Beer Review: David

Reviewing David, a collaboration imperial IPA between Toppling Goliath Brewing Company out of Decorah, Iowa and Tree House Brewing Company out of Monson, Massachusetts.

Score: 91

Bottle from the May 2014 release. Served in an Upland snifter and enjoyed on 06/11/14.

Appearance: Pours an orange color with a half finger of cream colored head that settles to a foggy cap. Great lacing and retention. Some floaties/sediment present. 4.25/5

Smell: Fruity, grassy hops with a light caramel sweetness and booziness. Behind that is a pine/resin character and a sweet tropical fruit nose. Does not quite jump out of the glass like Triple Sunshine did. 4.25/5

Taste: Big sweet/juicy fruity mosaic hop character with a little musty/funky orange towards finish. Booziness in the middle. Reminds me a lot of Sosus, but boozier. Grapefruit, sweet caramel maltiness. Lots of sweet juiciness, no real bitterness or pine quality to the taste. Solid integration. 4/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, low carbonation. Oily mouthfeel with a malty sweetness and light bitterness on the finish. 4/5

Overall: A nice and fruity IPA that is more in the vein of Sosus than Pseudo Sue. The mosaic hop fruitiness dominates the flavor (mosaic hops are not among my favorite variety) and there is no real bitterness or bite here. This beer is definitely well made, and definitely delicious. Alas, for me, it was merely good and not great, lacking some of the IPA bite that I was hoping for given the brewers involved.

Cost: $10 for a 22 oz (bomber) bottle.