Three Floyds Alpha Klaus Christmas Porter

Pours a deep brown with an insanely rich head. I’ve had this one poured for an hour now and there is still a bit of a head on it (deep tan color). Aroma strengthened as the brew warmed - coffee, chocolate and general roasty notes. Slight mustiness, which may or may not be a result of age. Taste of strong chocolate and malty flavors. Light bitterness. Mild astringency. Expected a bit more out of this one. I wouldn’t say I was disappointed, but I wasn’t terribly excited either. Maybe Three Floyd’s is a bit overhyped in my mind - this is 0 for 3 for me in terms of meeting expectations.

Bottle -- thanks sprinkle!

This is one heck of a fantastic porter. Absolutely gorgeous pour, nothing left to desire. Deep black with brown highlights, gorgeous fluffy cocoa-grey head. Ah...

The aroma is richly roasty, coffee entangling with mild smoke, dry chocolate, notes of cherry, gently vinous. Wonderful and alluring. The flavor is not out to kick your teeth in, but rather just to be a delight. This is a drinking beer, not some sipping aperitif. Just the right amount of sweetness, again roast malt, moderate coffee and chocolate components, a nice balanced vinous touch, yeah, balanced is the word here. It’s superbly balanced. And the mouthfeel--totally creamy, totally quaffable. Dang it, I am really, really impressed. Heck of a beer. One heck of a beer! Sure wish I had a regular source. I’d love to see how this one fares head-to-head against the other top porters in my book (Fullers, Dark Horse, Anchor, even Olfabrikken though that one seems more "imperial" that this FFF delight).

On a business trip to Chicago, so I had to stop by for dinner. Had this on tap (barrel aged). What a fine porter. Deep dark with a thin tan head. Smooth smoky chocolate flavor that rolls down the palet. Wish they had to take home! Wonderfull porter!!

Bought on a cold Chicago morning. I wanted Three Floyds. I wanted Three Floyds to take back to Missouri. I didn’t have a car. Lucky for me, a bottle shop was nearby. And lucky for me, there were a few bombers on the shelf. I’ve been eyeing this bottle ever since. It pours chocolate. It tastes roasty. It is creamy and enjoyable. Damn. A great rich beer. Porter, shmorter. Beers like this taste too chocolate stout to be called porter. Then again, who the hell cares? This is an excellent beer.

Awesome roast for a porter. Great full mouthfeel. Some cinnamon and great chocolate flavor. Nice treat. Very addicting. I hope i can get more.

Popping the cap let out an incredible roasted aroma...kind of smelled of smores and a cup of coffee by the campfire. Rich mahogany body with a thin tan head, the flavor was top notch, but not as good as expected. Although the traditional "cup of joe" and whipped-cream topped cocoa flavors were present, I didn’t notice the "stange American hops" as noted in the description. When you see a brew rated as high as this one (especially after acquiring a beer as amazing as Dreadnaught days earlier), you assume this will also be a beer that will differentiate itself from its competition. I just didn’t find that with this one. Try it if you have an opportunity...just wanted more.

For some odd reason, the last time I had the Klaus I didn’t rate it and some fishing around revealed a leftover 06 bottle so why not rate it to see how it holds up? Blackish pour with a huge gushing head that eventually subsides. Aroma is big and roasty with lots of coffee and chocolate plus some light hop aroma (less so at this age). Flavor is roasty with lots of fresh espresso, dark chocolate, and some nice hop bite. Smooth mouthfeel that is damn good. I still prefer it young, but it ages quite nicely. One of the best porters around.

nice and dark. malty (in a good way), not too thick, but with some chocolate and coffee thrown in for good measure. theres some spice and citrus deep down in it as well. aroma, palate, and flavor are fairly complex. a winner!