Toppling Goliath King Sue 4Pk

Toppling Goliath King Sue 4Pk is a hazy double IPA brewed with Citra hops at 7.8% ABV, sold as a 4-pack of 16oz cans. This beer earned a perfect 100/100 on BeerAdvocate — a "World Class" designation — and took Gold at the 2019 U.S. Open Beer Championships in the New England/Juicy DIPA category.

Quick Facts: ABV: 7.8%  |  Origin: Decorah, Iowa, USA  |  Style: Hazy Double IPA  |  IBU: 100+  |  Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Company

Production & Heritage

Toppling Goliath Brewing Company operates out of Decorah, Iowa, using a Steinecker brewhouse custom-built in Germany. For King Sue, the brewing team relies exclusively on Citra hops, preferring to add them as a whirlpool addition on the hot side and again during fermentation at lower dosages — a technique that maximizes juicy tropical character while managing harsh bitterness. The brewery's water begins as Decorah city water, re-filtered through a reverse osmosis system and given a custom mineral profile tailored specifically to this beer before any grain or hops are added.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Ripe mango leads immediately, followed by waves of guava, tangerine zest, and pineapple. A faint herbal and doughy breadiness lurks beneath the tropical fruit.

Taste: The entry is explosively juicy — mango and orange dominate, with pineapple and grapefruit arriving at mid-palate. The body is thick and full, carrying a creamy mouthfeel that tempers the 100+ IBU bitterness into a smooth, oily hop presence rather than a sharp bite. Light lemon and orange peel emerge as secondary notes as the beer warms.

Finish: A pronounced but balanced hop burn lingers alongside grapefruit pith and residual tropical sweetness. The finish is medium-long, with the creaminess carrying through to the end.

How to Drink King Sue

King Sue is best served cold — around 40–45°F — straight from the can or poured into a tulip glass to concentrate the aromatics. This beer is designed to showcase Citra hops in their purest expression, so drinking it fresh and unadorned is the ideal approach. While not a typical cocktail ingredient, King Sue works in a Beer-a-Rita (blended with lime juice and a salted rim for a hoppy twist on the classic), a Hop Shandy (mixed half-and-half with fresh lemonade to lean into the citrus), or a Michelada (where the tropical fruit character adds dimension against the spice and lime).

Best For

• Gifting a craft beer enthusiast who tracks BeerAdvocate ratings
• Bringing a conversation-starting beer to a small gathering or cookout
• Celebrating a special occasion with a rare, top-rated double IPA
• Exploring the pinnacle of single-hop Citra brewing

Frequently Asked Questions

What does King Sue taste like? King Sue delivers an intensely tropical profile dominated by mango, pineapple, and citrus, wrapped in a thick, creamy body with oily hop bitterness and a grapefruit-laced finish.

How does King Sue compare to Pseudo Sue? Both beers are brewed by Toppling Goliath and feature Citra hops, but King Sue is a double IPA at 7.8% ABV with significantly more body and hop intensity, while Pseudo Sue is a single IPA at a lower ABV designed as a more sessionable everyday drinker.

Is King Sue good for sipping on its own? King Sue is built to be enjoyed on its own — its creamy mouthfeel, layered tropical hop character, and full body reward slow, deliberate sipping from a proper glass.

Where is King Sue made? King Sue is brewed at Toppling Goliath Brewing Company in Decorah, Iowa, a small town in the northeastern corner of the state, using a custom German-made Steinecker brewhouse.

What foods pair well with King Sue? Spicy Thai dishes like green curry complement the tropical fruit notes; grilled shrimp tacos with mango salsa echo the beer's fruit character; sharp cheddar or pepper jack cheese contrasts the hop bitterness; barbecue pulled pork plays well against the creamy body; and fish and chips benefit from the citrus and hop cut through the fried batter.

What sizes does King Sue come in? King Sue is widely available as a 4-pack of 16oz cans, which is the standard format for this release.

Is King Sue worth the price? King Sue positions as a premium craft double IPA, and its perfect BeerAdvocate score, Gold Medal at the U.S. Open Beer Championships, and limited regional distribution justify its place at the higher end of the DIPA price tier.

Why King Sue?

A perfect 100 on BeerAdvocate is not handed out casually — King Sue is one of a small number of beers in the world to carry that distinction. The exclusive use of Citra hops, added primarily as a whirlpool and dry-hop addition rather than a bittering charge, produces a tropical intensity that few single-hop DIPAs can match. The reverse-osmosis water treatment and custom mineral profiling ensure the base is engineered specifically around those hops, not borrowed from another recipe. For anyone serious about hazy double IPAs, King Sue is a benchmark — not because of hype, but because of a measurable, award-winning commitment to one hop variety done at the highest level.