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.

This beer is pure nectar. The quality is uncompromised. It pours a beautiful dark color and the hop spiciness is delectable. I would never have guessed the abv content. Wow! Absolutely delicious.

Rerate: I’ve got to bump my numbers up a bit. This is one of the few beers that I wish I had all the time. I’m gonna get a 5 gallon keg for my tap when I go back in November. Oh, and I have a growler that’s been empty almost six months, and it still reeks of fruity, resinous hops. Awesome.

Straight from the source, 1/2 gallon growler. Beautiful amber body, not much head (although rather substantial off the tap), but decent carbonation. Big blast of aromatic, citrusy hops (grapefruit, pine, and my friend smells strawberry.) Silky-smooth mouthfeel, slightly sticky. Big hops on the palate, with a strong malt backbone just behind. Finish tends towards dry bitterness, with a surprising burst of sugary sweetness. Masks the alcohol impeccably well (the board at the brewery says 11% abv.) Damn this is good stuff, and from what I understand, it’s going to be distributed in 22 oz. bottles soon. Yeah for Three Floyds.

14 oz specimen sample:6:30 am this morning my wife asks ’are you snorting that empty bottle?’ I have a problem. Light maplewood color, body is crystal clear. A thick and billowy amber-like head that makes a cameo appearance and exits quite fast. Ahhh the aroma. It permeated the kitchen like an approaching fog off the ocean. Plenty of pine and juniper with an oh-so-slight nose of alcohol. With the first sip the bitterness envelops your palate like a fine silk sheet. Make no mistake, this IS an enormously hoppy beer but not in the mannerism of say, a Hops Infusion. The bitterness builds like the perfect wave rather than a neanderthal-like clubbing. A flavor/palate profile full of pine, grassy/earthy textures and a nutty maltiness. 11 1/4% abv? With the first sip I pondered this question, with the last sip I found my answer. I am in awe.

Kaboom " I am IPA and I have arrived to blow the HOP out of ya" This is really something for a person who has been on the quest for the hoppiest...in a sense I have found the holy grail. It is a very malty first impression with an explosion of piney Cascade and Centennial? hops that float on Vanilla and Apricot clouds. If you are a hop head this is your Everest to conquer.

Rerate: Just an incredible beer. Had on tap at 3F and also purchased 6 bottles. Wow. Went to Rich O's for this in New Albany, Indiana. Excellent stuff. As everyone else says, big citrusy (grapefruit) taste with pine and a bit of caramel. Very good but wish I could find it in a bottle to take home.

Finally my search has ended. Been dying to try one of my favorite styles from one of my favorite brewers. I saved this for after my day of skydiving for necessary celebration. This masterpiece pours a sparkling medium copper. The tall creamy off-white head is super dense, fully lasting and has great lacing. The nose is divine with big citrus hops, and brown sugar. Smells like candied orange peels. If the aroma is supposed to fill me with the desire to imbibe the brew, then this passes with flying colors. The feeling in my mouth is one of a flavor explosion. Oh God, I'm cumming!! The sweet fruity alcohol is balanced with burt hops bitterness. Very deep and complex, improving as the brew warms. The body is full and firm coating the tongue like dishsoap. Full, lively and dry. With a slight improvement on the lacing I'd give this one a 5!

Hands down the best IPA I have ever had. I would trade my first born for another growler of this IPA. This came from a growler at the 3 Floyds brewery. Great bunch of guys. I was not a big IPA fan but now I am a convert. God, let there be a Dreadnaught IPA waiting for me at the Pearly Gates (or at the firey depths). This IPA had the aroma of flowers that overwhelm the senses. At 9.5% there is still no taste of alcohol. Smooooth, with perfect maltiness and hoppy bite at the finish = POW right in the kisser! Gorgeous orange color. Thick, creamy head. I am a hops convert. This is what those poor Brits in India should have received. Drink it before you die and if at all possible go to the brewery. Unbelieveble.