Three Floyds Chain Sword Extra Pale Ale

 Three Floyds Chain Sword Extra Pale Ale.

5% ABV, Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, Indiana.

From the latest variety pack. 

Clear, golden hued, short white head. 

In the nose: slightly citrusy, brisk and lively. 

In the nose: lemon and lime lead the charge on the palate. Crisp and clean, light bodied and refreshing, with an incessant bitterness that pleases the tongue. Goes down nice and smooth. Highly likable.

Not as clumsy or random as other extra pale ales, Chain Sword was brewed with Golden Promise Malt and El Dorado hops - an elegant beer for a more civilized age

Three Floyds Speed Castle World-Ending Pilsner

 Three Floyds Speed Castle World-Ending Pilsner.

5.6% ABV, Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, Indiana. 

Clear, bright golden hue, slim and lasting layer of ivory foam.

In the nose: floral, highly hopped, altogether pleasing.

In the mouth: spark of lemon-lime, brief blast of bitterness, then smooth and easy. Hop bitterness remains on top through the duration, and beyond. Crisp, clean, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Our newest year-round beer has arrived – Speed Castle Pilsner. Using hops sourced from German farms, American Pilsner malt, and hand-selected fresh or ‘wet’ hops, Speed Castle is a crisp, refreshing and world-ending Pilsner.

Warpigs Empowering Rift Stout

 Warpigs Empowering Rift Stout. 

7.2 % ABV, 61 IBU, Warpigs USA,

Just about blackness, under a rich, full cocoa head, leaving lace. Impenetrable.

In the nose: nice cocoa nose, roasty and nutty, too. Quite delightful.

In the mouth: malty mouthfeel, rich and nearly chewy. Loads of texture. Bittersweet upon the palate. Just enough bitter, just enough sweet. Presents plenty of pleasure for the stoutophile. 

We sit on the edge of oblivion, but I must be more than a witness. After hesitation, I reach out to draw from the power of the void.

Three Floyd’s Cat Date Double IPA

 Three Floyd’s Cat Date Double IPA.

9.5% ABV, 86 IBU, Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, Indiana.

Clear, bright golden hue, slim mush, milky white head. 

In the nose: a cornucopia of citrusy delights, with a healthy dose of tropical. Lemon peel meets papaya. A little bit grapefruit, a powerful pinch of passion fruit.

In the mouth: a jolt of juice with a blast of bitter. Heavy dank and a a roar of oncoming alcohol. Ripe with resin, peeling of citrus and bitter, oily hop drippings. Medium bodied and extra potent. Glides down the gullet with both menace and ease. 

This is surely my kind of a beer. I can heap on praise and it won’t be enough. 

A categorically big Double IPA brewed to honor our little friends and their clandestine meetings. Intensely bitter with notes of citrus, grapefruit, and orange marmalade.

Three Floyds Yella Rrari Barrel Aged Pale Imperial Stout

 Three Floyds Yella Rrari Barrel Aged  Pale Imperial Stout. With vanilla beans coffee and cacao nibs added.

13.2% ABV. Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, Indiana. 

Mostly opaque, dark brown, small brown head.

In the nose: big vanilla, coco, pinch of coffee. Mega malty. Sweet, rich, deep, inviting. 

In the mouth: complex, rich, rewarding. Big sweetness at first, slowly smoothing out. Vanilla, cocoa, brown sugar, molasses. Intense, with alcohol breaking through the barriers. Not as full bodied as I want in a beer this strong. Is that where the “pale” comes in? Oh, well, it is what it is, and what it is is delicious. 

This is a beer I tucked away when it came out last year and saved it in a cooler at work until a few months ago. This is bottle #4. How I wish I had the cash to buy enough of beers like this to last me through the years. Wouldn’t that be something? Alas. 

A hulking, decadent Pale Imperial Stout brewed with mountains of malted oats and aged for over a year in hand-picked bourbon barrels. Notes of chocolate are underscored with the addition of vanilla beans, Ehtiopian blonde roast coffee and copious amount of cocoa nibs. Yella’ Rrari's comin'!

Three Floyds Legendary Shader Weisse Beer

 Three Floyds Legendary Shader Weisse Beer.

5.5% ABV. Three Floyds Brewery, Munster, IN. 

Clouded, pale orange/ amber hue, small white head.

In the nose: there’s banana and bubblegum. Small doses of spice. Lingering citrus below it all, in true Bavarian style.

