Dreadnaught IPA - Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

tjsdomer2

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Appearance: Great lacing. Orange with a slight green tint. Very seductive in a goblet.

Smell: Green apple, orange rind, and caramel. I really love/didn't expect the apple.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Initially some bitter orange peel and pineapple-like hops. Finishes with green apply, burnt caramel, and smoky tobacco. Superb. Extremely rare for me to give a 5 in the flavor department...but here you go. The apple also makes the feel crisp and clean, but there is plenty of alcohol and body.

Overall Drinkability: One of my new favorites.

Serving type: on-tap

04-10-2013 02:28:01 | More by tjsdomer2

jmarsh123

Indiana

4.23/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Pours hazy orange with some copper hues. Big fluffy white head dissolving into a ring around the edges. Good lacing down the glass.

Aroma is typical FFF. Bold and hoppy. Mostly citrus and tropical fruits with a little bit of caramel sweetness and a tinge of grapefruit.

Similar flavors to the aroma. More soft citrus and tropical fruits than anything else. There is also a bit more sweet bready malt than I'm used to in the style. Good, but could use some resiny or grapefruit flavors to provide more bitterness.

Very creamy mouthfeel with carbonation levels a shade below medium. Works very well with the flavor profile.

Highly drinkable for a high ABV beer and very good. I still prefer APW any day to this, but still top notch.

Serving type: on-tap

11-05-2012 17:36:51 | More by jmarsh123

coldriver

Texas

4.55/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Consumed on tap at Three Floyds on September 7. Served with a decent head and deep amber color. Aroma is typical Three Floyds Citra overload fantastic with plenty of grapefruit, lemon, and mango. Taste is delicious with plenty of bitter citrus flavor to keep the sweetness of the malt in check. Alcohol is well hidden. Juicy mouthfeel is smooth despite the bitterness with drying on the finish. I love this DIPA from Three Floyds - especially nice to try it at the brewpub!

Serving type: on-tap

09-11-2012 04:30:57 | More by coldriver

GJ40

North Carolina

4.4/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Sampled on tap at the brewery.

Golden with great clarity. A solid hop aroma with toasted malt in the background. The flavor follows with a mix of citrusy bitterness, tropical fruit flavors, toasted malt and a nipping alcohol. It's very creamy and has a nice, subtle carbonation.

This is a big and flavorful beer that has a real west coast quality but is a lot more balanced than I expected.

Serving type: on-tap

07-02-2012 09:21:33 | More by GJ40

kawilliams81

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served on-tap at Bavarian Lodge in a 12 oz snifter.

A- poured a light golden with a 1 finger white head. Lacing covers the edges of the glass.

S- caramel, citrus and pine.

T- sweet caramel, some citrus notes, and a big pine bitterness punch.

M- medium body and carbonation. Has a great creamy and smooth feel.

O- nice dipa with good amount of citrus and pine notes.

Serving type: on-tap

07-01-2012 02:30:14 | More by kawilliams81

DmanGTR

New York

4.1/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a cloudy summer gold with a nicely frothy white head. Lots of pine all over the nose. Maybe a bit of pineapple somewhere, but that's all I really discerned from the aroma, albeit extremely nice and refreshing. Sweet and juicy forefront with lots of pine, like eating a pine cone. Very bitter and kind of harsh in the finish with a strong whiff of alcohol. Medium/light body with ample carbonation. Not a bad DIPA.

Serving type: on-tap

06-29-2012 02:56:53 | More by DmanGTR

DNICE555

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Bavarian Lodge. I had the zombie dust before this one. I think the zombie dust is actually hoppier. This is still an amazing double ipa. FFF does amazing work. I had this in a bottle before but it's so nice to try on tap. If I could only drink from one brewery for the rest of my life it'd be FFF.

Serving type: on-tap

05-28-2012 11:37:43 | More by DNICE555

DocJitsu

California

4.48/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a gorgeous clear copper golden color with a signature white head that is continuously fed by carbonation from the bottom. Amarillo hops dominate the bouquet. The hops in the flavor are perfectly balanced with the grain. This might be the perfect beer. Of course, you throw Amarillo on dog excrement and you're bound to have something that tastes at least passable.

