Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA

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

Rerate 22oz bomber, no date. Pours a crystal orange with a one finger light beige head, slowly fading to a creamy film.Aroma of apricot, pineapple, citrus, and lastly some resinous pine. When this is fresh--holy crap! With most beers, after the head dies down, the aroma does too. Not with this one--it’s almost as strong two hours after pouring (yes, it took me two hours to drink this--I was watching a movie). I am now going to give my first 10 for aroma. However, there is some sweet light caramelish malt somewhere in the background, and doesn’t seem (as far as aroma goes) that it’s going to be terribly bitter and nasty. Flavor is quite resiny with more pine than the aroma led on. Otherwise, the same. The bitterness doesn’t come on strong until the finish at the back of the tongue, where it gets around 6-7 out of ten, and does linger for a while. Dry finish. Full bodied, low carbonation with a fairly creamy mouthfeel. Still love this one, and I don’t think the rating changed at all. Old rating follows. 22oz bomber, no date--as usual from the guys @ 3F. Pours a clear orange amber with small to moderate sized off-white h Aroma of big resinous pine and grapefruit hops with some underlying caramel malts. Smells like an amped up Alpha King with buttloads more resiny hops. Fairly high bitterness throughout, with some sweet caramel malts in there, some alcohol noted, though fairly well hidden. I keep wanting a toothpick to pick out the hops, but there aren’t any. Light carbonation, creamy mouthfeel, long lingering bitterness. Pretty damn good, though I think 3F’s is a little bit pricey with this one. 9-4-9-4-18--4.4

650 ml takeout portion courtesy of General Gao. Fuzzy orange-copper with a medium head that turns to a lasting disc of cream, leaving a touch of frosting all over the glass. Big nose of sweet melon, molasses and orange is countered by some earthy resin, oak and cocoa. Front flavors are a great mix of orange, molasses, brown sugar and grapefruit. Turns to resin, wood, pecan and cocoa just enough to give great balance to the big malt and floral hops. Medium-heavy body is smooth with mild carbonation, lightly tingly with hops, and has a little touch of alcohol warming. The hop recipe/blend in this one is superb; doesn’t seem near as harsh as many others with much less IBUs.

Draft, at the brewery. It's like a trip to the emergency room because you've stuck a whole bag of hop pellets up your nose. If you thought Alpha King was getting a little too tame, this'll put you back to rights. Big citrus/grapefruit hop aroma twists your tongue while masking an insidious bunch of alky-hol. I see many people have rated this even higher than I have, in a field that inspires a lot of high-rated beers. I'll agree with everything being said here, I just find it hard to reserve my highest rating for something extra special when 3F has so much great stuff.

One of the top three IIPAs I’ve ever had. Great grapefruit and citrus floral aroma whets the appetite. Great cloudy brooding color, seems to be roiling and churning in the glass. Tastes of intense hops (citrus and pine) with a sweet malty undertone. Great bitter finish, but never out of control or over the top. These guys know what they’re doing. (Sampled fresh at the brewery tasting room.)

Courtesy moejuck. Pours a glowing orange red with a thin, white bubbly head. Just a huge floral citrus hops aroma, a little grapefruit in there too. Pretty well balanced for such a big beer although the alcohol was quite noticeable. Monster hoppy taste with a touch of some cinnamon, especially in the finish and the aftertaste. Really limited bitterness for so much hops, which really made the beer for me. Just ful flavored to every extent. Kick ass brew.

After having every batch that has come out in 2006 (I think anyway), I am convinced that this is the most consistent and bestDouble IPA in the land. This is the best, period.

Very frothy. A strong burst of floral and gingery hops. Flavor is deep and very strong with grapefruit and continuing floral. Continues with a very rich and creamy bread and yeast. Alcohol is pretty well hidden with a good rounding factor. Malt plays an important role in keeping this beer balanced, with some caramel showing through. Finishes up with a touch of fresh ruby red grapefruit and vodka on the palate. A beer with strong depth and complexity and not just burning hops. This is much more palatable for myself. Enjoyed by the shores of Lake Superior thanks to robertsreality and badgerben!

A great IIPA no doubt...but I think I expected too much from this. I must try another bottle. The taste and aroma was all floral hops with little malt. The bitterness is listed as 100 IBUs but it didn’t taste like it. The Alpha King tasted more intense than this. This is a league of it’s own...but in the 3 Floyd League I must admit it’s not as potent. Will try again.