Three Floyds Alpha Klaus Christmas Porter

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

Pours jet black with about a finger of creamy tan head that laces nicely. The aroma is fairly simple but quite nice: bittersweet chocolate malt and solid, dark, roasted malt with just a hint of hops poking out in the background. Medium-bodied and silky-slick with a nice lightly bitter finish. The flavor is a tasty blend of roasted chocolate malt and bright, piny hops. In print, that combination sounds odd, but in reality it works quite well. This is easily the hoppiest porter that I’ve sampled to date, but if there’s a brewer that consistently creates interesting and tasty well-hopped beers, in styles that others dare not, Three Floyds is it.

2006 vintage aged nearly one year. Pours a very dark mahogany body with a virtually black center. A large, foamy, khaki colored head shows good retention, settling very slowly to a thin layer. Sticky patches of lacing coat the glass. The aroma is based on a masterful blend of sweet and bitter chocolates. Accompanying the chocolaty goodness is caramel, vanilla, and a heaping amount of resinous pine hops. I even picked up a faint hint of mint on the nose. The flavor is comprised of mostly the same components, though dried dark fruits emerge and the resinous hops really show through strong. Rich and complex. Medium-full bodied and silky smooth. Finishes with an awesome chocolaty, piney flurry. Awesome beer! If I had to give an overall analogy, I’d say this beer feels the way a snow covered evergreen forest looks. Perfect for a Christmas seasonal.

22 ounce bottle shared by cdumler. Pours a very dark and very opaque brown color. Medium head with average head retention and lacing. Aroma is chocolate, toffee, coffee and spicy, herbal hops. Minty hops, roasted malts, caramel and chocolate in the taste. Full bodied and extraordinarily well balanced.

Pours black with a hint of ruby edges. Big lasting tan head. Smell is damn near perfect, and unmatched by pretty much any porter I’ve had. Very big roasty malt, slight coffee, some mild sweetness and mild noticeable hops in there as well. Very aromatic and fantastic nose. Nice roasty character. balanced mild sweetness and slightly drying and bittering hops. The hops are just bordering on too much for a porter, but never really get there. Moderate to mildly rich mouthfeel. Hoppy for the style but it works. Soft carbonation and a nice overall uniqueness makes this a must try.

22oz bomber. Pours dark with a half-finger tan head which dissipated except for some around the edge. Aroma was confusing to me. Like a mix of chocolate and roasty dark beer smells along with berry fruit, spices and hops. Huh? The taste was roasty, chocolate, espresso, fruit and spice. Interesting. Mouthfeel was medium-to-thick and chewy with an unusual, not too bitter aftertaste.

Pours a dark, dark brown out of the bottle that looks black in the glass. The head is a dense three-finger tan that dissipates fairly quickly to a thin coating along the top leaving decent lacing. Smell is mainly burnt coffee and chocolate malts. There is also a definite sweetness as well with vanilla and maybe some oatmeal in the background. Taste picks up where the aroma left off with sweet malts up front but with a burnt coffee kick and some oatmeal smoothness. I also got more chocolate in taste and a hint of hops in the finish with some coffee bitterness as well. Mouthfeel is super smooth with solid carbonation and helps the flavors stick to your mouth. This is one of the better porters I’ve had in a while and it is certainly drinkable. Highly recommended!

Pours black with ruby highlights when held to the light, the most rediculous amount of head Ive seen and slow to die before it laces, dammit it spilled over a little. Wheres the warning label Wowza! Awesome smells of some floral...hops perhaps? roasted malt, molasses, chocolate coffee? This is a treat to the senses. Tastes every bit as good as it smells with a little spice and a carousel of flavors. Medium in the mouth with some nice carbonation. Drinkability? I could make quite a night out of these. Went in with good expectations, came out a believer. Cant wait to try a fresh one.

Picked up at Dark lord day poured black with with thick brown head aromas of chocolate,coffee malts and hops taste is of sweet roasted malts chocolate coffee and hops