Three Floyds Decepticon I.P.A.

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

Date: 04/27/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub

opaque orange, frothy off white head, solid lace, sweet caramel malt and citrus hop aroma, lots of sweet malt flavor and lots of hop flavor play off each other but never really melds together, long bitter finish,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.4/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: **+/4

This is, believe it or don’t, a fairly well balanced IPA from 3F. And with only 75 IBUs. Of course, according to the brewpub menu, it was "made by magic transforming robots," so that might explain it. It’s hazy pale apricot in color with a slender white head. Nice lacing. It has a nose of solid PNW hops (Surprize!) with a sweet grainy malt scent struggling to get out. The flavor starts up with sweet pale malts but is soon overcome by grapefruit and a touch of pine. Nice lingering, bitter finish. Oddly, served in a half pint glass at whole pint costs. Good, though.

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Tap: Mostly golden hue with a nice lasting head and some lace. The aroma has notes of herbal and piney hops, some citric vapours, bready malts, a slighty hint of pepper. The taste starts with a pale malt background with lots of sharp bitter notes. Got a bit muddled in the middle, losing focus. The mouth feel is aggressive and biting with an astringent finish. An okay brew and worth the effort.

Draught. At the brewpub. Poured cloudy pale amber with a smallish off-white creamy mottled head. Not too inspiring aroma of generic bitterness - perhaps resiny, faintly citrus, but just ... bitter; light dry slightly roasty malt backbone. The taste was a little better, mild pineapple/grapefruit bitterness, lightly toasted malt, the fruit-bitterness emerges a little more in the medium-long linger, but still it lacks cohesion and character - the bartender shrugged when I asked and made a comment about and experiment with liquid hops. Average body, decent carbonation, moderate astringency and even a little acidity; unremarkable, particularly for FFF, but by the end of my half-pint I was enjoying it more than the sum of the aroma and flavour.

This draft brew from the brewery poured a small sized head of foamy finely sized white colored bubbles that were mostly lasting and left behind a very hazy dark orange colored body. The mild aroma was hoppy and floral. The mouth feel was "Oh My God! What an initial hop rush!" very strongly tingly at the start and at the finish with a biting hoppy aftertaste. The flavor contained notes of malt hops and strong floral hop pineyness in a deep malt base. A wonderful best in class brew.

On tap at the FFF brewpub. Pours a hazy golden orange with a medium creamy/bubbly white lacing head. Aroma of pine, grapefruit, cereal grains, Cheerios, fruity and a grainy maltiness. Flavor of grapefruit, mango, pine, caramel, lemon, great malt/hop balance, tropical fruits and on the dry side. Less sweet maltiness going on when held up against the Alpha King and Dreadnaught.

On tap at the brewpub. Slightly hazy golden amber body with a medium creamy off-white head. Lihgt caramel aroma. Strong citrus hops bitter flavor with caramel hints.

On tap at the brewpub - Pours bright amber without much head. Aromas of orange and grapefruit mostly. Interestingly enough someone I was there with said it had a fruit loop aroma and I honestly could pick that up too. Flavor is grapefruit, pine, and a good amount of malt behind it. Quite a balanced IPA. Not bad..