Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA

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

Slight haze, orange to light amber color, with thin wispy head. Nose has pleasant gummy bear candied character, with grapefruit & OJ citrusy aromas. Big malt and hop, grapefruit rind on the palate. Full bodied and very creamy, with lingering spice, yet somehow the alcohol is subdued.

Pours golden. Strong citrus smell. You can taste the light hops, with a taste of citrus.

Bottled acquired via trade and shared with my good friend Lemur. Pours out a vivid orange with a one inch white head and big lacing. Aroma is big citrus hops, very much orange and peach with some light grapefruit and a nice caramel malt backing. Flavor is big and bodacious, huge citrus hops, some light pine and a delicious malt finish. This beer was full of hype, but it did not disappoint. It was a little sweeter than I expected from something claiming to be 100 IBUs though.

Bottle @ the Cuvee de Castleton release. Golden pour. Really nice Imperial IPA. Citrus flavor to combine with the hoppy mainstay of an IPA come together well, hopefully i can find this again.

Poured hazy yellow/golden with a lacy white head. Aroma of deep thick hops, perfect for the style. On the palate was a little too thick/oily, but the taste is full of citrus/grapefruit up front with a wonderful floral and bitter finish. Very excellent showing from three floyds!

Slightly hazy copper-orange pour. Holding the pint glass up to sunlight, the top is orange fading to yellow-gold at the bottom of the glass. Aroma is most definitely tropical fruits. This is gonna be good... One-finger egshell head diminishes to a light blanket rather quickly. There is sticky lacing. The malt is nearly undetectable, except that there is something significant holding up this hop explosion - kind of like universal dark matter. Flavor is a pleasant surprise of massive piney, citrusy hops, silky smooth indeed, with a noticeable but unobtrusive ethanolic heat. I usually rate on the first impression, about 1/3 glass; this just keeps getting better with every sip. Palte is medium full with oily texture (duh), soft carbonation, and relatively clean finish considering the hop level. Aftertaste is brief, yet begging for the next sip. God bless and keep Three Floyds.

22 oz. (older label?) originally reviewed 3/1/2009. Into a Mason jar. Pours a copper-honey, quintessential IPA color with a smidge of haze. Small wisps of carbonation rise to the faint remains of a slightly buttery-eggshell-colored 1/2 finger head. Slight lemon hue shines through the translucence of this deal. Almost perfect balance of abundant floral hoppiness and a mild yet prevalent caramel malt backbone. Sweetness exudes a faint alcohol burn. Citrus hops emerge with the warmth. This is less of a hop bomb than I expected and that’s by no means a bad thing...everyone needs a little balance in abundance once in a while. Sure, there are a lot of floral, mildly citrus and a bit grassy hops in here with a little twang of grapefruit rind but the malt keeps this more old-school. It provides a viscous husky backbone with a slight butterscotch/caramel sweetness...and a mild...very mild...alcohol burn. I got no beef with the palate on this - there’s perfect balance between silky hop oils and the natural caramel malt texture. Finish is long, clean...a little viscous and alcoholic...and velvety. "I’m needy...I’m inadequate...I got it all, baby!" The only reason I haven’t powered this down is because I’m too busy writing of its many virtues. Carbonation gives this enhancement to the citrus notes and extra brightness. A little more classic English notion than today’s hop bombs but to say the least, this is well-crafted and quite enjoyable.

2008 Bottle @ EBF Denmark -08. Amber with white head. Great aroma of fruit citrus hops. Bitter hoppy fruity in taste. Long bitter finish.