Three Floyds Alpha Khan Mongolian Pale Ale

Formerly brewed at Three Floyds Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Munster, Indiana USA

I dunno about this one... The hop bitterness and aroma seemed to be better in Alpha King The beer has a stronger malt backbone

WOW! This Mongolian Pale is like being trampled to death on the steppes of Central Asia by a savage horde of cavalry issuing from the mighty Khan’s vast, unrelenting, unforgiving armies... Or it might just be REALLY bitter!

Made the crawl up Calumet Ave worth it! A lovely strong ale with plenty, I mean PLENTY of hops too. No amount of coercing could get them to fill a growler for me. Dreadnaught is still my favoritie, but a great beer in anyone’s book. Gotta love these rare offerings.

The joy of visiting Three Floyds is trying such beer on tap. This dark, cloudy amber elixir with the requisite amount of off-white head was quite good. A symphony of aromas greet the nose: hops, spices, fruit, caramel, pine. Sip some in and feel a full-bodied, smooth, robust beer caress your tongue and seduce your tastebuds. The flavor is a burst of hops joined by puffs of spice, fruit, and forest essence. Damn. The down side of this beer was that we couldn’t get a growler to take home.

Draught at the Maproom: deep ruby gold with a slight haze. The fluffy white head diminishes into a small island in the center of my glass. Wild, spicy aroma: orange cloves, all spice, sweet pepper and crazy hops – the pine is there, but there is something more, something unique, something great. Flavour confirms – this can be your hop fix for at least a week, perhaps a month depending on your tastes – but this one has more depth than just an overload of hops: this one is also spicy, not quite clove flavour, not quite all spice: this new thing for me: cardamom, wow, what a wild new flaovur, I think it works well, great job!

Dark amber body, approaching brown, with a thick, off-white head. Huge, hoppy nose full of pine, grass, a bit of citrus, sticky caramel, whole grains and some light spices (ginger?, lavendar?). The body is full and supple on the tongue. Tasty, and fairly bitter flavor, though not as mind-blowingly bitter as I might have thought. However, that makes it more drinkable, and thusly, more enjoyable. The malt base is resilient and stands strong to the rather intense hops, making for a nice balance. Another excellent offering from the Floyds.

On Tap at 3F’s, Rating #405. An intensely grassy smell from a fresh beer loaded with a little-used hop (Glacier, eh? I’ll take EddieG’s word for it, since the Floyds were at a local event, and the lady left behind to pur beers only knew it was a hop they hadn’t used before). While it’s very clearly got lots of alpha, it doesn’t have the puckery quality of other overhopped beers. Instead, a nice piney and floral quality goes with that fresh-mowed lawn smell. The malt is darker in color, but retains a nice sweetness instead of roast

On tap at the brewery, Rating #1500: Hazy cider look with a neverending off-white head and oustanding lace. The aroma has notes of pine sap, grapefruit, pepper, wheat bread, lemon zest, and earthy and dusty yeast esters. A wonderfully balanced taste of fruity and piney hops covered by sweet pale malts. Grassy and earthy in the midsection. Spiced cake finish with a final kick of fresh hops. The alcohol is well hidden with a sharp initial feel. A bit metallic and chalky upon the finish. A cross between Dreadnaught and Behemoth at a lower gravity. Nice on it’s own and another winner from Three Floyds.