Serving type: on-tap

05-24-2012 20:08:09 | More by DocJitsu

birchstick

Missouri

4.23/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a darker pale yellow / golden yellow. Nose is full of fruity mangos and tropical notes with a bit of citrus. Taste starts off with sweet citrus with some caramel malt. These are quickly overtaken by a load of tropical citrus flavors. Finishes with a lingering tropical bitterness with a touch of caramel. Really nice DIPA here.

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2012 01:55:45 | More by birchstick

Homebrew35

Connecticut

4.03/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes:
Served in a half pint glass at the brewery.
One finger of white frothy head, hazy pale to golden body. Good lacing and ok retention.

Smell of citrus, light pine and tropical fruit. Not as big as hoped but good.

Tastes of big citrus and piney hops. Some sweetness mid palate mixed with some earthy hops. Very firm bitterness and powdery dry finish. Alcohol is slightly noticeable but dosent detract in any way.

Medium thin bodied and medium carbonation keep it fairly drinkable. The bitter dry finish fits the style but not my likes.

Overall this is tasty and good but not great. I could only take one serving of this at a time. The smell and tastes are great but I'd like a bit more in the nose and a bit more body and sweetness. This has the FFF hop profile like most of their beers.

Serving type: on-tap

02-27-2012 16:25:46 | More by Homebrew35

Docrock

Illinois

4.85/5  rDev +9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-Tap at 3F, served in Half Pint glass..

A- Light Amber in color, beautiful 1-1/2" head that seemed to last forever. Slight lacing

S- Hops hit you right away, plenty of citrus, maybe a touch of peach and pine as well.

T- Smooth with a perfect hop balance. The citrus and and Pine are strong but not overpowering, slight caramel at finish.

M- Really drinkable for such a high alcohol brew, Carbonation was excellent.

O- Wow, don't know how I have missed this beer in the past. Almost right in my backyard. Don't know how many have had this and Pliny the Younger, but I'll take Dreadnaught anyday. Now to try and find in bottles. I kept putting my sandwich down to take another drink, it's that good.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2012 04:40:37 | More by Docrock

AnnArborJoe

Michigan

4.95/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

From notes - had on tap at FFF and bottled.

A - deep orange large head, great lacing.

S - huge hop aroma - mango, pineapple, citrus - fantastic.

T - follows the smell. Hops, hops and more hops with enough malt to make this as balanced an IIPA as I've had.

M - medium to full bodied, moderate carbonation.

O - Incredible. Has to be among the best of the best. Hop lovers should seek this out.

Serving type: on-tap

02-03-2012 16:55:44 | More by AnnArborJoe

jegross2

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Reviewing the infamous Dreadnaught IPA from Three Floyds Brewing Company out of Munster, Indiana. This imperial IPA is highly sought after by beer geeks and is universally hailed as one of America's top beer by most beer connoisseurs. I am lucky enough, living in both Wisconsin and Illinois, to be within Three Floyds' distribution network, so Dreadnaught is an off the shelf gem that I have regular and convenient access too.
Score: 95

10 oz tap pour from a two week old keg at Brickhouse BBQ, served in a globe-like glass and enjoyed 01/24/12. Sadly, the KBS tap ran dry 10 mins before I arrived for dinner -- less than 24 hours after tipping the BA universe about the special tapping.

Appearance: Pours a clear orange color served with a thin layer of slightly off-white head that settles into a thin ring around the glass. Amazing lacing -- large sheets of frothy white head stick like crazy to all sides of the glass. 5/5

Smell. Sweet pine sap and sharp grapefruit and tropical hops mixed with light notes of sweet malt in the back. Astringent hoppiness. 4/5

Taste: Absolute hopbomb! Flavor is a sharp blast of tropical citrus hoppiness -- lots of astringent/zesty orange, pine, grapefruit, pineapple and mango -- followed by a lingering piney bitterness (that is much more mild compared to the upfront explosion of bitter flavor) for the finish. A light, sweet caramel backbone balances out the hoppiness a touch. The flavor experience of this beer reminds me of the Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. It shoots you out of the gate with citrus hoppiness, rocketing from 0-120 miles per hour in mere seconds, shoots you up some 400 feet, and then sends you plummeting back down to earth with some lingering adrenaline (here, the mild piney bitterness). The flavors, like the Top Thrill Dragster, are not very complex, but the whole experience is nonetheless incredibly delicious. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Near perfect imperial IPA mouthfeel. Medium bodied, medium-plus carbonation. Very oily, slight mouthwatering mouthfeel. Finish is bitter. 4.5/5

Overall: Enjoy this one fresh, and boy will you enjoy it.