In the mouth: sweetness at the front, minor hops or bitterness, slightly fruity. Remarkably smooth and easy. Refreshing. Medium bodied, full of yeasty Weizen goodness. 

In this instance, the 3 Floyds motto rings false. It is normal. It’s a normal, balanced, true-to -style Hefe Weizen and I like it because of that. Here’s to occasional normality.

A traditional Bavarian-style Hefe Wiesse from space, with notes of banana, clove, and bubblegum.

Three Floyds Aggro Master Coffee Ale

Three Floyds Aggro Master Coffee Ale.

7.5 % ABV. Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, IN. 

Dark brown, not quite clear, slim beige head above. 

In the nose: Roasty/toasty, earthy, lot of coffee going on to match the malt. 

In the mouth: Starts out with sweetness from the malt, with coffee flavor on the chase. Medium body, maybe lighter than I'd like. Coffee flavor never flags, though. Sweet, slightly spicy, smooth and delicious. Nothing from hops buy balance, Sometimes that's all you need. And every now and then, you get a glimspe of the Scottish Ale below it. 

As coffee and dark ales collide on the battlefield of flavor, a new hero emerges victorious! Combining a malty, Scottish-style ale with hand-selected roast coffee, the Aggromaster is your champion of full-bodied beers . . . Destined for and greatness and enjoyment. 

Three Floyds The 50 Million Dollar Man Double India Pale Ale

Three Floyds The 50 Million Dollar Man Double India Pale Ale.

9 % ABV. Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, IN. 

Uncharacteristically hazy, with numerous floaties...(why?), bright golden color, large white head. 

In the nose: A blast of citrus, bold and bright. Orange, grapefruit, and lemon with a sliver of pine on the side. 

In the mouth: Smooth stuff at the start. Hop delivery is prompt, persistent and powerful. Juicy on the palate. Bitterness is a touch more muted than I prefer. But, I can't argue with the results. Tasty as heck. Indomitable hop presence, just plain delicious. 

After diligently battling evil on behalf of The Order of The Black Phoenix, our hero Michael San Antonio has returned after a harrowing journey in need of an upgrade to his robotic body parts. Previously hailed as the 25 Million Dollar Man, San Antonio's upgrade has made him an even more formidable foe to evildoers. Juicy, bright tropical fruit amidst a cloud of haze is his new calling card, coupled with a 9% ABV - BEHOLD, THE 50 MILLION DOLLAR MAN!

Three Floyds Crushing Mass Barrel Aged Coffee Stout

Three Floyds Crushing Mass Barrel Aged Coffee Stout.

15.1 % ABV, 23 IBU. Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, IN.

Strictly ebony, complete opacity, slim brown head. . 

In the nose: Enormous aromatics, barrel and coffee comes spilling out. Intense. Deep. Dark. Extreme.  Almost too much. 

In the mouth: Amazingly rich,  incredibly thick. I will tire of superlatives to describe the effects of this one. We have plenty of coffee on the palte, and loads of barrel aging effects, the dark fruits and vanilla. The sweet, rich, earthy dark coffee flavors, the maple, the oak, the smoke, the incredible depth and richness. And Holy Shit, the ABV comes pounding in. Pretty goddamned awesome. 

Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis, and the rise of the barrel-aged beers, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this, Crushing Mass, a barrel-aged coffee stout destined to reign with a terrifying roar. It is you, true believer, who can now taste the saga and relive the days of high adventure! 

Metazoa Brewing Company Salmon Cannon Pacific Northwest India Pale Ale

Metazoa Brewing Company Salmon Cannon Pacific Northwest India Pale Ale.

7 % ABV, 60 IBU. Metazoa Brewing Company, Indianapolis, IN. 

Now we have another first, my first beer from Metazoa, and all thanks and praise go to Dave for sharing. 

Clear as a bell, bright golden hue, beautiful, lasting white head. Looking good. 

In the nose: Alive with hoppiness, citrus playing with pine and tropical. Grapefruit and orange mingle with papaya and passionfruit. 

In the mouth: blast of bitterness up front, just the way I like it. Crisp and dry. Light bodied, and packed with hop flavor. Citrus is king, sweet tropical notes from aroma don't join the party so much as stay on the sidelines. Long, bitter, hoppy finish. This is my kind of IPA all the way. 

