Are you looking for exceptional craft beer with a small-town history? Stop whatever you're doing, and get to know Clark Lewey - founder of Decorah, Iowa's Toppling Goliath Brewing Company! It all started with one man's disappointment of the local selection, and now he's brewing his own world-class "beers that make a statement". Don't miss out – Toppling Goliath Brewing Company awaits you!
At Toppling Goliath Brewery in Decorah, Iowa, Clark Lewey has made waves in the craft beer industry with his innovative brewing techniques and commitment to quality craft beer. After being disappointed by the limited/lack of selection at local bars and shops in Decorah, Lewey set out to make a statement of his own and began brewing his own craft beer. What started as a home-brewing hobby soon turned into a business plan and Toppling Goliath officially launched in 2010.
Toppling Goliath quickly began building an impressive resume with its crafted beers. In 2011 and 2012, their pale ale, Dorothy’s New World Lager, earned silver medals at the Great American Beer Festival in the American-Style Pale Ale category. Another standout is there being nominated as the “Small Brewing Company of the year” and “Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year” for 2012 at the Great American Beer Festival. As of today, the brewery has two staples in bars and shops and thirteen seasonal beers, as well as continually rotating barrel-aged and hop-forward imperials.
Lewey is the primary architect of Toppling Goliath’s success, and the man behind the impressive and ever-growing selection of beers. After having previously traveled, tasted, and studied craft beer, Clark Lewey decided to take a chance and invest his time and money in creating an exciting and upcoming brewery. Such a move, while heavily risky, proved to be the right one.
At first, the nanobrewery faced setbacks, with the real issue being the underpowered nanosystem. It wasn’t quite capable of the multi-batch production they were hoping for. To work around that, Lewey and his team had to focus on creating their own system. This meant total self-reliance, with every part of their system being hand-built from rotary pumps, tube fabrication, and other small parts. In order to save money, the team had to be very resourceful and recycled whatever materials they could. In 2011, Toppling Goliath opened a 15-barrel production brewhouse with a tasting room where customers could purchase growler-fillups.
In 2014, Toppling Goliath became the first microbrewery from Iowa to appear in ratebeer.com’s list of the world’s 50 best brewers. It was also named the overall “Beer of the Year”. Later, in 2016, Toppling Goliath was named the “Brewery of the Year” at the 13th annual RateBeer Best Awards. These awards recognize and celebrate the very best brewers in the world.
Lewey and Toppling Goliath also continue to make waves in the craft beer industry through their commitment to quality and innovation, something Lewey has said from very early on is the key to their success. This commitment has led to a sleek and modern brewery production facility, countless awards, and praise from customers and experts alike.
Toppling Goliath’s portfolio of beers is ever-growing and their commitment to quality has won them even more awards. Their flagship beers –pseudoSue, Golden Nugget, Deliverance and King Sue- have all been met with critical acclaim by beer enthusiasts around the globe. Other notable beers include their hoppy beers which often use experimental hop varieties and their sour beers, which have a unique blend of tart flavours and strong aromas.
Since the launch of Toppling Goliath, Lewey has accomplished many of his goals for the company – most notably its growth and international recognition for excellence in the craft beer industry. Lewey is no stranger to risk, and his ambition has put him and his team in the spotlight. The ultimate goal for Toppling Goliath may very well be to become one of the best, and most renowned, craft breweries in the world.
In only a matter of years, Clark Lewey has been able to transform home-brewing success into the behemoth craft beer production success that is Toppling Goliath. Known fueled by passion and a deep-rooted commitment to quality, Lewey and his team have made Toppling Goliath a leader in the craft