Recommendation: Hops haters and casual beer drinkers should avoid this aggressive imperial IPA, but boy should hop heads seek this one out.

Pairings: The beef chili, with a little added hot sauce, at the Brickhouse BBQ.

Cost: $11.99 for a 22 oz (bomber) bottle or $6.50 for a 10 oz pour.

Serving type: on-tap

01-25-2012 18:19:13 | More by jegross2

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Beer is light amber with a small white head. Lots of lacing.

The most immediate smell is pine. Accompanied also by lots of citrus (grapefruit in particular) and caramel malt. Caramel is surprisingly strong, though by no means overtaking the very nice pine scents.

As for taste, beer is quite bitter, with lots of grapefruit, pine and soapy flavours. The caramel malt is prominent and provides a very nice background for the effects of the hops. More pine than citrus, but both are present. The bitterness is well-integrated, flavourful rather than simply bitter.

Strong carbonation, medium body.

Overall, very enjoyable. A really good beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-03-2011 23:12:17 | More by jrenihan

kylehay2004

Florida

4.43/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: amber with yellow hues. 3 finger frothy off white head with a nice amount of lacing but not much retention

S: perfect mix of citrus and floral hops. My wife doesn't drink beer but she kept asking to smell this one. The malt is intermixed but the dominating aromas are all you care to acknowledge.

T: a nicely formulated interplay between sweet caramel with citrus nd piney hops. The alcohol content is well hidden. The hop character is complex and memorable.

M: creamy for an IPA. Moderate to high carbonation and medium bodied.

Overall: this is a very nice DIPA. Not perfect in the taste but very close. The aroma is impressive and te mouthfeel unique.

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2011 16:49:59 | More by kylehay2004

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.68/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Three Floyds : Dreadnaught

Ontap, appears a clear golden color, small head and some wisps of lace on the glass. Aroma is nothing short of spectacular, notes of pine, pineapple, grapefruit zest, sweet pine juice. West coast IPA all the way, baby. In the taste, tropical bitterness. Muted pineapple almost bordering into mango, but overshadowed by a wall of bitterness. Lots of pine, sweet complimentary malt, but the sweetness is mild and short livid. Solidly bitter, and bitter all the way through. Medium bodied. Overall, one of the best double IPAs I have come accross. Exceptional.

Serving type: on-tap

09-30-2011 15:53:39 | More by Stinkypuss

Treebs

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on-tap at Three Floyd's brewpub. Poured into a half pint.

A: Pours a dark golden apple color with a fluffy 1 finger white head. Has some decent retention and leaves a nice sticky lace on the way down.

S: I'm picking up some citrus hops right of the bat. A little combination of lemon and lime peels with an orange zest. A sweet malty caramel backbone shines through at the end.

T: Nice caramel malts from the nose shine through more on the tongue and are the perfect compliment to fresh citrus hops that flourish in this brew. It has a mild bitterness on the finish with a slight alcohol taste merged in there, but there is no burn.

M: Light bodied with a nice carbonation. Has a nice vine/grass and woody finish on the palate.

O: Another great DIPA from FFF. I love tasting the differences between each one and this one is no different. Great beer and perfectly balanced.

Serving type: on-tap

08-27-2011 13:06:13 | More by Treebs

mattboyer182

Indiana

4.69/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

A - An orange slightly unfiltered like appearance.

S - Super great hops smell! Very citrusy. Grapefruit strong in this one.

T - This is a perfectly balanced IPA. Very bitter (Which is what I love Most) But a sweet finish. Grapefruit is very present. Great lingering hop flavor.

M - Good medium body. Well carbonated.

O - Amazing IPA. Love the strong grapefruit notes.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2011 01:31:15 | More by mattboyer182

vande

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A ~ a sunset orange, hazy like a summer day... with a nice pretty frothy cap

S ~ Floral, citrus hops... a pretty smell, if pretty could be used as an adjective for odors.. one that IPA drinkers I'm sure agree with...