Loaded with over five and a half pounds of hops per barrel, Salmon Cannon uses a blend of Salmon-Safe certified hops including Comet, Strata®, Amarillo®, Chinook, and Crystal hops sourced from Crosby Hops in Woodburn, Oregon. Salmon-Safe farming practices protect water quality in the salmon watersheds where we source our hops. With a diverse combination of hops and a slight toastiness from Munich malt, this IPA glides through flavors — of citrus, pine, mango, and peach — as effortlessly as the majestic salmon that populate the Pacific Northwest and its waterways.

Three Floyds Crom's Beard India Pale Ale

 Three Floyds Crom's Beard India Pale Ale.

7.5 % ABV, 60 IBU. Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, IN. 

Clear, with a slight chill haze, bright and beautiful golden tone, small white head. 

In the nose: Citrus bomb, bold and piney. Big time grapefruit, with a lot of dank.

In the mouth: Flavors from the nose arrive on the palate. Great blast of bitterness starts it off and citrus flavors, with a side order of pine, carry it though. Good old fashioned IPA, without a hint of haze, the kind of beer only the few, the proud, the true are still making. Just a little bit of juicy, until ultimately ending dry. Non-stop tasty, that's for sure. Flat out yum a dum dum, like they used to brew. 

A single-hop IPA brewed with Strata, a new hop from Oregon with aromas of passionfruit, grapefruit and wafting weed.

“He dwells on a great mountain. What use to call on him? Little he cares if men live or die. Better to be silent than to call his attention to you; he will send you dooms, not fortune!”

— Robert E. Howard

Three Floyds Pride and Joy 3000 Mild Ale

Three Floyds Pride and Joy 3000 Mild Ale.

5 % ABV, 42 IBU. 

Brewed and bottled by Three Floyds Brewing Company, Munster, IN. It's Not Normal. 

When this one came out a few weeks back, I wasn't sure if I needed to include it here in the Nib. After all, I had already reviewed Pride and Joy way back eight years ago. But this is different. This is Pride and Joy 3000. Instead of a raving mad jester on the label, it has a sci-fi alien monster carving some bleeding skulls. That has to mean it's different, right? Let's find out...

Absolutely clear, bright golden hue, slim white head. 

In the nose: Moderate happiness, citrus notes. 

In the mouth: Bold, fresh, hoppy as heck. Light-bodied, with long-lasting mild bitterness upon the palate. Easy-drinking, but with plenty of flavor. Orange and grapefruit, lemon and lime. Tasty, tasty stuff. 

This tastes more like an American Pale Ale, than an English Mild Ale, although I have to admit my experience with those beers isn't as extensive. 

A smooth, medium-bodied session beer with bright citrus hop aroma and finish. Our interpretation of an American Mild Ale.

Oh, okay, that makes sense, I guess. 

Three Floyds Secret Savages Watermelon Sour Ale

Three Floyds Secret Savages American Sour Ale Brewed with Watermelon. 

10.4 % ABV. Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, IN. 

Thoroughly clouded, pale crimson/amber coloring, slim white head. 

In the nose: Powerful fruit, powerful sour. Intensity fresh out of the gate. Sour is King, watermelon on the side, all covered up in funk. 

In the mouth: Ooo, weee! Fierce funk, outsized sour, with fresh fruity flavors coming in fast. Medium bodied, eding on full, at points nearly thick. Watermelon flavor is muddied up by the funk & the sour, but there's nothing wrong with that. It's a beautiful mess, and I'm glad that I tried it. I can't believe that it's delivering on the Imperial side, though. 10.4 %? For a sour? A watermelon sour? Okay,  Floyds, let your freak flag fly. 

Meet the new kid in our wylde and sour ale program, Secret Savages! This tart and fruity ale harnesses the juicy power of watermelons and is conditioned for several months in our collection of wine and spirits barrels. Enjoy with friends and remember - it's not normal!

WarPigs Forge of Mars Intergalactic Porter

WarPigs Forge of Mars Intergalactic Porter. Ale with Coffee and Vanilla.

6.8 % ABV, 25 IBU. Brewed and packaged under supervision of Warpigs Brewing USA, LLC, Munster, IN. 

Deep black color, thoroughly opaque, large, if brief, brown head. 

It he nose: Coffee is here in abundance, with cocoa behind and vanilla sneaking in at the end. Earthy, nutty.

