Lord Rear Admiral - Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

cvm4

Mississippi

3.74/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A - Pours a dark amber with light hues around the edges with an eggshell head.

S - Light hops, bready malts and sweet esters.

T - It's like a mix of bitter/hops/toast/malts. There's some orange peel and a mild sweetness.

M - On the full side of light with medium carbonation.

O - I was hoping for more bitterness, but was only getting light hops. It's still an easy drinker with a clean finish.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 21:35:17 | More by cvm4

Rope

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Served in Chimay chalice.

Appearance-
Deep orange with a hint of red.

Smell-
Delightful light hop aroma, bubblegum and pine.

Taste-
A great entry, and interesting for Three Floyds. The use of the bitter hops enhance the light but present buttery malt.

Mouthfeel-
Good standard carbonation, nice and refreshing.

Overall-
Great beer, glad I tried it. Good if you are in the mood for a bitter hit, but not a full blown Stone beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 22:04:42 | More by Rope

sbxx

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Appearance - Dark amber. One finger of white, spongy head leaves thin, spotty lacing. Quite alluring.

Smell - Bready with some citrus mixed in.

Taste - A little bitter, a little hoppy, a little malty, a little toasty. Traces of citrus fruit and pine linger in the background. A very attractive blend of flavors.

Mouthfeel - Medium body, med/high carbonation, clean finish.

Overall - A nice bitter ale that goes down extremely smooth. Another winner for FFF! Looking forward to having more of this. Can't go wrong with an $8 bomber of this if you like a nice bitter ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 06:53:22 | More by sbxx

cfrances33

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

On tap at Three Floyds, served in a nonic pint.

Pour: Mostly clear, deep rusty orange. About a finger of rusty head forms, and recedes rather quickly. Not a lot of lace here.

Smell: Lots of grapefruit, and some other darker fruits come in. Plum? Some dark breadyness, and a touch of caramel malt step in through the end of the nose.

Taste: Follows the nose with a bitter citrus up front, and a certain chewiness. Lots of bready malt follows, and some caramel. Finishes bitter and malty.

Mouthfeel: Rather light, but at the same time not very drinkable. A bit confusing.

Overall: Solid, but I don't really think this is my style, even with a nice citrusy hop profile.

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2013 01:56:13 | More by cfrances33

brentk56

North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a clear amber with a massive head; great retention and clumps of lace

Smell: Earthy and malty, with caramel, fruit and earthy hop elements

Taste: Malty and fruity, up front, with a depth of caramel and stone fruit flavors; bu mid-palate, the earthy hops take over and dominate the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: Although I like the ESB style, I found this way too hoppy and bitter compared to English versions like Fuller's; I wouldn't have expected any less from Three Floyds and while I like hops as much as the next guy, this beer didn't quite do it for me

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 22:56:46 | More by brentk56

rfgetz

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a nice copper/burnt orange color, fluffy slightly off white head, good retention. Great whiffs of bready, nutty, toasty, biscuity, caramely malts blend whith whiffs of orange and light berry. Taste brings above notes together in a fantasticly balanced blend, wonderful malt base with fruity notes throughout. Medium bodied, a touch more heft would be welcome. Fantastic, unique, flavorful ESB.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 14:10:42 | More by rfgetz

jeonseh

Indiana

3.88/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into a FFF glass.

A - Beautiful English Bitter. It's dark, orange with light brown tint to it. Big, rocky, off-white head that left a ton of lacing on the glass.

S - Light orange peel and pine with a light bready malt to it

T- Orange peel and grapefruit on the front. There is a slight bready malt in the middle that gives it a very slight sweetness. On the back end is where the bitter comes in with a strong grapefruit and pine presence. The pine and grapefruit really linger on in the finish with a slight bigger hop presence than you'd find in your normal bitter.

MF - Light, slightly watery body with good carbonation that makes it have a slight smoothness to it when drinking. Leaves a thick hop resin that lingers on the tongue in the finish.

O - A solid bitter from FFF that is really easy to drink but brings a lot of flavor. Worth getting a bottle if you are near when they have it out, especially if you are a fan of the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 03:15:11 | More by jeonseh

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from the brewery, 650ml into a tulip.

