Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA

Brewed By: Three Floyds Brewing Company in Munster, Indiana
Purchased: Big 22oz (1 Pint, 6oz) bomber from Jewel-Osco in Chicago, Illinois; 2012
Style/ABV: Imperial IPA, 9.5% 

Tonight I'm reviewing Three Floyd's giant Imperial IPA: Dreadnaught. I believe at one time or another this beer was considered to be best or most rare Double IPA. And, if you go to Ratebeer's best Imperial IPA list, you'll see that Dreadnaught is still #3, behind Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger. And that's about all you need to know. What you should know about Three Floyds is:

Today we go to Munster, Indiana, where Three Floyds has been brewing beer since 1996. The brewery was founded by brothers Nick and Simon, and their father Mike Floyd - hence, the name, Three Floyds. The first brewery was originally located in Hammond, Indiana. Eventually Three Floyds outgrew their original location, and moved to Munster, Indiana. After moving to Munster, and seeing an increased demand for their beer, Three Floyds began to bottle their beer. Since 2000, the brewery has continued to grow. And in 2005, the brewery opened its first brewpub. The brewery is probably most famous for their Dark Lord Stout. If you haven't heard of it, Google "Dark Lord Day." And then weep at the beer you probably will never be able to drink.

The Dreadnaught is a giant beer towering in at 9.5% ABV and pushing 99 IBUs. This beer is described as having mango, peach, and citrus hop aromas, that sit atop a caramel malt backbone. They describe this beer as intensely hoppy...but complex, smooth, and memorable. There's not much else to say, so let's get this into a glass.

 Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA

The beer pours with 3-fingers worth of thick, foamy, off-white head. The head is surprisingly thick, with densely packed bubbles, and has a nice golden tint. In low light, the beer is a golden/yellow/bronze color. You can see a lot of carbonation in the form of small bubbles rising upwards. In bright light, the head still has a slight yellow tint, and the body is a wonderful golden/yellow color, with lots of small carbonation bubbles, and a slight haze. It looks like there might be some sediment floating around. Otherwise, this would be transparent. As the head is dissolving, it's leaving some nice lacing. But even after a few minutes, there is still a finger's coating of thick foamy head.

I did get hit with some nice hop aromas upon popping the bottle. I am getting big mango/papaya on this, and pulpy/meaty tropical fruit. I'm also getting a sharp, earthy/woody citrus note cutting through the nose. The nose is pleasantly sweet, and is unmistakably an Imperial IPA's nose. I'm getting some other fruit notes - berries - and maybe a touch of malt manifesting as sweet/honey. But mostly pleasant hops. I'm also getting just a faint, faint hint of alcohol...which is okay, at 9.5%.

Upon my first sip...my impression is that this has a dense/big mouthfeel, almost chewy, and then finishes with some nice honey/bready malts...but then the back end kicks in like 10 seconds later, and you get this drying, bitter, woody finish. Upon my second sip, I'm pulling out a lot more woody/dry citrus notes (orange, tangerine). And those meaty tropical fruits are coming out, with papaya/mango. There are malts in here...honey, caramel, almost even a bread/biscuit note.

This is a medium-bodied beer, and mostly smooth with moderate carbonation. As the hops assault your palate, you do get moments of slight chewiness. Palate depth is huge: this rocks your mouth from front to back, and it lingers. Complexity is high as well. Up front are big hop notes; the middle is more hops with burgeoning malts; the finish is malty, sweet. But then you hit the back end, and you're left with this super woody, dry, hoppy finish. And you get some alcohol warming in your chest as you finish the beer. Nice stuff. The dryness, combined with the hop oils, combined with all the sugars, make this a super sugary beer. It's sticky and oily, despite being fairly smooth for the style, so enjoy this beer, or pair it with some heavy food.

 

Rating: Divine Brew

I'm feeling a Light Divine Brew rating on this beer. This is a really good Imperial IPA, with huge palate depth, a nice mouthfeel, and big hop flavors balanced with some nice malt sweetness. You also get some nice alcohol warming, and hey: what's not to love about that. I wish this beer was easier to get and more available...because I'd like to drink it again. I'm hopefully optimistic that I will tango with the Dreadnaught again. So until next time, don't drink and Tango.