In the mouth: Coffee flavor is in command of the palate, with berries and nuts doing a cameo on the side, vanilla pops in to add a dash of sweetness. Medium bodied, smooth and drinkable. Some commenters have said that the coffee flavor feels "stale", and while I'm not sure I agree, I can certainly see what they're talking about. It lacks freshness, and the flavor falls off the palate far too soon.

This one has is good points, but not enough of them. Simply an average coffee porter, at best. Far from my favorite. 

Powered by solar flares and stoked by grim artisans, martian smiths craft the finest wares for exploring the Milky Way and beyond. Infused with coffee and vanilla. 

Three Floyds Brian Boru Irish-style Red Ale

Three Floyds Brian Boru Irish-style Red Ale. 

It's Not Normal. 

6.5 % ABV, 40 IBU. Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, IN. 

Oh, no, I'm drinking an Irish-style beer the day after St. Patrick's Day! Scandal! Horror! What will become of me? Will I turn into a leprechaun? Let's find out...

Lightly clouded, bright crimson coloring, slim white head. 

In the nose: Sweet and malty. Slight fruit/mineral notes. 

In the mouth: Splashes of bold, malty flavors douse the palate. Moderate bitterness, but plenty hoppy for the style. Brief flashes of fruit, apple, cherry, berry, orange, staying sweet, ultimately ending dry. Medium bodied, and ridiculously drinkable. Beautifully balanced. Judiciously bitter hops and fruity malt continue to play, and I'm left draining the glass and wanting more. 

Brian Boru, I hereby dub thee: yum a dum dum. 

Born in Munster, Ireland, Brian Boru spent his life uniting the Irish tribes to become the first high king of Ireland. With a heavy dose of new and old-world hops which gives rise to notes of citrus, stone and tropical fruit, we brewed this rich and full-bodied Irish-style Red Ale for him.

Three Floyds Barrel-aged Blot Out the Sun Imperial Stout

Three Floyds Barrel-aged Blot Out the Sun Imperial Stout.

10.4 % ABV, 97 IBU. Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, IN. 

Black as the Dark Lord's soul, completely opaque, with a large, rich, roasted tan head. 

In the nose: Bourbon bomb, but the bones of a deep, dark, immense imperial stout stick out. Charcoal, anise, molasses, chocolate, coffee, and the toasted remains of the corpses of your vanquished foes, all holding hands and skipping to and fro ...while the cries and lamentations of their women and children ring loudly throughout the smoldering remains of their once proud land. 

In the mouth: A jolt of sweet malt, vanilla, caramel, toffee, dark fruits, coffee and cocoa.. a mellifluous melange of dark, rich flavors that accompanies the swell of joy you feel when you stride the path of destruction caused by you and your unholy horde, having just laid to waste the formerly glorious Kingdom of Karsh-Allath-Gorg-ku'um, and it's ruler, the Mighty Morgukallal, Merchant of Woe and Sire of the Unholy Bastions of Evil, the Knights of the Despoiling.

Bold and bittersweet, like the feeling you experienced as you silenced the cries of the children of Mighty  Morgukallal with your many-taloned boots, coated thickly with the blood of many conquered enemies, many deserving, none truly innocent. As full as a body can be, as your belly is at the Feast of Devastation, after having eviscerated an entire herd of demon wolves and consumed their bedeviled remains, slowly roasted at the Pit of Righteous Deflowering. 

In other words: Yum. A Dum. Dum. 

"Since the dawn of time it has been mankind’s dream to blot out the sun." -C. Montgomery Burns

(Hey, Three Floyds, hire me to write your label copy, okay? Or the descriptions on your taproom menu, when it reopens...soon, I hope...)

Three Floyds People Power High Tea

Three Floyds People Power High Tea. Sparkling Ale with Rare Tea Cellar's Darjeeling Black Tea.

Brewed for the People to Benefit the ACLU. 

5% ABV. 19.2 fl. oz. can. Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, IN. 

Now, here we have a kind of beer that I wouldn't normally be interested in. Not that into tea beers, but it's Three Floyds and I have to try everything they make. There's nothing they could make that I wouldn't plunk down the money to taste. Not yet, anyway. 

And I'm digging the label, for many reasons. First of all, there's the collection of Three Floyds label characters assembled, as they've done in the past. Zombie Dust, Gumballhead the Cat, Alpha King, Behemoth Barleywine, Deesko!, Necron 99, Rabbid Rabbit, Arctic Panzer Wolf, Alpha Kong, Robert the Bruce, and a bunch I can't recognize, all hanging out and getting hassled by some pigs. It's also drawn in a style very reminiscent of 1960's underground cartoonist Skip Williamson. Remember him, creator of Snappy Sammy Smoot?

