Three Floyds Alpha Naught (2008)

Brewed by Three Floyds Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Munster, Indiana USA

on tap at GTMW ’08. pours slightly hazed golden with white head. nose of peaches, mango, grapefruit. smells a lot like dreadnaught. really hoppy ipa, peach, mango, grapefruit, pine, extremely refreshing, the alpha king malt profile hops up nicely to dreadnaught hop profile. one of the best FFF beers I’ve had in a long time.

On tap at Three Floyds. Slightly hazy straw-orange body, thin off-white head. Intense hoppy aroma, with potent pine cones and citrus, resiny, with sticky sweet malts. Chewy hops resins body with grapefruit and pine notes. Sweet, bready malts back the intense hops profile. Finishes leafy and bitter. Solid beer.

GTMW 08 - Pours clear golden with a light white head. The aroma has grapefruit, citrus and dank hops balanced with sturdy caramel malt. Medium body with light semi-sharp carbonation. The flavor starts with piny citric hops, smooth malt, resin and overall smoothness. The finish brings in tropical hops and sweet malt. This is a great beer I could drink all day long.

So it is 6% or 10%? I guess we will never know. The draft pour came in an 8 oz glass a dark golden color with small white head and light lacing. Powerful nose of piney hops and some caramel malts. The mouthfeell was rich and slick, and it went down very smoothly. Flavor is mostly citrus hops, with a hint of fruit and spices. The finish is bitter. Love this beer.

gtmw 08.... semi-transparent golden yellow pour with a moderate soapy white head....earthy/grassy hops in the nose. very much more subdued and held-back than what i was expecting.... flavors of sweet earthy, pine resiny hops adding a nice bitterness in the finish. very easy drinking. i went back for more than one sample of this.

Draft at the brewpub. I’m a little confused here, the ABV listed at the brewpub was 6%. Poured a dark deep golden hue with orange notes that was slightly hazed. Small head that laces, but doesnt really stick around that well. Magical apple juice, perhaps? Aromas are largely hops, pine and citrus dominate as the malt profile is almost indiscernable. Initial is hoppy, pine and citrus with a floral nose, touches of grapefruit and zest. Balanced by some nice sweet malts that aren’t assertive enough to handle the hops in my book. A very nice hopped beer, but hops don’t win ratings anymore. Would drink again, but I’d like a little clarification on what the ABV is for this beer. I think I’d rate it higher if it actually was a 6% beer. Otherwise, it kinda moved back to the center of the pack so to speak.

On tap at Three Floyds. Absolutely headless golden yellow, still, clear. The nose is huge with hops. Gummy bears really. Fruity tropical hops, less pineapple than gummy bear. Maybe some small aspirin. The mouthfeel is still, but not watery. The flavors are absolutely popping. Big bad hops over a just strong enough malt, with a bit of caramel, but mostly not descript malty sweetness. The hops are again tropical fruits, but mostly gummy bears. Lingering hop bite. Lovely. I’ve love to see this bottled!

On tap at Three Floyds and served in a half-pint glass. This beer poured a dark amber with a lasting, one-finger thick head of beige foam. Heavy lacing coated the inside of the glass. The aroma of the beer was made up of huge citrus and grapefruit notes followed by some very floral pine. The flavor consisted of highly bitter grapefruit rind, pine, and a solid dose of caramel. The mouthfeel was medium-bodied with light carbonation. A powerful hop bomb with some heavy handed bitterness. Nice!