3 Floyds Alpha King

 

Alpha King is a great pale ale.

Brewer's notes: The first beer we ever brewed at 3 Floyds back in 1996, Alpha King is a bold and assertive American Pale Ale, utilizing seven different malts to create both balance and complexity. Spotlighting Centennial hops, the beer that started it all features a slight caramel sweetness and pronounced citrus hoppiness.

BeerAdvocate: A bold yet balanced American Pale Ale with slight caramel sweetness and aggressive citrus hoppiness. This is our flagship beer.

68 IBU

Tasting Notes

20260503

Another trip to Indy = another six pack. Yummy! 

Rating = 6 glasses

19 July 2024

The 5th of a six-pack I purchased on a recent trip to Indy prompted me to reiterate what a great beer Alpha King is. Hoppy enough to be an IPA but retains the balance and sweetness of a true pale ale. It may be the best pale ale I have tasted. Northern Hemisphere Harvest Ale may rival it. 

Rating = 6 glasses

08 Oct. 2020

I am revising the rating.

Rating = 6 glasses.

13 Sept. 2020

Alpha King is a fantastic pale ale. It balances malty sweetness with subtle hop bite to create a flavorful, complex beer that is good enough to savor but begs to be gulped. It is more English (sweet and balanced) than American (hop-forward). It paired wonderfully with a Tex-Mex carnita burrito covered in enchilada sauce.

Rating = 5 glasses. I need to try another Zombie Dust to decide whether the best rating is 5 or 6.

3 Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA

Dreadnaught is a classic West Coast Double IPA.

Brewer's Notes: Our OG Imperial IPA, Dreadnaught ups the ante with intense citrus hop aromas, a huge malt body, and a crisp finish. Notes of pine, mango, and pineapple are balanced by A strong malt bill which creates a wonderful partner to the strong hop bitterness.

Beeradvocate: An Imperial India Pale Ale with an intense citrus hop aroma, a huge malt body and a crisp finish. 100 IBU.

Tasting notes
20260527: I just finished the third of the four pack. What more do you want from an Imperial IPA?

Rating = 7 glasses

Previous ratings = 6.5, 6

20260503: I picked up a four pack in Indy. Yummy and loads of lacing as I drank the beer. 

August 2022: The beer continues to impress. Upgraded to 6.5 glasses.

June 2022: The pour is beautiful with a slightly hazy golden body and a creamy cloud of foam on top. Bitterness predominates but it has just enough sweetness to balance. BeerAdvocate rates it "World Class". I agree.

3 Floyds Alpha Klaus

Alpha Klaus is a delicious Christmas porter. I think that it tastes like Christmas. BeerAdvocate classifies it as an American Porter.

Brewer's notes: Alpha King’s festive cousin. A big American Christmas Porter brewed with English chocolate malt, Mexican sugar, and tons of strange American hops. The pronounced hop bitterness gives way to flavors of molasses and chocolate from the roasted malt bill.

Tasting notes
260113: After drinking a few more after Christmas, I am upgrading the rating.

Rating = 5.5 glasses

2511:  A great Christmas Ale.

2511: The brewer's notes are spot on! 

Rating = 5 glasses

2311: Alpha Klaus tastes like it has chocolate and maybe cinnamon; but the brewer's notes do not mention any extracts. The beer is pleasant and a nice variation of a Christmas Ale. It is easy to drink and the flavor is interesting.

Rating = 4 glasses

3 Floyds Munsterfest

Brewer's Notes: A Märzen-style fest bier brewed with the finest German malted barley, aromatic Bavarian noble hops and traditional lager yeast. This rich, malty lager is one of the few that remain true to the tradition of fest beers originally brewed to honor the marriage of Prince Ludwig in 1810. We hope you enjoy this fall offering. Es ist nicht normal!

BeerAdvocate

Tasting Notes
September 2023: I did not finish the second bottle. I think that the problem is that the beer is too sweet and too malty. The taste is what I imagine a sweet Scotch ale would have. Maybe I will use the last four bottles to make beer biscuits.

Rating: 0 glasses

September 2023: I bought this on a whim because I generally like beers from Three Floyds. They missed on this one. I taste bread, toast, honey, and apple. The body is thin. 

Rating = 1 glass

3 Floyds Zombie Dust

10 Oct. 2020
Still yummy but I am downgrading the rating to 5 glasses. I prefer Alpha King's sweetness.

Rating = 5 glasses.

07 Sept. 2020
Zombie Dust is a wonderful example of American pale ale: nicely balanced but not sweet, with loads of pleasant hop flavor and bitterness. Yummy.  

Currently ranked #1 American pale ale on BeerAdvocate and #35 overall. 

Rating = 6 glasses.

3 Floyds Gumballhead

Gumbalhead is the classic American wheat ale. The notes say it best.

Notes: An American wheat beer with a refreshing, crisp citrus finish. This delicious session beer is brewed with boatloads of Amarillo hops.

Here is a previous review.

BeerAdvocate rates it as Outstanding, 1,472nd best beer overall, and the 3rd best American pale wheat ale.

Rating = 4 glasses. May rate 3 glasses. Nostalgia may be affecting my affection.

25 Dec. 2009

Brewer: Three Floyds Style: American Pale Wheat Tasting notes: (0912) A hopped up American wheat ale. Citrus and lemon and a hint of banana. I think that the beer needs more body to carry the hops. Downgraded from 4 glasses. (0707) Interesting, light yet flavorful. A dark wit? May rate 5/8. (0606) Red wheat and lemony hops. Fuller than a Hefe. No cloves or bananas. Top 100: 29 December 2005. Not 10 March 2007. Rating: 3 glasses