Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA

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

On tap at the Map Room in Chicago, 10/19/02; where do I start with this, except to mention that it was $3.50 for 12 oz, one of the best deals I’ve ever had. Dark amber color, slight translucence, little quick-dying head. Aroma a powerhouse of apricots, peaches, caramel, smoke, and vanilla, I could smell it all night. When it hits the tongue, the first thing you notice is the super-creaminess and maltiness. This, an IPA? But wait...fruitiness comes in quickly; its an apricot-chocolate-vanilla-caramel cream soda with 11% alcohol! Can’t remember a beer with more flavor and a more intense marriage of sweet maltiness at the front and huge hoppiness on the end; for it does become bitter, piney and wild as it goes down, and you are convinced that you have had everything a beer can offer. Fully deserving of its top 10 status, I just hope I can have some again when I go back to Chicago in December; it might merit a perfect score.

a bit of a letdown. no subtlety and such a blast of hops that it was hard to pick out their different components. low malt profile but still sticky, in the end it was challenging and kind of fun but not a great beer

Citrus-orange and resiny pine with some floral notes in the perfume-like hop nose. Hazy orange body with sparkling carbonation and thin white head that recedes to lasting cover and thick ring. Resinous hop flavour - pine, orange, grapefruit with candy-like underlying malt sweetness. Light effervescence notable on the sides of the tongue. Very enjoyable smooth mouthfeel. Somehow this is far more balanced than I was expecting although it is indeed a "massive American pale ale." Bottle enjoyed with Lubiere, MartinT, muzzlehatch and Rastacouere.

A newer rating, spring of ’08. This beer is a shadow of it’s previous incarnations. The primary massive tropical fruit hosp are gone as well as any malt balance. Jus tanother IIPA stuck in the crowd. New rating. This has definitely changed in character. A slightly thinner mouthfeel, a drier taste and finish. Obviously more hops than before or less malts. The sweetness that differentiated it before are gone. This is more like a standard IIPA. I hate to do it, while still excellent, this beer is not what it once was. Original rating follows. This is a sublime mixture of both bitterness and sweetness. Pours a very deep orange with lots of lacing and a medium head that fades to a sprinkling on the top. Intense aromas of pine and marmalade. There are also sweet notes of peach and honey. The flavor is at least as complex. You get an initial pine and orange peel bitterness that get countered by honey and caramel sweetness later. The bitterness stays pronounced enough to keep me wondering what is coming with each drink. Absolutely an incredible joy to partake. Wished FFF would get this out my way.

Bomber from bulldogp04. Thanks for this great beer Dean. Pours a slightly hazy copper color with a small white head. Strong citric aromas. Really thick body with mild, near creamy, carbonation. Flavor is really floral/citrus over roasted caramel. It’s very hoppy, but the caramel is detectable. Goes down very smooth. Leaves a bitter burn behind. Incredibly good beer. Good reason to live in Munster.

Dreadnaught, what a wonderful beer, love the pineapple esters on the nose and a excellent balance achieved with all the big hops. This is truly a whole-class IPA has so many on the site would agree. Does Indiana proud!

Bottle at Toms Glasgow tasting 2 ... Amber ... light fruit hop ... bright light fruit ... lot of hops ... light mellow grapefruit ... not as piney as many US IPAs ... quite juicy with a nice charcater.

Feb, 2004: Bottle Conditioned. This is the last beer of a massive evening with Spiesy. We warmed up with some lesser beers before finishing with the two big beers of the night, this and Hop Rod Rye Ale. Sadly not impressed with either. Appearance of this is a slightly cloudy lightish amber with a very slight foam on top, slightly below average. The aroma is of an American Pale Ale - the sticky malt and the orange and grapefruit hinted hops rise in a pleasant, though not astounding manner. Nothing impressive so far. Mouthfeel is tingly and medium bodied - not quite as stickly as expected, though it has a tackiness that clings slightly to the mouth. Acceptable. The alcohol is well used to bring flavour and warmth. Flavour is orange flowers with a smearing of honey. There is a wow! intensity about this, and that seems the biggest asset. Impact. The flavours don’t move much from front to finish, though it does linger pleasantly, shifting as it fades in the mouth - but here I am struggling to find good things about this, the 5th best beer in the world. It’s nice. It’s big. It has impact. It lingers nicely in the mouth. It’s really not that great. MRomero again sorted this one.