T ~ Beginers touch of a sweetness which leads you down the yellow brick road of hop heaven... The grapefruit and floral notes splash your palate repeatedly...

M ~ medium bodied well carbonated IPA that was way easy to drink

O ~ I read someone's review stating how it was the cornocopia of hop flavors, or something to that affect. Agreed ~ definitely a beer to revisit.

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2011 23:50:55 | More by vande

mentaltraveller

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap. served in a snifter. Hazy orange color. Pine/hops dominate the nose; this beer almost smells sticky, if that is possible. Strong IPA flavors; hops, pine, grapefruit. Slippery/buttery mouthfeel.The mouthfeel really sets this apart; points for being unique. A good strong american ipa i would definitely drink again.

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2011 02:22:43 | More by mentaltraveller

ChadQuest

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Three Floyds, Again. i've had this there so many times, about time to review i guess.
Color is that of a dark tangerine, head is white. It's dark in FFF, and this is what i see.
The aroma has some notes of pine like a west coast IPA, and grapefruit with a juicy tropical nose that is appealing, asks you to bite it, but you know better.
This one being very fresh has alot of bitterness to it, 100ibus, and alot of that bitterness comes from or is tied to the notes of grapefruit, a great example of that note i think. there is other citrus AKA tangerine and orange, some tropical notes though a bit more subtle then the nose, and a hint of pine for the west coast influence.

Serving type: on-tap

07-15-2011 05:51:32 | More by ChadQuest

robwestcott

Indiana

4.58/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

poured cold from the tap at yogis a translucent light copper to a 12oz snifter with a full finger white head with nice retention leaving a blanket of sticky lace to the rim after each sip.

great big tropical hops aroma.

big hops as mango. super sweet up front. very subtle hops bite, though not quite bitter. citrus, cotton candy.

medium bodied, creamy smooth, big bubbly carbonation. very subtle bitter.

overall - top 5 DIPA easily, mango !

Serving type: on-tap

06-30-2011 19:43:35 | More by robwestcott

IchabodcraneIpa

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at the Floyd's brewpub and boy did it change my perspective on this guy.

The color of this IPA is a beautiful coppery orange with a nice finger head of foam riding the top.

The smells that come to my nose out of this one is a brilliant citrus orange peel smell with some mango mixed in to give a fresh fruity smell that too me is one of the best smelling brews I have ever had.

The taste of this one was not anything special to me the first time I tried it. I actually thought it was not really anything spectacular at all before which leads me to believe the bottle I had was way old. The tastes I'm getting in my mouth now is a huge rush of that citrus orange flavor with a pronounced hop bite, and some more fruitiness that mixes with a twinge of alcohol. The balance between the fruit and hop bitterness in this beer is incredible.

The mouthfeel was a very crisp refreshing feel to me and it left my mouth with a slight dry feeling that I rather enjoyed.

One of my new favorite beers, I can't believe I didn't like this one at first. Now I can't leave the brew pub without one.

Serving type: on-tap

06-30-2011 04:35:36 | More by IchabodcraneIpa

brew3crew

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at the brewery on fathers day

A-hazy orange/yellow body with a nice white head that retains.
S-nice fruity smell. Grapefruit.
T- alot like it smells. Great hop presence. Very fruity. Should really be a 4.25
M- knocked down to compensate for the over taste. Medium body and smooth
O- good ipa that is hard to find fresh but is worth the buy when you can.

Serving type: on-tap

06-19-2011 18:51:06 | More by brew3crew

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

4.03/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap into a snifter

A: Pours a clear copper color with a fizzy, white head.

S: Smells notoriously hoppy without much else. It’s not punch you in the face hoppy like Double Bastard Ale, but it’s hoppy enough that the subtle citrus aromas struggle to penetrate.

T/M: Tastes predominantly hoppy as well, again not like someone-just-mugged-you-in-the-street-and-rubbed-hops-in-your-face-for-humiliation hoppy, but still hoppy enough that it’s the predominant flavor. It has medium carbonation and some lingering bitterness in there, typical of an IPA, but it’s surprisingly lighter than you might expect.

It’s extremely well balanced and, honestly, that’s really all you can ask for. When you want an IPA but don’t want to drown in the hoppiness, this one is perfect.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2011 03:05:14 | More by TheBeerAlmanac