Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA

Brewed by Three Floyds Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Munster, Indiana USA

Thanks to <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/View-User-13456.htm&g for this one. I’m eternally in doubt with you, sir!
Appearance shows a hazy dark orange pour beautifully crowned with a nice medium white head that diminishes slowly and leaves a thick film and lace. Aroma is very, very hoppy, intense with citrusy notes of lemon, lime, grapefruit, herbal notes of cannabis, hay, pine, resin and touches of eucaliptus, pommegranate and pineapple. Flavor is intensely bitter, extreme, citrusy taste with a very malty touch of honey in the background. It reminds me of a dark tea with lemon and honey but with an overwhelming attacking bitterness in the end. Fantastic. Notes of green tea, yerba mate, cannabis, grapefruit... extremely bitter. I could never drink a whole bomber by myself. My 220 ml sample was just fine. Big body, juicy texture. HIgh carbonation. Good alcoholic presence. The finish is hoppy and astringent leading to a massive hoppy aftertaste that reveals a new dimension of flavors. Another great extreme American Micro. Never tried such a hoppy beer before.... and I love it.

Graduation weekend in Bloomington. Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA is a red-amber beer with a very small copper tinted head. The aroma is full of citrus and sweet hops and the flavor matches the aroma with a dry finish and strong aftertaste. This is a very nice beer, loaded with hops, but not enough to take away from the other characteristics.

Bottle. The pour is a rich, deep copper with a pale head, decent lacing. The aroma is really intense in pine and grapefruit. The pine is extremely sharp, creating somewhat of a sharp tinge at the back of the sinus. But not an unpleasant one, at least for me. The flavour, wow, so much hops but also so much malt. It’s a blast of flavour but so balanced. The sharp pine and grapefruit flavours are well mixed with a sweet toffee and caramel. As it sits on the tongue, very woody and floral notes arise. The finish has lots of wood, pine, grapefruit, caramel, toffee... wow, so much flavour. None of the flavours overhwelm each other. They all co-exist in harmony. It’s the most balanced, yet the most intense Imperial IPA I’ve had, so far. This is mind-blowing. This is seriously amazing. I wish I bought more than just one bottle at DLD 08.

Thanks to Haslinger for this one. Pour is light golden with a medium white head. Aroma was of toffee, fresh strong hops, and light floral notes. There was a deep hop flavor on this that was balanced quite well with the malt and toffee flavors. Alcohol was hidden very well. This may have been one of the better balanced beers I have had. My only peeve is that there is a harsh hop finish in the back o the tongue and throat. Still great. Would buy again.

Pours a hazy orangish amber with a small head that dissipates fairly quickly leaving a nice lacing and a few odd bubbles floating around the top. Big citrus hop blast up front with a nice sweet malty aroma to balance it out. Definitely getting major whiffs of orange and grapefruit with some background floral aroma as well. Initial sweet caramel, malty flavor makes way for the aforementioned citric hop blast. Final taste is of piny hops that I didn’t get as much in the aroma. Great balance between sweetness and bitterness. Very creamy mouthfeel with little carbonation. A very unique and terrific DIPA. It teeters on the brink of being over the top without quite tipping over. I’m not sure I could drink this all night, but I’d definitely seek it out.

Bottle. Big grapefruity nose, sweet hoppy goodness. Golden amber-brown with a thick head and good lacing. Intense opening of grapefruit sweetness, slight caramel in the middle, and a dry orange finish. Good balance and great complexity. Delicious, fullbodied, and complex. Palate opens creamy and finishes dry.

DLD ’08. Extreme amount of hops here that is picked up immediately in both aroma and flavor. Malt background, but it remains based on citrus and grapefruit. A lot like Ruination. First beer from Three Floyds I thought backed up their use of immense hops and I having the ability to sense every bit of it.

Tap. Had at DLD2008 - always wanted to try and was very pleased. Very similar to Dogfish 90 min but a upper hand to dogfish from my personal judgement