Dread turns to Joy

For the last couple of weeks I have been hording a couple of beers in the back of my fridge waiting for the proper time to break them out.  Today I finally decided that a Saturday afternoon was all I needed to break one of them out.  I was craving hops.  The full-on shakes had kicked in!

I found the perfect "fix" in Dreadnaught, an Imperial IPA from Three Floyds Brewing.  Imperial IPA's are a newer style invented by craft brewers here in the US.  Brewers here in the States are notorious for pushing the limits of any defined style and this is usually done by going "BIG".  Lots of hops and/or lots of alcohol.  The Imperial nomenclature is borrowed from the Russian Imperial Stout style which is a higher gravity version of the Stout style.  Sometimes this style is also called a DIPA or Double IPA.

Three Floyds describes the beer as "A hop lover’s dream! Mango and peach aromas with a crisp citrus finish. 9.5% ABV, 100 IBUs."

So how did Dreadnaught stack up?  Here are my tasting notes:

• Appearance:  Hazy amber, almost orange in color, little to no head but I am convinced that may be due to the temp of my beer fridge
• Aroma: Floral, citrus, some caramel sweetness, very inviting and my mouth is watering in anticipation
• Flavor: Strong hop flavor, grapefruit and other citrus flavors, malt and toasted flavors are there but purely as a foundation to support the hops and help them shine
• Finish: Lingering bitterness but not overpowering, very pleasant as it slowly fades, smooth on the tongue with a slightly creamy mouth feel.

Overall this is a fantastic beer for anyone who enjoys hoppy beers and IPAs.  Sometimes an Imperial or Double IPA can be a bit harsh and overpowering with hops or sweet like syrup, but Three Floyds has created a perfectly balanced beer.  As I continue to drink the beer, I notice the warming of the higher alcohol without any of the bite sometimes associated with higher alcohol beers.

Don't miss an opportunity to try this beer.  After my tasting, I went over to Rate Beer and discovered that Dreadnaught has a 100 percentile ranking with 722 people submitting a review.  Can't get any better than that!