Three Floyds Alpha Klaus Christmas Porter

Brewed by Three Floyds Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Munster, Indiana USA

My 1st Three Floyd’s!!! Dark black, tan head. Very inviting appearance. Very big taste for a porter. Maybe I’ve been deprived to date. Pine (hoppy) aroma along with nuts, toasted notes. Oily palate, italian coffee roast feel, dry, lots of hops. I’ve had weaker Imperial Stouts.

from the bottle. poured dark brown, wih granet edges, and a tan head. aroma pine, bitter sweet chocolate, honey, roasted malts, coffee, alcohol, floral. flavor, semisweet chocolate, malts, caramel, fruity, raisins. the hops were not as strong in the flavor as they were in the aroma. nice dry mouth feel

06-Mar-06 (22 oz bottle: Obtained 17-Sep-04 in trade with CaptainCougar, thanks Tom!) This is a well-aged bottle, at least 18 months old, and it has been refrigerated the entire time it’s been in my possession. Just last week, I had a sizeable sample from a recent bottle (courtesy of SDbruboy), so that memory is still fresh in my mind. Whereas bright hops were at the forefront of the fresh bottle, here, the hops are expectedly subdued so what I’m sampling this evening is an earthy, roasty, chocolaty, and moderately sweet, yet still wonderfully delicious porter. Moderate-to-strong roasty bitterness stays on the palate the entire session, regardless of how much time elapses between sips. A bit of toasty malt emerges on the palate long after I’ve swallowed, somewhere around 15 to 20 seconds later. And as the beer warms up, the chocolate becomes more pronounced, pulling even with the roast, eventually surpassing it, and a fair amount of smoke has its moments too. Obviously, lots of transitions with this beer and I find the aftertaste to be very pleasant and exceptionally long-lasting, but I’m most enamoured that every sip seems to offer something different. Earthy, roasty aromas abound, but unfortunately the nose just can’t quite match up with the excellence of the flavor. Medium-full bodied, substantial for sure, but not heavy or sticky, but again, as the beer’s temperature increases, so too does the body. Carbonation is light to medium, so coupled with the smooth, rich and creamy mouthfeel, this beer drapes every corner of the mouth in luxury. Deep brown in color, not black, but still dark enough that it’s opaque in my tulip glass. The tulip helps build the head to nearly an inch in height on the pour, and having a tall, light tan head contrasting so vividly with the dark body is very attractive. The head gradually settles to a patchy film surrounded by a wide ring, and lacing is also fairly patchy. If the hops is what makes this porter so special for you, then drink it fresh. But if earthy, roasty, chocolaty, less-hoppy porters is more your speed, this is an exceptional candidate for longer-term aging. I fall into the second group, and have found this aged bottle to be significantly better. Just a wonderfully complex porter, one that filled with transitions, one that seems to continually presents new and exquisite flavors. Possibly the best American porter I’ve ever tasted.

26-Feb-06 (22 oz bottle: Shared by SDbruboy, thanks Cliff!) Quite an unusual porter, but not so surprising for a Three Floyds beer. This is a porter where the hops really works from a position of strength. Plenty of moderately sweet chocolate complemented by the herbal hops, but surprisingly, the bitterness is relatively mild. And it’s not especially roasty either. The nose is grassy, lightly roasty, yeasty and mildly sweet, but there’s a bit of earthiness that doesn’t really show up in the flavor. Medium-full bodied. Very dark brown in color, but ruddy at the edges. Light tan head shows nice retention. I have a bottle at home of this and I look forward to seeing how this compares. (6, 3, 7, 4, 15 = 3.5)

Bottle poure black with a huge, thick and creamy brown head. Aroma is a rich and roasty malt and chocolate. Flavor is roasy malt and chocolate with the flavor of tobacco on the finish.

Pure opaque black with a dense head. Dark aromas of coffee, chocolate, and pine/juniper hops resin. Deep and rich but with a surprisingly light body. Some sweetness and a good amount of bitterness are rounded out roasted malt flavors and a slight vegetal quality. A strong offering.

22 oz. bottle. Deep brown, almost black pour with just a little tan head. Bottle is correct... "it’s not normal". Aroma was unexpectedly hoppy (probably should have expected it from 3F :) Roasted chocolate malts and oats provided the rest of the aroma. Very intriguing, and very tasty as well! Flavor came from cocoa and currants.. and had a nice hoppy balance. Finish was like roasted hops with a bit of chocolate. Medium mouthfeel with a cola-like consistency (but in a good way). Very good all around!

Nice! Dark, dark brown pour. Roasted malts in the nose. Decent tan head. Thick mouthfeel. Some chocolate and coffee with some tanginess. Hoppy finish. Great!

Bouteille 650ml, courtoisie de Hogtownharry. De couleur noire et opaque. Nez de malt rôti, moyen de café et de chocolat noir, de houblon herbeux aux notes résineuses et florales, léger de chocolat au lait et avec des notes d’épices (cannelle) ainsi que des traces de fruits (cerises noires). Moyennement ronde en bouche avec un pétillement moyen et une texture crémeuse et aux notes huileuses. Léger goût de chocolat au lait accompagné de notes fruitées (cerises noires, traces de cassis et de mûres) et épicées (cannelle) ainsi que des traces de fumée de bois lors de l’entrée en bouche auquel se rajoute rapidement un goût de malt assez rôti (petites notes brûlées), un goût de chocolat noir sucré, des notes de mélasse sucrée ainsi que des traces de sucre brun. Parallèlement, l’on retrouve une amertume asséchante de houblon herbeux aux notes résineuses, terreuses et florales jusqu’en finale (plus résineuse et terreuse en finale) accompagné d’un goût de café noir ainsi que de notes d’alcool. Post-goût long et moyen-sec, plutôt amer de rôti, de café, de houblon herbeux et légèrement résineux, léger de chocolat et avec des notes d’alcool.