Then, I see it, on the label: RIP Skip Williamson (he passed away a few years ago). Skip had roots in Chicago, and covered the trial of the Chicago Seven as a courtroom artist, and did illustrations for Abbie Hoffman's books. A fitting tribute to him for this ACLU-benefit beer. 

On with the liquid inside. 

Clear, pale golden color slim ring of ivory foam. 

In the nose: tea is here, not being shy. Slightly floral, lightly hopped. Intriguing, I like it. 

In the mouth: And tea is here in the taste, too. Again, high on the tea, low on the hops, light in body, easily quaffed. I haven't had an Australian Sparkling Ale in quite some time (where've you gone, Cooper's?), so I can't really tell how close they came to nailing the style. Light, delicate, fruity flavors. It's a pleasant beverage. Me, I need more hops, bigger body, and not tea. But, you go ahead and get you some if it sounds good to you. Don't let me stop you. 

Brewed as part of the People Power Beer Project to support the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)*, our Sparkling Ale honors the British working-class tradition of a restorative sip after a hard day’s work. Using Rare Tea Cellars’ intensely nuanced Darjeeling tea, this pale-gold hued ale has a soft bread/caramel malt flavor, full mouthfeel and bright aromas of muscat grape, watermelon, and strawberry.

Warpigs Chaos Monger Double India Pale Ale

Warpigs Chaos Monger Double India Pale Ale.

9.2 % ABV. 90 IBU. WarPigs Brewpub, ...Denmark? Indiana? This from the can: "Brewed and packaged under the supervision of Warpigs USA Brewing, Munster, IN, LLC at Summit Brewing Company, St. Paul, MN." 

Clear, dark amber hue, thin layer of cream-toned foam atop. 

In the nose: A. cornucopia of fruity expressions commands the olfactory. Berries and stone fruit, maybe a pinch of apple, dominate citrus and pine. Hoppiness abounds, malt matches mightily. 

In the mouth: Bitter kicks it off, juicy and bitter. Bitter hop display lays long on the palate, with a side of sweet. Citrus notes, a little pine, berries, and more. Juicy, with unrelenting bitterness. This is a tasty one. Alcohol pops up about a quarter of the way in, and the warm feelings commence. A very likable DIPA. Thoroughly yum a dum dum. 

The arduous road to hop enlightenment is wrought with chaos. Let the sentinel chaosmonger be your beacon to finding beer of character.

Three Floyds Sköll Imperial Porter

Three Floyds Sköll Imperial Porter. With honey, cacao nibs, peppers, and aged on oak. 

8.5 % ABV. Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, IN. 

Thoroughly ebon. Rich, lush cocoa-tinged head. Terrifically dark. 

In the nose: Earthy. Malty. Slightly roasted and toasted. Cocoa and espresso. Nice.

In the mouth: A flood of malty flavors. The chocolate and coffee, soon met with the heat of the peppers. Lain dormant in the aroma, they spring to life on the palate, without taking over. Full-bodied, rich, delicious, long-lasting malty flavors. Pepper flavor remains moderate, Just the way I like it. Heat is matched by alcohol, and they come together in a beautiful way, rich and rewarding. 

I like a good ol' Imperial Porter, and this is one. 

Honey, Cocoa Nibs, Guajillo & Chipotle peppers and aged on Oak

Three Floyds Permanent Funeral Imperial IPA

Three Floyds Permanent Funeral Imperial IPA.

10.5 % ABV. 100 IBU. Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, IN. 

Lightly hazed, pale amber/near gold coloring, slim white head atop. 

In the nose: Bursting with citrusy hop goodness. Orange and grapefruit meets mango and guava. Intense, fiery. 

In the mouth: It's a monster! Rich, full, overpowering, but not overbearing. Not for hopheads like you and me. Boom! Powerful. Drips resiny, piney hop flavors all throughout the sense. Alcohol rises up and makes the scene. Boom, boom! Candied fruit is coming to the fore. Stone fruit joins the choir, apricot, peach. Dank as it gets. Sticky icky. I am thoroughly enjoying this. My kind of beer. 

The wolf inside this pale ale is trying to walk upright. This bright and aromatic beer was brewed with our friends in the band Pig Destroyer.