 kepano (239), Meudon, France
Mar 12, 2008
Above the black depth an enormous tan foam erupts to produce a fascinating spectacle. A large plateau initially expands upwards, while a ravine sinks at its center – a preamble worth the admission. Dry, roasted; a subtle smoky aspect laces the bitter chocolate and coffee. Delicious tones of bacon and black pepper balance the fragrant act followed by vanilla ice cream, sweet butter and hints of grapefruit. The flavor remains surprisingly in control. I say that after my first experiences of Three Floyds, namely 2004 Dark Lord and Behemoth. The crazy fudge is nowhere to be seen, and instead a sweet smooth consistency provides the perfect vessel for beautifully roasted dark chocolate and coffee. Almost no bitterness is involved and amazingly the hops are relatively subdued. Real vanilla bean is present, while toffee and oozing caramel add a pleasant depth. Alpha Klaus redeems my hope that Three Floyds is capable of a working beer, not just roller coasters. Excellent. (Probably a 2004 bottle, consumed on 07/04/2007).
SamGamgee (1140), Isla Vista, California, USA
Jun 18, 2009 22oz bottle shared by photomike. Black with a medium beige head. The aroma is just outstanding; a mix of potent tropical fruit hoppiness (mostly pineapple, with a good dose of ripe grapefruit) and subtle dark chocolate. If you close your eyes, you might almost think IPA, but the chocolate is also unmistakable. The flavor also has plenty of tropical fruit and dark chocolate, with a dry, earthy, almost smokey quality as well. The finish is dry and earthy with a medium bitterness that isn’t nearly as intense as the hop aroma and flavor. Not nearly as thick thick or sweet as I had expected, and I really like that. This drinks much easier than you might think, in a sharp departure from a certain stout that FFF makes, with a medium body and moderate carbonation. This was an awesome and pretty unique beer. Reminded me of Stone 11th, but more toward the porter end of the continuum.
GranvilleTim (289), Granville, Illinois, USA
Jun 14, 2009 Black pour with light brown head. Aroma is hoppy, sweet malt, and chocolate. Taste is roasted malt, sweetness, little bitter. The hops and the malt give this brew a great taste. They meld together well to give the complexbeer a great taste. As most good/great beers, as it warms in your hands, the taste magnifys for the best.
Hudspart (360), Hudsonville, Michigan, USA
Jun 13, 2009 Great beer. Mixture of porter and stout, with the best of both worlds. Pours dark like a stout, with a porter aroma. Flavor of chocolate and roasted malts. Tastes the same.
Elkas (35), Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
Jun 11, 2009 650ml bottle from Khans, Indianapolis. Pours a rich brown with a mocha head that lasted the entire glass and left lots of lacing. Rich roast chocolate aroma and flavour with a nice hop bitterness in the finish. Rich, think mouthfeel, and it only got better as it warmed. Very nice porter indeed.
shawnm213 (535), South Bend, Indiana, USA
Jun 11, 2009 Updated: Jun 24, 2009pours a deep brown with a tan head. notes of coffee, dark chocolate, and floral hops. some nice hop bitterness comes through. Sticky, yet very smooth mouthfeel. Awesome beer.
nqualls (1200), Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Jun 11, 2009
Source: 22 oz bottle at a tasting in Nashville.
Glass: Snifter.
Appearance: Poured a dark brown color with a one finger beige head.
Aroma: Chocolate and vanilla, with nuts and a hint of roast. A lot of hops present
Flavor: Roasted malt body with a background of chocolate and vanilla. Very hoppy.
Palate: Full body with soft carbonation.
Overall: Pretty solid. Very hoppy, this was a bit of a surprise.
IPAaLLtHEwAY (129), La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA
Jun 10, 2009 bottle poured a dark nutty brown with a nice frothy almost brown colored head that left espresso like foam on the surface. aroma has earthy malt, chocolate, bitter coffee, faint spice, and some hops layered over the top. first sip is nice and rich with chocolate and earthy malt. light touches of spice, roast, and a perfect level of hops.
j12601 (626), Poughkeepsie, New York, USA
May 25, 2009 Bottle from StFun. Thanks Josh! Pours a clean dark black with a beautiful thick brown head that immediately draws to mind whipped hot chocolate. But the good hot chocolate, with actual chocolate in it, not that crap with the little blond girl and sad excuses for marshmallows. Huge pine and floral hops which is impressive since A) I’ve been a lazy bum and haven’t opened this in a timely fashion… it’s May already, so it’s held up very well in spite of my neglect. And near the end of May to boot. And B) it’s a porter. Really neat to get one that blurs the line between styles. Behind the hops there’s a nice roast malt note, and a touch of bitter chocolate, smoke, and leather. Smells amazing. Medium to thick mouthfeel, leathery. Nice spiciness aided by the lively carbonation. Big roast characteristic on the finish giving it a nice bitterness, but a very refined one at that. Remarkably good, and yet another FFF beer that makes me miss them distributing to NY.
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