Copper brown, offwhite head with dense, creamy retention and webbed lace. Nose has an abundance of caramel, sweet and bready. A good dose of citrus hops, but some earthier and spicier notes too. Light on the palate, citrusy and rind-y. Still an abundace of caramel and toasty biscuit. Medium feel, quite low carb. This is very drinkable - cask treatment would be awesome.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 23:56:50 | More by liamt07

SHODriver

California

4.45/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: pours a deep gold to medium brown with a finger and a half of off white head
S: smelled of delicious hops when I cracked the bottle open but in the glass the nose brings caramel and toffee with some of that nice juicy hop aroma
T: slightly toasty with some caramel a little bit of pine and floral hop flavor and a back and forth battle across the palate for dominance. aftertaste is a bit of oily hop and some residual sweetness from the malt
M: medium body with slightly prickly carbonation
O: very flavorful and great balance. this is my first beer from three Floyd's and it is very good.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 05:09:42 | More by SHODriver

ChiPool

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured bomber into Duvel tulip.

LAN pours a deep reddish brown, with an inch of eggshell head. The nose is rather tame for a 3F brew: subdued hops, with some bready malts coming through. The taste follows the nose here: the malts come through, with a hint of lingering bitterness.

Overall: decent, but not particularly memorable. Glad that I tried it, but not rushing out to pick itup agin. Tastes like an IPA past its prime.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 21:49:36 | More by ChiPool

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

4.55/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bought myself a bomber at the Brewery, For whatever reason, its their only year around bomber I cant get in my area.
Poured into a Three Floyds pint glass.

A- Pours Golden crystal clear with a three finger large foamy head, an off white coloration.

S- No surprise that this guy is hoppy, coming from 3F I wouldnt expect otherwise. Lots of fresh citrus like mango and pineapple as well as a lot of grapefruit and pine needles. A light but present creamy caramel maltiness. Really really nice stuff here.

T- One hoppy bitter, but theres a lot more then hops here. This baby comes at you with a moderate/ high amount of bitterness and leaves you with some sharp citrus tones in your mouth. This beer has a creamy smooth feel and a refreshingly light and tasteful malt backbone. Goes down way to easy but leaves you with a lot of flavor. Malts resemble English malts a little but im also getting a light bready flavor as well. A strange and unique bitter but incredibly delicious.

M- Too easy to drink, it goes down crazy smooth and quick and leaves you refreshed and with a pleasant aftertaste. It has a light body and is full of flavor. Easy to drink and refreshing. It doesn't get any better then this.

O- I was expecting something good but I got something great, a unique ESB and an amazing beer all around. Thank the gods I took that trip to the brew pub.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2012 01:44:06 | More by TwelveOunces

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.78/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks Yeahnatenelson for this!

Appearance. Pours a nice rich amber with a little haze and a finger+ of lightly coloured head.

Smell. Nice juicy, citrusy hops, toasty malts and caramel.

Taste. Again, juicy citrus hops, nice light malts. Really bright and fresh tasting with no shortage of ripe citrus juice and just a little bitterness. Loving this beer.

Mouthfeel. Below medium body with medium+ smooth carbonation. Really, really nice to drink.

Overall. Not being the biggest esb fan ("No no, Not ESB, I said IPA! I only drink hoppy beer."), I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did. Awesome beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 02:33:47 | More by Rutager

DanK4

Maine

4.15/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a nice rich earthy brown color, not too much variation in the hue. Nice off-white head that hangs around for a minute or so but disappears quickly after leaving some decent lacing.

S: Grains all around. Malts, a nice bitter note, doesn't smell like the other FFF brews I've had but then again all I've had is their IPA's. Some caramel notes as well, but nothing overpowering.

T: Great wet bitter start that leaves a dry finish. The bitterness definitely makes a stand here without being over the top. Not the typical FFF hop profile I expected but I am happy about that- it is an ESB after all. Very subtle sweet caramel notes underlying the malty goodness this brew leaves with you, but overall very balanced.

M: Crisp and clean, very very drinkable beer that I would love to have fresh and on tap if i ever got the chance. Medium bodied.

O: Winner here, definitely a great bitter beer that is not over the top by any means.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 22:38:52 | More by DanK4

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

4.1/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass from a 22oz bottle.

