Three Floyds Caligulan Imperial Cream Ale

Formerly brewed at Three Floyds Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Munster, Indiana USA

On tap at the brewpub 12/16/2005: Pours a transparent golden bronze with a nicely-lacing white head. Sweet, mild cream corn aroma has a good malty presence. Starts with some sweet pale maltiness and some peppery hops. Well-balanced and very drinkable, an interesting and well-done brew.

On tap at 3F: Pours a hazy yellow-brown with a creamy white head and has a sweet caramel, yeast, and sugar aroma. Very soft in the mouth and tasting of caramel, vanilla, sweet orange, and a touch of alcohol. Interesting.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Floyds Brew Pub, Munster, IN<font size=-1>

On tap and enjoyed with TAR and Rated X: Minimal head on this hazy amber orangy hued beer. The nose detected notes of honeycomb, spicy hops (clove and pepper), sugar, caramel and some nutty esters. The taste has a fruity component of apple and pear followed by some honey and sweet bready malts. Undertones of wood, earthy yeast, vanilla, and a pepper like finishing bite. The feel is smooth and dry upon the finish. Not too bad, an okay beer, not really sure what to make of it.

This draft brew from the brewery poured a small sized head of foamy finely sized long lasting off-white colored bubbles that left behind a good lacing. The body contained soft carbonation, was slightly hazy and orange brown in color. Its aroma contained notes of malty hoppy mild . Its mouth feel is initially tingly rich thick with a lingering tingly sweet palate and a mild caramel malty aftertaste. Its flavor contained malty hoppy doughy notes and was very tasty with a sweetness to this cream ale. All-in-all very nice brew.

2005 growler shared with OldGrowth on 1/1/2006. Acquired in a great trade with the generous RoofTopRogue.
Head recedes to nothing over a matter of about two or three minutes, though initially it pours large and beige colored. Shining, burnished brass/straw body is clear. No lacing, yet there is a light film left on the glass. Initial aroma smells strongly of coconut shavings, malibu rum, very light isopropyl-like alcohols, and something more that I can’t put my finger on. I come to the conclusion of "fancy bath soaps" and OldGrowth immediately suggests, "French milled soap". Yes! That’s it. An undeniable likeness to french milled bar soap. And, surprisingly (to me anyways) not in a bad way at all. The coconut eventually fades and the yeast that seems to be producing it becomes more clear as the beer warms, though it is still lightly sourish and fruity-dry. Alcohol notes in the nose never strengthen, and probably recede as the beer warms, making it of little concern overall. The flavor begins with coconut to the max, very yeasty and a dry, bitter, leafy hoppiness. Citric, dry, light pine. As it warms, it takes on a very round and fruity flavor, soft, with very dry pale maltiness, though hardly even honeyish in nature. Very much like dried out white bread dough, though the light touches of caramel add the needed sweetness. When cold, it has an almost creamy, lemon-vanilla cake icing appeal, that seems to fade as it warms. Low carbonation, but not thin or watery at all. The bubbles are small and minimally expansive, engaging, moderately, the palate. But it proves to be a very slippery texture overall, gliding down seemlessly, with only a bite on the end from the yeast, mixed with a light kick of alcohol. Actually very well-to-style, if you extrapolate what a double cream ale would be. It’s enjoyable to find a beer that actually benefits from drinking at colder temperatures.

Tap at 3F. Small white head that was mostly lasting, fair lacing, no visible carbonation, and a light orange hue. Aroma was sweet malt and some hops. Flavor was malty and fruity. Tingly mouthfeel.

Tap at FFF. Pours to a hazy straw colored body with a thin white head. The aroma is lightly hoppy with a light grain and cream. The flavor is a hoppy and grainy, vanilla. Good balance. The palate is creamy and medium-light. So-so carbonation. Great for the style.

tap at brewpub-pours lightly cloudy orange with a soapy white head with good lacing all around the english pint glass. light citrus, faint vanilla cream, with a light funky yeast twang. french vanilla here. flavors are sweet cream, toasted grains, light hops (piney/earthy) with a husky malty finish. alcohol is detected but not overpowering. nice balance with an earthy hop finish to balance out all the cream sweetness. Nice work FFF!