Alpha King
3 Floyds Brewing Co.

 

 

 

From my review in NBW 138:

Hello all! Let's get this new beer weekend started, shall we?

This one is Three Floyds Alpha King, sent to me by the inestimable @TurkeysDrinkBeer many moons ago, and one that has been begging me to drink it for some time now...

So, onto the review!

....


This beer has sat in my fridge for six months. It came to me, pride beating in simmering waves from its aluminium chest, across the continental USA, leaping the Pacific Ocean and docking, prouder than John Holmes in a ruler factory, at the back of my fridge.

Since that time it has mocked me. Dared me to drink, to partake of its malty, dank body. But I have been iron of will and clear of mind. Other beers have begged attention, required consumption or perched, testily, at the edge of my fridge. This one has waited, and I have been strong.

Today, though. Today is dawned, bright, clear and autumnal. The air is crisper than it should be. Autumn has slid sneakily to my house, bringing weather not yet welcome for months. It is cool, but I wear shorts in stubborn refusal to bow to sensibility. It makes me angry. I am stubborn, and I am steadfast. But as afternoon breaks I am wroth, and this beer is front and centre.

Angrily I pour. This beer has mocked me, but now I call the shots. In response, it flares its fluffy white warning clouds at me. Unperturbed I sit and wait, still and at one with time. 'Ere long it subsides. Meekly, it exposes its dark, caramel-amber coat, easel to its thin, off-white head. Moderate carbonation follows but, King of my liquid domain, I barely acknowledge the elemental offering of carbon and oxygen. No ritual obeisance will slake my thirst. [L: 4.25]

I offer my nose as the beer, unbowed by curt dismissal of its visual defences, throws rich, chewy caramel notes at me. I rebuff the scent, but It follows with a volley of umami-laced, soy background notes. I pause. Hark, my nasal messenger, do I detect the glory of the titanic pale ales of my spotted craft beer youth? My first stumble, the first scintilla of doubt. Does this bear the ghosts of the pale ales of yesteryear? If so, can I stand before its glory? [S: 4.25]

I regain my chest-forward, arrogant composure. The taste will not mirror the nose. Without a doubt, a tropical, umbrella-bedecked fruit tingle lies in ambush beneath the olfactory assault I have endured. Beer of 2023 can not follow malty talk with commensurate walk. But I am mistaken: taste mirrors the nose, with rich, tangy, chewy caramel and toffee. In backup are deep umami malt notes that envision unearthed deep soil and the bugs that huddle within. It follows with moderate, danky retronasal bitterness sitting at the back of my tongue, building and building before turning back into a long, tangy, caramel finish. This is no tropical fruit bomb! I am bereft of defence to this sorcerous beer! I twist and turn, refusing to partake, but am trapped in this beer's embrace! And it knows it. It knows, Lord it knows. I must take more. I am slave to this delicious throwback to malty pale ale goodness. [T: 4.5]

It refuses to let up. It throws a smooth and full mouthfeel at me, as though nought but an afterthought. It waves away my loving embrace of its carbonation, previously dismissed like so much unwanted chaff. This beer knows better, and it knows how to play its cards. It is harmony, yet it has broken mine. [M: 4.25]

This beer has sat in my fridge for six months, watching, waiting. It pounced when I, suffused with arrogance, sought to bring it to its barley-kissed knees. Instead, it reminded me of the power of malty, hoppy goodness. Reminded me that a whole history of beer lies unloved, forgotten in our lust for tropical, sour and pastry highs, discarded as soon as the next sacrifice kneels at the block. This beer has held its own after an improbable journey to my fridge and then beaten my senses back into shape as it taught me a lesson I should not have needed to learn, and will study for time to come. [O: 4.5]

Cheers!
#212

Another great APA from 3F. Very good in every way, especially balance between bitterness and smooth. You get them both! Great for more than one. Put it side- by-side with ZD and report back. You have a winner with either.

 

 

 

Pours block out the light dark and even.a gentle pour produces an inch of copper head.

Nice sugary chocolate smell. Bit of burnt wood.

Some malty sweetness on the front which builds to a mixture of toasty flavors and even a bit of nuttiness. Quite smooth and complexity of flavors grow as it warms. Alcohol is present and there is burnt flavor, maybe like a burnt marshmallow, that lingers. The beer never strays to far from its porter base.

Very good seasonality offering.