Pours a nice dark copper color with some nice reddish amber hints. There is a nice thick frothy ecru head that pops up. It is about 2 inches tall and is quite chunky. Nice sticky lacing.

Aroma of toasty earthy malt notes with some nice grassy and herbal notes as well. There are nice grassy and floral hop notes with some nice pine and a very dank floral character.

Flavor starts off with some nice grainy malt notes. Nice caramel sweetness with some earthy and hearty and toasty malt. This is perfectly balanced by some nice grassy, herbal and flowery hop notes. Some slight citrus notes are present but the hops are more on the herbal and slightly piney side as well. The caramel malt notes really balance out well. Mouthfeel is crisp with some slight stickiness form the maltier body and then finishes clean with some nice bitterness and toasty malt notes.

As FFF does they didi a greta job with this brew. Giving a slight American twist to a English import style. Very nice job.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2012 00:37:26 | More by JoEBoBpr

Lemke10

Wisconsin

4.13/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I bought a 22oz bottle of this while I was at Three Floyds Brewery in Early 2012 for $8.

Pours a cloudy medium brown color with a fluffy cream colored head. The scent lives up to its name as it has a strong bitter scent of hops. Starts off with a refreshing wet taste that is bready and malty. It moves into a crisp bitter finish that is dry and complex. Like other 3 Floyds beers that I have had, this one is blended nicely together that is makes it hard to pick out individual attributes as they compliment each other very well. Only complaint is this was a little more watery then I was expecting, but the dry finish makes up for it.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2012 04:42:22 | More by Lemke10

thydarkprevails

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Fresh bottle in a duvel tulip. Pours a nice clear amber with an inch thick off white head. Nice lacing. Aroma is light citrus, toffee, and malt. Flavor is excellent. A nice cutting piney hop blends with a smooth malt and caramel and toffee notes. Mouthfeel is medium to light and it lingers. It sort of makes you salivate for another. Very very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 03:24:32 | More by thydarkprevails

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.15/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had this one sitting around for awhile. 22oz bottle popped on 1-21-12.

A - Pours a light, almost clear brown with a fizzy cream-colored head. Good retention and lots of lacing.

S - Malts, barley, almost cola-like, fruity smelling.

T - Malts, bready, slight roasted tones.

D - Lots of carbonation and a good body.

O - Delicious and a bit hard to place. Fruity and malty goodness.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 04:04:42 | More by HuskyinPDX

chanokokoro

Illinois

4/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2012 vintage poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a seidel

A: Pours a deep amber with a one and a half finger head with some lacing.

S: Dark fruit with a very subtle hint of citrus.

T: Plum and black cherry initially transition to a bit of sweet malt finishes with a crips and fruity hop bite with ahint of citrus.

M: Medium bodied and smooth and very appropriate level of carbonation.

O: A very tasty well-balanced ESB with a FFF twist. One of several brews that proves that FFF is a very solid brewery adept at creating exceptional brews in a variety of styles.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 04:07:35 | More by chanokokoro

ChugginOil

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Split a case of this with wesside89 @ the brewpub today. It was released today as well!

2012 release. Poured into a FFF pint glass.

Pours a slightly hazed reddish/amber with a fingers worth of fluffy, off-white head. Thick lacing.

The nose is subtly sweet with hints of citrus fruits. There are some grassy hops along with some grapefruit notes. A bit of caramel malt lingers.

The taste is pretty bitter right off the bat. There is a good amount of sweet and citrusy hops creating a tropical cornucopia. The juicy fruits linger right alongside with the hoppy bitterness. Very drinkable and refreshing.

The mouthfeel is light-medium with a lot of carbonation but not overdone. Pretty comfortable feel.

Overall, I just can't find anything wrong with this brew. I think it has great characteristics all around with nice balance included.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 06:31:05 | More by ChugginOil

ONUMello

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into a 3F pint glass
A: Hazy burnt orange color with a generous 2-finger lingering head
S: Smells very bitter; aromas of orange zest, orange juice, cherry juice, generic malt, and a hint of pine.
T: Much less bitterness/citrus with more malt than the nose suggests; both the citrus & malt notes come through in a pleasant/balanced way.
M: Crisp, medium-bodied, enjoyable.
O: Another good, well made beer from 3 Floyds that paired quite nicely with homemade carnitas tacos.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 23:56:40 | More by ONUMello

stxSS07

Illinois

4/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes

A- Pours a clear honey orange/iced tea color with a 1 finger white head that lasts a bit. Excellent lacing.

