever tried, I have to admit I was skeptical how this style would play with the whiskey flavors. I am happy to say it works brilliantly. Straightforward rye cereal flavor up front with great citrusy undertones, no doubt from the extra hopping this beer received. Slides smooth and delicate over my palate with increasing complexity. More vanilla, cinnamon, very mild barrel char and smoke. Finish is long and smooth with prominent flavors of sweet orange rind, mild hop bitterness, and more crisp, earthy rye. Truly a special beer.

M - Medium body, with absolutely perfect carbonation. I've had many barrel-aged beers that were very under-carbonated (a side-effect of the extended aging process) but this has just the right amount of sparkling carbonation in the finish to compliment and enhance the flavors.

Overall - Toppling Goliath, you have provided still more proof that you are the best brewery in Iowa (IMO) and that you are willing to go the extra mile to make one of a kind, quality beers.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 01:42:44 | More by rundocrun

darklordlager

Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4

A: Cloudy burnt-orange bronze.
S: Rye, creamy vanilla. Orange citrus.
T: Spicy rye, vanilla frosting, underlying citrus hop note. Huge rye whiskey character. Huge.
M/F: Slick, coating. Awesome finish on this beer: fantastically spicy rye, rich vanilla-custard, and quenching bitterness.
Overall: Spiciness of the rye works in very well with the base IPA. Not the biggest fan of bourbon-barrel IPAs, and if I want rye in my IPA I think I would rather reach for a Ruthless Rye or Founders Red’s Rye.

While this has really grown on me since when I opened the bottle, for my preferences I do not believe it to be worth the price of entry. If you are big on barrel-aged IPAs though, do not hesitate to seek this one out…

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 23:12:26 | More by darklordlager

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

4.63/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Poured into a tulip glass from a 22oz bottle with white wax.
Vintage: 2013

Pours a nice hazy peach color with nice orange hues and some muted darker ambers. There is a nice half inch dense heads that recedes somewhat quickly. The head is slight ecru color.

Aroma is absolutely amazing! Oak notes with vanilla overtones and some nice molasses. The vanilla sweetness and spice is perfectly understated and not cloying at all. The whiskey notes are ever present in the nose. It actually smells like a glass of whiskey. Surprisingly after sticking my nose in the glass more than a couple of times I was able to pick up some slight citrusy and tropical fruit notes. Once again though the barrels really shine here. Molasses and vanilla really dominate the nose.

The flavor is quite interesting and delicious. So complex and lingering. Where as the nose is dominated by the barrel notes and might be indicative of a very strong and almost overwhelming flavor of bourbon the flavor is a bit more relaxed and eases you into the barrel notes. Starts off with some nice mild vanilla mixed in with the woody notes. So smooth. There are then some nice molasses notes and even some dark fruit note sweetness. There are some notes of prunes that also are balanced with some oaky notes. On the back end the flavor really shines. There is some nuttiness to the brew mixed in with the molasses and sweetness lent by the whiskey also some slight butterscotch notes. Some of the IPA notes try to shine through the barrel but are fought back pretty well. Mouthfeel is very nice. Smooth and silky. Nearly perfect body for the style.

Very interesting style. The barrel notes really shine in this brew and definitely overtakes any semblance of an IPA except for some faint citrusy and dank notes that can be noted, particularly on the back end. The vanilla and oak notes are delicious and the flavors linger very well even after the sips have past.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 22:49:37 | More by JoEBoBpr

COWHAWK

Iowa

5/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 22oz bomber

A. This beer poured out a gorgeous carmel hazy orange color slight head, but perfect

S. Smells of vanilla, toffee, chocolate, and slight templeton whiskey, the smell of this beer is outstanding!

T. This beer goes down as smooth as any beer I've ever drank, tons of vanilla, toffee, slight templeton taste, the aftertaste is like cocoa or chocolate, could not get enough

M. The mouthful on this beer is great its not overly dark or heavy its super refreshing, I just wish I had more, its just unreal!

O. This is probably the best beer I have ever drank, its unreal if you haven't tried its a must you won't regret it, every drink leaves you wanting more the aftertaste is to die for!

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 03:05:18 | More by COWHAWK

siradmiralnelson

Iowa

4.4/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 22oz bomber into Globe glass. 2/23/13

A. Poured 1 finger head. Color is a hazy dark orange, almost brown. Good retention. Not much lacing.

S. Vanilla, toffee, hops. Has a big barrel aged aroma. Smells good, has some fruitiness. Has a little bit of alcohol aroma, but not too hot.

T. Wow. Lots of vanilla, oaky delicousness. Bitterness on the tongue, but not a lot of hoppy flavor. Toffee would be a good word to summarize the overall flavor. Great way to showcase what aging beer in barrels can do. Very drinkable.

M. Surpisingly full mouthfeel. Medium/low carbonation.

O. Really good beer. Barrel and Oaked IPAs are a style I really like. I would say that most of the IPA characteristics are lost on this beer. The plus side of that is some really amazing flavors get imparted from the Templeton barrels. This could be a real gateway beer for those who are new to barrel aged ales. I am sure that this was an expensive beer to make, but I am not sure the value is right at $24.99 a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 23:29:19 | More by siradmiralnelson

Erdinger2003

Iowa

4.61/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Served in curved lipped tulip glass at Toppling Goliath Taproom. The head is white and foamy with consistent protein to create a strong lacing. The original lacing from the pours remained the whole time, but preceding drinks did not create a lacing on the side of the glass. Dark golden color like dark honey. Hard to see through with plenty of body as the lacing implies.

Smell is sweet like dark sugar and has a thick hazelnut mocha coffee flavor background.

Medium thick body that holds the flavors on the tongue for a long time.

Smooth mouthfeel without harsh bite from acidic CO2 which makes for a creamy body.

Overall, it's a very easy going sipper that's not too overpowering and harsh with alcohol or body. So it's a sipper that you don't have to nurse because it's so overpowering.

Serving type: on-tap

02-23-2013 05:53:41 | More by Erdinger2003

bismarksays

Iowa

4.43/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- It pours kind of a golden straw/light caramel color, a decent amount of head. Very intriguing

S- Smells of rye whiskey, a touch of fruit, and a hint of caramel and vanilla

T/M- Smooth as silk, whiskey flavors and fruit (apricot? light citrus?) mellowed out by oak, neither thin nor sticky, always just right. This is a sipper if you can convince yourself to sip it.

Overall- This was a wonderful surprise, something totally unexpected and exceeding any hopes I had previously had when my buddy and I made the road trip to TG. Just wow.

NOTE It was made in a Templeton Rye barrel and if you thought Templeton couldn't get much better, this beer might have an argument.

Serving type: on-tap

08-03-2011 17:17:24 | More by bismarksays