Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA

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

Bottled. Murky orange amber coloured beer that is bursting with complex hop aroma. Flavour is something similar to liquid hop-juice with a grapefruit bitter finish. Thick, viscous, cloying texture that can not be rushed. Drunk head to head with the Bear Republic – Hop Rod Rye, it was a battle royal. The longer we (SilkT) and I compared them the more they warmed and the more they impressed with complexity fullness. All that praise said, the beer and indeed the style could do with some finessing and style. Bigger, richer, fuller, doesn’t necessarily mean better. This is an IPA on steroids. MRomero again sorted this one.

Sampled bottle, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad. Orange colour. Intensely hoppy aroma and flavour. Another example of overkill.

on tap at the maproom. pours a dense of orange with white head. nose is still something special, gushing grapefruit fruit, mango, and citrus. my favorite iipa nose. flavor isn’t as bitter to me anymore and seems pretty heavy on the sweet side, however, the hop flavor is complex and more interesting than most iipa. extremely rich and fruity. wonderful flavor. alcohol slightly warms but is well hidden. probably still my favorite iipa and is really improved when it’s on cask. a must try.8/4/9/4/17=4.2.

2/13/08, bottle from I’m almost positive, the fresh early 2008 batch. pours clear golden with white head. nose has raw, gritty, grassy, grainy notes. not a beautiful hop bomb to say the least. flavor is rather bitter but lacks an interesting hop profile, intensely grapefruity at first but that drops off so fast leaving a grainy alcohol finish. watery body is probably what contributes to such a poor flavor-palate length. oh boy what happened to this beer? people have been noticing a decline in this brew over the past few years but this is obvious. pales in comparison to the pliny the younger I had 5 days ago. rating unchanged because further research is needed. 6/4/7/3/13=3.3.

Poured hazy orange with thick lasting tan head...smelled more malty than I’d anticipated, but floral and citrus did dominate the nose still...melon like flavor withsome malty sweetness and alcohol sweetness to balance out the hops...not as hoppy as I’d expected either...I’m not a huge fan of the style, but this is a very well balanced example I think...I do not think it is an example of a top 10 though...but still good...thanks to thebeercellar2 for this one!!

Re-rate 3 Jan 2004, bottele. It's hoppy with big citrus up front, balanced, but not quite what I remember from what I had previously Crystal clear amber color, absolutely stunning appearance. Lots of citrusy hops up front w/ a slightly sweet finish. Perfection

bottle. An orange amber color with minimal head. Aroma of grapefrut and citrus. Found the hops over powered the malt a little bit too much; Good malt flavor though. Mouthfeel was good, could have been a little more oily for my taste. Flavor lingers well.

8/09/2006: Tasted with OhioGuzzler... After everything I kept hearing and reading, I just had to go out and get a bottle of this. This is an amazing IPA. It is like drinking an excellent IPA with more alcohol and flavor perfectly blended in. It is vibrant orande in color and has a wonderful orange and floral hop aroma. Moderate carbonation. The flavor is amazing with a perfect blend of sweet, orange, apricot, peach, and hops. A nice hop finish with the perfect balance of bitterness. You absolutely must try this beer. If you can find a better IIPA, please let me know as I would love to try it - I don’t think anything can beat this one! 22 oz bottle, $8.99+tax from Dilly Deli.

4/02/2007: I had a couple pints of Dreadnaught on draught at Fries Cafe (Cincinnati, Ohio) during the Bell’s Oberon Release Party... This stuff is killer: Sweet, sticky, and lots of hop flavor and bitterness. Rich, full-flavored, precisely balanced, and full and creamy on the palate. Insanely good and great deal at only $5/pint (cheaper than buying a bottle)!

This is pretty hoppy. I love the palate, which sticks in your mouth for a long time. Great IPA and not as alcoholic as many other imperial IPA’s