Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA

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

Bottle (650ml). Shared with GregClow, my bottle via trade with Mullman. *My 900th rating* Let me start by saying this is by far the BEST IPA I’ve ever had. Poured slightly hazy orange with an average off-white head. Aroma is a juicy hop medley, orange/lemon/pineapple - resiny but not overpowering - solid sweet lightly roast malt - incredibly balanced and blended. Taste is just what the nose promised - juicy, subtle, balanced - there’s a hint of spruce resin and the malt follows it all the way. This has a long, smooth finish, it ends slightly bitter, but it just gets smoother the more you drink it. This satisfied my palate in so many ways - just drink it, enjoy it and appreciate the balance and smoothness: incredible, it’s hoppy but it just doesn’t *seem* particularly hoppy - quite an accomplishment.

This beer came out of the Midwest?! Tastes like NW hops. Very valuable beer for Indianians. After several bomby beauties, I was pleased to try this hazy orange colored brew. Bottle conditioned and worthy to stand beside any West Coast beer. This beer has been rated 100 on this site for a while, and rightfully so! Boo yah! If you like this , you owe it to yourself to try Moylan’s Hopsickle, Mad River Double IPA, or the uber-awesome Fish Tail Ten Squared

22 oz bomber from malachi

Thanks to malachi for sharing this with hezron and I. It was a great way to cap off the night. It assualts the nose with hops when you first sniff, but once you adjust, there is a nice combination of tulips, oranges and lemons waiting underneath. Strong, good looking lacing comes from this as you swirl. Suprisingly, when you take a sip the hops are well balanced. I was expecting an attack of bitterness but instead there is a collection of tropical flavors - persimmon, passion fruit, kiwi and grapefruit. Eventually after a short impression of sweetness, the bitterness becomes evident but not in an overpowering way. Finally, it takes on a sweet vanilla finish before disappearing. For a beer this big, it was suprisingly easy to drink. If it were a few dollars less a bottle it might become a regular fixture, but at $10.99 I’ll still be enjoying it occasionally.

My 50th beer rating. Color was a nice cloudy orange, aroma was hoppy citrusy, and slightly sweet. Unfortunately I tried this beer a little too cold, and at first it didn’t seem much like a double ipa to me. When, cold, the hops dominate, with citrus up front, subsiding to a piney dry aftertaste. Still, it is remarkably well balanced, and smooth. Again, it did not seem much like a double ipa, because it was lacking a strong malt sweetness to it. Then I let it warm up. This beer probably had the biggest change of any I’ve had when it came to temperature. After it had warmed, the hops seemed to intermingle with a nice warm sweetness from the malts. It became more balanced. The flavor became much sweeter and a mango-hop flavor appeared. Overall: a nicely balanced iipa, with wonderfull complexity that appears as it warms. I don’t if I’d pay $12 for it, and travel out of state, but it was certainly one of the most enjoyable beers I’ve ever had.

Split from a bomber, part of a great trade with StFun. Poured a cloudy orange with a slight head. Might have poured it too cold. "Amethyst," says my buddy Brendan. Floral hoppy aroma, not as powerful as I expected. Taste: Wow... not as overwhelming on the hop end as I expect. Citrusy hops ride atop a very pronounced caramel malt backbone. Extremely well balanced. Alcohol is hidden remarkably well. Very smooth, long lasting finish. Wish I could drink this beer all the time. Addendum: Compared side-by-side with Bells’ Hopslam. The aroma on the Dreadnaught is very different from the the Hopslam’s piney assault -- it has more caramel, toffee notes. The FFF has a lot more body.. Hopslam seems a bit fizzy in comparison.

As I’ve mentioned in other reviews, I am not a hop-head. A double/Imperial IPA can not be just a hop bomb that is unbalanced and just hoppy for the sake of being really hoppy. But this gem of an double/imperial IPA is a true gem. Just a fabulous beer overall, as it has the strong citrus aromas of the hops, but is balanced with a delicious sweetness in the malt. Beautiful copper color on pour. I would go out of my way to get this beer, as it’s not available in my area. Loved it. The guys at Three Floyd’s are awesome.

Thanks to Honkeybra for introducing me to Binny’s. This is about it as far as Double IPAs. I guess I can die happy now.

On tap at FFF, amber color with citrus and flowery hops. Smooth and mouth watering...had two more pints and bought a 22 fl. oz. bottle.