S- Typical FFF citrus/juicy hop profile. Caramel-like malt sweetness.

T- Biting citrus hops followed by a wave a caramel malt sweetness. Bready finish blends with an alcohol tinge as the brew warms.

M- Medium light and highly carbonated.

O- My first ESB and I am a fan. Nice balance of sweetness and hops.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 09:35:30 | More by stxSS07

Metalmonk

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another amazing label design from Three Floyds, this one courtesy of artist Chris Berg. The beer itself looks pretty awesome too, with the liquid a hazy copper/bronze sort of color, and a dirty white head that, while not enormous, is fluffy and rigid.

The aroma is terrific. I get deep berry and cherry notes that are slapped upside the head with something very much resembling Sweet Tarts candy. Also mega-herbal. Clean, breezy, bright, hoppy. This doesn't resemble any ESB I've ever had, and I suspect the only thing this will really have in common with a traditional English ESB is the "Bitter" part of the equation.

While I couldn't detect much obvious malt character in the nose, it does come through in the taste, having that musty, bready, grainy, roasty taste you find in plenty of English ales, ESB or otherwise. The twist is the especially bitter hops, which are leafy, green and close to astringent. Citrus and tart young berry. Very much heading west of Indiana toward southern California, in terms of the hop vibe, than the other direction toward England. The fruity nature of the nose is dialed down on the tongue, not as much resembling fruit as resembling what it actually is (hops), although the tart character remains and makes you think of grapefruit, both flesh and peel.

Feel is bright and tingly, slick and airy of body but definitely with a pleasant sort of carbonation sizzle that aligns well with the intense and vibrant flavor.

Would be a tough one to have more than a bottle of in one sitting (especially considering this bottle is bomber size), because of the up-front bitter/tart/tangy element...but damn, it's a good one and surely one of Three Floyds' more interesting and nonconformist brews, for sure.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2011 22:35:01 | More by Metalmonk

jsulko

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber poured into a tulip glass

Pours a deep copper color with a significant amount of off white head.

Smell is fruity with a hint of the pine hops as well as a malty background

Citrus smell does not come through in the taste. Taste is heavy with sweetness and malt with a lingering thick finish from the hops.

Never had an ESB before so I can't say how much it clings to the style.

A good beer, something different than I am used to from FFF.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2011 03:09:04 | More by jsulko

WeedKing4

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to a buddy for sharing this with me. Pours a hazy reddish orange into a snifter glass. Has a mellow citrus/floral taste up front, with a bready malt background at the finish. Could be insanely sessionable as its so easy to drink. Interesting american take on a ESB. Love how hazy 3F's beers are.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 13:37:22 | More by WeedKing4

cratez

Ontario (Canada)

4.53/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bomber purchased from the brewery in Munster, IN.

Pours a deep copper/ruby hue with three fingers of eggshell white foam. Head subsides to a thick cap and leaves several strands of lacing on the tulip glass. Gorgeous appearance.

Smell is big citric and zesty orange peel, marmalade, jujube candy, peach, pine sap, pungently floral and herbaceous hops, cilantro, spruce, caramel, cedar needles, light doughy notes, and red grapefruit. Incredibly aromatic nose.

Taste is navel orange, peach, marmalade, and nectarine upfront, malts counteract with subtle brown bread, roasted, and caramel flavours, mildly sweet palate transitions to a juicy grapefruit bitterness with some pine on the cough. Booze hits about half way in, but thankfully I can't taste it. Easily the boldest, most hop-forward ESB that I've sampled. Really yummy stuff.

Mouthfeel is lush and medium-bodied; tingly carbonated bite precedes a powerful and spicy hop tang with a bone dry citrus finish. In keeping with the style, the bitterness is relatively balanced (compared to an IPA, for instance) and fades away quickly. I'm left with a clean palate after each sip.

Overall, Admiral Lord Nelson is an excellent North American interpretation of an Extra Special Bitter. It combines many standard ESB qualities with an over-the-top hoppiness and insanely robust aromas. A complete joy to drink, I would recommend this to hop heads and English ale lovers alike.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2011 03:43:24 | More by cratez