Pseudo Sue
Toppling Goliath Brewing Company

Pseudo SuePseudo Sue
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Toppling Goliath Brewing Company
 
Iowa, United States
Style:
American Pale Ale
Ranked #5
ABV:
5.8%
Score:
99
Ranked #171
Avg:
4.5 | pDev: 7.56%
Reviews:
983
Ratings:
5,805
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 18, 2024
Added:
Aug 17, 2011
Wants:
  1,344
Gots:
  1,414
This single hop ale showcases the Citra hop. Named for the largest T-rex fossil ever discovered, she roars with ferocious aromas of grapefruit, citrus, mango and evergreen. Delicate in body with a mild bite in the finish.

50 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by tectactoe:
Photo of tectactoe
Reviewed by tectactoe from Michigan

4.37/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Super huge thanks to maximum12 for a growler of this stuff. Dude is an amazing trader and is exceptionally generous, always willing to hook you up. PseudoSue pours the color of bruised pear skins with some goldenrod highlights - it's basically opaque, though I can kind of make out shadows on the other side of the glass. The soapy white head sits at a finger and lasts for a while, leaving behind some good lacing on the glass.

As advertised, the aroma is a beautiful citrus bouquet with tremendous amounts of gushing oranges and grapefruits, outline with a softer tropical set-up, something like mango and maybe even a bit of pineapple. The hops also impart a nice grassy note, coming off with some light white pepper as well. It smells like it'll be pretty bitter, or at least every bit as bitter as an IPA. The line between pale ales and IPAs is getting blurred here, but I still love this aroma.

The taste is all-together fruity and perfumy, with an obvious hop assault, through and through. The nose was a good indication that the malt would be a bit-part at best, and the first sip confirms that fact pretty quickly, as I'm not really getting much malt flavor at all. What I am getting, though, are copious amounts of pungent citrus, grassy and leafy hops, herbal pepper, grapefruit skins, juicy tangerine and even a faint hint of tropical mango.

Very tangy and substantially bitter... PseudoSue joins Zombie Dust in the category of "maybe a bit too bitter and heavy to be a pale ale, but still lighter and more drinkable than most IPAs". The Amarillo and Simcoe combination is beautiful on both the nose and the palate, leaving your mouth with fading fruits, earthy hops, and a back of the tongue, finishing bitterness. Wet and crispy on the palate, nice carbonation, even from the growler; snappy and fresh.

This stuff is very good. Damn good. And drinkable to the nth degree. While I've definitely had a fair share of slightly more enjoyable pale ales, this one is valiant enough to join the best of the best club. I enjoyed this only slightly less than What is Enlightenment, and they are reasonably similar beers. When your brew gets compared to something from Hill Farmstead, well... that in itself is a damn good testament to how good your beer is.
Aug 25, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of ManicMadgod
Reviewed by ManicMadgod from Connecticut

4.43/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Arguably the best pale ale I've had in my life. Beautiful lacing, gorgeous citrusy bouquet that leads into a very drinkable beer with pleasant mouthfeel and a wonderful hoppiness. I don't usually like hoppiness this much but this hoppiness turned into happiness for me.
Mar 18, 2024
 
Rated: 4.13 by Spade from Pennsylvania

Mar 02, 2024
 
Rated: 3.72 by Turg from Iowa

Mar 01, 2024
 
Rated: 3.86 by rdub from Pennsylvania

Feb 27, 2024
Photo of Brewsta
Reviewed by Brewsta from Colorado

4.51/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
The flavors a citrus, pine resin, grapefruit with some flora hop notes. The mouthfeel has moderate to high carbonation with a medium body and clean finish. Excellent!
Feb 25, 2024
 
Rated: 4.01 by Gemini6 from Michigan

Feb 12, 2024
Photo of JustABridgeTooFar
Rated by JustABridgeTooFar

4.16/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Incredible beer. Very drinkable. Great tasting notes and mouthfeel. This is just what a NEIPA should be.
Feb 06, 2024
 
Rated: 4.5 by JimKochFan from New Jersey

Feb 04, 2024
Photo of Greg34
Rated by Greg34

4.64/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
My favorite “American Pale ale”
Feb 01, 2024
Photo of DuaneL
Reviewed by DuaneL from Delaware

4.25/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I understand that the world thinks this is a practically perfect Citra ale - and I do not necessarily disagree, but to rate it as 99 is over-doing it a bit! First of all, this is not a pale ale, it is an NEIPA! And as that I rated it accordingly above - I couldn't rate it as a pale ale because that's not what it is. It is a lovely beer but I find that after a pint I wouldn't be able to drink more because the sweet aftertaste of the ale is somehow cloying, can't describe it any better than that.
Jan 28, 2024
 
Rated: 4.65 by Smithbo from Pennsylvania

Jan 01, 2024
Photo of Spike
Reviewed by Spike from England

4.37/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
On tap at North Bar, Tribeca, NYC. Fantastic NEIPA with an even more fantastic low ABV. Looks like orange juice, tastes super juicy with a nicely piney backdrop, is perfectly bitter, and is very easy-drinking. Need a lot more of these.
Dec 16, 2023
Photo of LifesAnesthesia
Reviewed by LifesAnesthesia from Virginia

4.62/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
L - Hazy yellow with a frothy white head that sticks around leaving behind a ton of lacing
S - Tons of bright, piney hops along with tropical fruit notes with some cracker malt
T - Bright, piney, bitter hops up front and throughout intermixed well with citrus - grapefruit primarily - and tropical fruit notes
F - medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Soft.
O - a pretty fantastic APA
Dec 15, 2023
 
Rated: 4.4 by Cheesehoops from Alabama

Dec 08, 2023
Photo of PapaGoose03
Rated by PapaGoose03 from Michigan

4.5/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A great showcase of the Citra hop, even when it's three months old.
Dec 05, 2023
Photo of mntlover
Reviewed by mntlover from Tennessee

4.46/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pours a hazy pale yellow with thumb sized white head that laces well.

Aroma is big citrus notes bright and inviting, pale malts light pine notes. Great nose for a pale ale could be anyone else's IPA.

Taste is like the nose big hop flavors riding on a pale bready malt base. Huge citrus notes with some light pine bitterness also. Nice crisp and clean with a lighter lingering bitterness.

Mouthfeel is lighter and crisp, light tingle from the medium carbonation level.

Overall a very nice pale ale that has a better hop level than many peoples IPA's
Dec 04, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by Nyoder

Nov 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.87 by YIharo

Nov 21, 2023
 
Rated: 4.42 by petewheeler from Maryland

Nov 13, 2023
Pseudo Sue from Toppling Goliath Brewing Company
Beer rating: 99 out of 100 with 5805 ratings