Three Floyds Jinx Proof Review

Name: Three Floyds Jinx Proof
Style: Dortmunder Lager/Pilsener
ABV: 5.1%

Next up on my Three Floyds Brewing care package is a little something called Jinx Proof, which is the brewery's Pilsener/Dortmunder Lager (depending on who you ask) style of beer. The beer gets its name from a Washington D.C.-based tattoo parlor, who I assume also did the artwork for the bottle though this is just speculation on my part.

This is also the first time I've had this beer in over two years. Many of my readers know that I was once a resident of Chicago and finding Three Floyds at the bar wasn't all that uncommon, such as The Fat Cat along Broadway Ave on the Northside, which is where I had this beer on-tap. Now that I have a bottle for myself, it's time to give this beer a proper review.

Jinx Proof pours a very hazy yellow color with a pretty thin white head. There isn't anything here in terms of lacing and some moderate-level visible carbonation.

The aroma starts out with a mix of pale and pilsener malts, some citrus hop notes, yeasts and a bit of lemon zest. Sure enough, it does smell like a cross between a Dortmunder and Pilsener.

The flavor, much like the nose, starts out with a strong pale and pilsener malt base with a stronger lemon zest presence and some mild yeasts before ending with a bitter citrus hop aftertaste. Judging from the taste, it's pretty easy to see why its classification has fallen into two categories.

The palate has a very light body and some moderate carbonation, which gives it a very crisp feel. Paired with the flavor, it's quite fitting.

Jinx Proof is by no means the beer that Three Floyds will best known for. However what we do have here is a nice flavorful lager that many beer drinkers will no doubt find something to enjoy about it. This is a beer that is best described as a "crowd pleaser," but you can rest assured that you're making a good choice by drinking this.

Three Floyds Jinx Proof - 8.5/10

Three Floyds Alpha King Review

Name: Three Floyds Alpha King
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 6.66%

Recently I received a beer mail from Jared in Indiana, who was kind enough to send me a Three Floyds Brewing care package, along with a couple of extra goodies which I will get to later. The first beer I'm going cover is Alpha King, their American Pale Ale which is considered by the brewery and many others to be their flagship beer. It is also considered by many beer lovers to be the best APA (American Pale Ale) in the country, ranking right up there with the ranks of Zombie Dust (another Three Floyds beer) and Toppling Goliath's Pseudo Sue.

Now in terms of the brewery's APAs, I've never had Alpha King before I have had their Zombie Dust before which I have mentioned in a few previous posts that I regard Zombie Dust as my all-time favorite APA. Let's see if Alpha King can claim that title.

Alpha King pours a very hazy orange color with a low amount of visible carbonation. It possesses a very foamy head but pretty soapy lacing.

The aroma is very piney hop forward with some light grapefruit notes and an emphasis on the caramel maltiness. There is also some mild but noticeable hints of citrus and floral hops in here as well.

The flavor flips it around as it's very citrus and floral hop forward with some grapefruits, yeastiness and some solid caramel maltiness; All of which are very vibrant in their own way. The aftertaste is a resin piney hop bitterness, which was most prominent in the nose.

The palate has a very moderate weight to it but with some mild thickness to it and some light carbonation. It goes without saying that this is a very easy drinker.

You know, after having Alpha King, I'm strongly considering making this my new favorite American Pale Ale. It's flavor is rich, extremely vibrant yet the palate makes it very drinkable all at once. Having this beer makes me wish that I had the same availability right now, just like back when I lived in Chicago. Any beer lover absolutely owes it to themselves to try this out!

Three Floyds Alpha King - 9.5/10

Three Floyds Dreadnaught Review

Name: Three Floyds Dreadnaught 
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 9.5%

The name Three Floyds brings back memories of when I lived in Chicago. I remember clearly going to Binny's Beverage Depot in the Lakeview neighborhood for the first time ever, and needlessly scourging for some Dogfish Head and mulling over what to throw into my Mix-A-Six. While talking with an associate working there, a woman approached us and asked for Three Floyds Zombie Dust, to which he said he was going to grab some from the back and asked me if I wanted some, to which I said  "Yes."

When he came back, he had with him two 6-packs of Zombie Dust and the woman left with hers while we talked about beer again. Then 3 more people showed up, apparently seeing the Zombie Dust in my right hand and asked for it as well, to which the associate gave away the final ones. Before leaving, he told me "Beer geeks across America would kill their firstborn child over that beer." Puzzled, I made my purchase, went back to my apartment and did some research on Zombie Dust and found out that it was one of the most highly sought after beers in America and I had a 6-pack of it sitting on the table next to me. Was it good? It was one of the best Pale Ales I've ever had and cannot wait for the day where I can try it again. In fact, I remember right before moving to Chicago I was visiting Haskell's and a store associate told me that the equivalent of Surly in the Chicago area was Three Floyds.

When I moved back to Minnesota, I was happy to have my Surly and other local MN Beers again, but not having access to Dogfish Head and Three Floyds left an empty void in my life. Then last Friday, I decided to goto Hudson, WI and visit Casanova Liquors since it's only 20 minutes from where I work and I was craving some New Glarus and Ale Asylum (Those reviews will be coming in the near future.) As I was about to check out, I noticed a display with the trademark Three Floyds skull and below it were bombers of their Dreadnaught Imperial IPA, a Three Floyds offering that I had never had before. The rush of having a Three Floyds beer in my hand came right back to me and I snagged up 2 bombers to bring back home with me. I found a way to get Three Floyds again, and it is only a hop and a skip from where I work.

Dreadnaught pours a moderately hazy orange-yellow color with a moderate carbonation level and a very high amount of lacing along the sides of the glass.

The nose has a very sweet aroma of Peaches, Oranges, Citra-Hops and....Apricot? Quite fruity in the aroma, which is unusual for many Imperial IPAs I've had in the past which tend to smell way more hoppy as opposed to fruity.

The flavor is rich with a very nice and balanced blend of Peaches, Caramel, Citrus Hops, Toffee, and Yeasts. The aftertaste starts out very piney resin-like but ends on a Mango Sweetness note. You can definitely taste the hops but this is also very sweet tasting at the same time and its thankfully not boozy either.

The body is rather heavy in weight but that carbonation is quite mild, which helps add a bit of flavor. I would even go as far as to say that this is quite drinkable. At the same time, I would classify this as a sipper because the flavor is extremely rich and worth savoring

If you have never had Three Floyds before in your life and you happen to stumble across Dreadnaught,  grab it before someone else does! It's rich, robust, and very well balanced and quite easy to drink. I'm glad that I'm able to get access to Three Floyds and the best part is that I don't have to travel all the way to Chicago to get it. I hope that one day I'll be able to get access to their full line-up once more.

Three Floyds Dreadnaught - 9.5/10