Beer fans, connoisseurs, enthusiasts, and adventurers, welcome back, and welcome to an extra special day of beer. That’s right, this year has granted us an extra day, a day that only arrives once every four years. It brings us opportunity and the possibility to explore more of the outdoors, more of the country, more of the world…More of the world of beer!

I wanted to take this opportunity to enjoy a beer that I likely won’t be able to enjoy again anytime too soon, a beer that isn’t available here, but one that sports an incredible following and scores across multiple beer resources. It scored a perfect 100 on BeerAdvocate & RateBeer, as well as an undeniable devotion on Untappd.

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PseudoSue is an American Pale Ale that comes to us courtesy of Decorah, Iowa’s Toppling Goliath Brewing. Clocking in at a modest ABV and IBU score, promising loads of tropical fruit flavor balanced upon a super refreshingly bitter hop profile. I can’t wait to find out for myself. I have been trying to get this particular beer for quite some time now, seeing others post about its flavors and drinkability, however it’s not available in our state, and likely never will be. Luckily for me, some showed up on my doorstep last week in an excellent bit of beer mail. It’s always like Christmas morning when you open one of those boxes.

Brewery: Toppling Goliath — Decorah, IA

Beer: pseudoSue — American Pale Ale

ABV / IBU: 5.8% / 50

Cost: $3.99 / 16 oz can (roughly)

Availability: Year Round (in TG distribution areas)

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16 oz can poured into 16 oz Belgian tulip
Printed on the can is —

CANNED
DEC/28/15
14 : 02 CHEERS

Appearance (3/3) — Pours an orangey and ever so slightly hazy amber hue into the glass. There is a puffy and tall off-white colored head that forms and leaves behind some epic rings of lacing with each sip, sure looks nice. Very consistent.

Aroma (9/12) — Smell is tropical and rich, increasing with intensity as it warms, there are notes of bitter citrus peel and pith, notes of grapefruit, lime, melon rind, some light piney and herbaceous notes as well, like pine needles and eucalyptus. A little bit of under ripened mangoes and green bananas.

Flavor (17/20) — Taste is much like the nose, though amplified a bit, extra bitter notes of pine, lemon, melon, honeydew, cantaloupe, earth, pine cone, forest floor, pine sap, birch, all meld harmoniously, and rich hop notes abound. All of this on top of an easy going, but solid supporting foundation of semi-sweet caramel malt and oats, a sturdy foundation and an excellent showcase of balance.

Mouthfeel (4/5) — Medium bodied, easy going, super refreshing and clean, a lingering light bitterness leaves you wanting to come back for sip after sip.

Overall Impression (8/10) — Incredible overall, though it is tough to agree with a perfect score of 100, this is very well done. However it is what it is, an extremely solid and juicy American Pale Ale, this is very reminiscent of Grunion, though not as sharp, and similar to Dale’s, just not as malt dominated. Very good and worth seeking out.

Until next time, cheers, and drink well, happy leap day / year!