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

Top 10 Beers I would like to try out (Part 1)

Today was a pretty long day so I don't feel like doing any reviews tonight. Tonight it's just me, some Spotted Cow and Sinatra on Pandora. So instead of doing a review I would like to put together a list of the Top 10 beers I would currently like to get my hands on. Please note that one of these entries has not been released yet.

10) Murree's Classic Lager

"Huh?"

That's probably what you are thinking right now. Well there's a couple different reasons why I chose this. First of all, Murree Brewing is one of the oldest breweries in Asia, at least to my knowledge. It was formed in 1860 during the British Occupation of India to meet the needs of thirsty British Soliders stationed over in the Indian Subcontinent.

That is not the main reason why I'm eager to try it out. The main reason is because it was established in Rawalpindi, India back in 1860. Well, a little thing called the Partition happened in the Indian Subcontinent in 1947. Suddenly Rawalpindi was no longer in India, but was now in the newly formed country of Pakistan; Yes, THAT Pakistan!

Due to Islamic law, Muslims are not allowed to purchase alcohol in Pakistan...not legally anyways. It can only be purchased by Non-Muslims and is only available in Pakistan at this time; So the chances of getting my hands on this are pretty slim.

Yeah, I want to try this out is mainly because it's from Pakistan; Let's be fair, the first thing that pops into our heads when we think of Pakistan is terrorism and not beer. When I first heard about this brewery, I was curious about it's existence but now I'm interested not just their beer, but their Single Malt Whiskey, Gins, and Spirits, which I heard are excellent. Maybe one day Murree Brewing will be allowed to distribute internationally 

9) Surly Seviin

I've never had any of Surly Brewing's Anniversary beers before and would love to try at least one out. This year I will try getting my hands on Seviin, which will be a Belgian Strong Ale to commemorate their 7 years of being in business and is supposed to come out next week at the time of writing this so hopefully watch out from a review in the near future.

8) Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

One thing I miss about Chicago is Dogfish Head Brewing, you could find it in many liquor stores, grocery stores or even tucked away in a seedy little convenience store that you would never guess had a good craft beer selection. I had a wide variety of of their beers but one always seemed to elude me, and that was their 120 Minute IPA. I have had their 60 Minute IPA & 90 Minute IPA but never their 120 Minute IPA. Later this year, I hope to go back to Chicago to finally get my hands on this but until then I can only hope they start distributing to Minnesota.

7) Three Floyds Dark Lord Imperial Stout

And the award for most badass looking beer label goes to......

The other beer that reminds me of Chicago is.....well, not from Chicago but about 25 minutes away in Munster, IN; I'm of course talking about Three Floyds Brewing. I recently did a review of their Dreadnaught Imperial IPA and it was amazing! There's one release I've always wanted to get my hands on and that is their Dark Lord Imperial Stout. 

We here in Minnesota have our own Surly Darkness and I've heard Surly Darkness is better than Three Floyds Dark Lord while I've also heard the argument the other way around. Hell, they even have a Darkness Day for Surly and Dark Lord Day for Three Floyds. As long as it's good, I don't care who's is better. Likewise, availability is very limited and looks to stay that way for the foreseeable future.

6) The Alchemist Heady Topper

Whenever I see pictures of beer hauls, pictures of a beer someone is drinking or a beer trade on either Beer Advocate or the Beer-related Subreddits on Reddit, The Alchemist Heady Topper is one of the beers that somehow happens to be in EVERY other picture. 

I've come to the conclusion that either half the beer drinkers on the internet live in Vermont or they have good connections. Either way, I wouldn't mind getting my hands on this but I won't be going to Vermont anytime soon.

That's the end for Part 1, if you've made it this far and wish to continue, click here for Part 2!

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