Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA

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

Original Rating 10/31/04: Dark yellow color with a solid head. Aroma is like a sweet wheat with some citrus notes. Strong hops in the flavor, but enough malt presence to balance it out. A little more citrus. Good, but not complex. 7/4/7/3/15 Re-Rate 2/14/08: Thanks to StlWill for supplying this goody. I’ve wanted to retry this for quite a while. Dark gold color with no head. Big pine and citrus hop aroma. The hop taste is definitely screaming, but seems more diminished than the aroma. It is also a very bruising and rough bitterness, more designed to cut up your palate than to placate it. Better this time around for sure.

Bottle at RBNAG 07. Golden / orange colour with an off- white head. Aroma is hop , citrus. Flavour is sweet, hop, citrus, malt, flower. Nice beer.

2003 bomber. Thanks to EddieG for this one. Had at about 54-60 degrees in a huge snifter. Pours a bright and rosy reddish-orange with soft copper tinges and bright fuscia hues. Aroma is magnificently bitter. Almost herbal and slightly minty even. Very floral and quite intense. It reminded me of DFH 90, but I think DFH 90 had the edge on sheer intensity. Moderate slightly off-white head, with some medium large bubbles arising. Ok, I cant wait any longer to try it. SLAP!!! I’m hit in the face with a bitter hops assault. But quickly to the rescue is a ton of caramel malting to balance. Balances out quite nicely and a full, rich, even body is discovered. Finish is light pine hops, some more caramel malt and quite chewy. This one was so full, powerful and intense it took me quite a while to finish. After I was done with my food (stilton and bread and pasta), I drank this alone and it seemed even more bitter. Now I can’t take more than a small sip. Just immensely bitter. The most bitter beer I have had to date. Wow. It seems like the first half of the bottle I got all of the caramel malt flavor and the second half was all hops. Very pleased with the immense body though. Alcohol hidden quite well. It says bottle conditioned, but it is barely hazy, mostly clear. I would like to see more evidence of sediment. Traces of staleness on the very end detract, somewhat from the overall experience. I bet this would be insanely good on draught.

This particular bottle has been stored for at least one year, seems it didn’t do it good though. Others that has tasted it fresh and also this bottle reflects it has lost lots of what makes it great. So this rating is in regard to an "old" bottle, probably too old. (650 ml bottle) Shady orange color, white head. A bit hoppy, some citrus and chocolate. Fruity scent. Thick mouthfeel. Very sweet and strong taste, lots of Madeira. High bitterness, warming feeling of alcohol. Bitter aftertaste. The bitterness isn’t sharp, but heavy.

Had on tap. Best IPA out there. Tastes like hopdevil if it were on steroids. Lots more malt and a crap load more american hops. Nice deep orange color with a thin head. Aroma is loaded with a crazy amount of hops- it almost burns the inside of my nose. Taste is rediculously loaded wihthops yet it still had a nice malt backbone from the high alcohol, yet no alcohol is noticed. The mouthfeel is nice and leaves the back of the toungue dried out and puckered up from all the bitterness- it is so cool!! Best IPA ive ever had. Absolutely rediculous.

(Bottle) Gorgeous display - orange-amber body with a medium almonde head. Quick dissipation. Tangerine and hops nose. Very hoppy and orange peels. Tingly, lasting bite. Awesome.

[Almost 2 years old bottle] Dark amber colour. Rich aroma, smooth and malty. Hops are gone of course. Slight madeira here, and almond paste. Good fruity also in aroma. Smooth mouthfeel, with a thick, burning fieriness(?!?!?!) and a great deal of bitterness still, almost salty with exotic fruits. Bit sweet plus orange-like,with peppery bitterness. Overly thick. No backup from flavouring hops. Gotta try this fresh one day.

Bomber poured a hazy copper with a diminishing amber head. Aromas of grapefruit, pine, carmel and orange. Palate was medium bodied and dry. Flavors of grapefruit rind, carmel, light pine and light orange with a lingering bittersweet finish.