Lord Rear Admiral - Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

drabmuh

Maryland

4.08/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Part of my #1 beer project, the top ESB on BA Lord Admiral Nelson. Beer served in a Three Floyds beer glass because I can.

Beer is amber and hazy (but it looks like chill haze) with an off white head of medium bubbles, minimal lacing and low carbonation.

Aroma is pretty hop forward with some interesting pine hop profile with a nice malt backbone.

Beer is medium bodied and heavy in the front and thin at the back. There is a lot of piny hop flavor in this beer with only a minimal sweetness up front. The hop flavors fill out the midpalate so thoroughly the beer falls flat on the finish. Pretty good drinking beer. Very enjoyable. Bitterness is minimal but that's OK for the style. I'd have it again. The more I drink the more resiny the beer gets but that's from the high hop presence. It is good!

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2011 01:48:29 | More by drabmuh

stakem

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from random notes I found laying around. These are circa September of this year. Bottle shared with a group of local BA's care of StormKing47.

Poured into a taster, this brew appears a hazed golden color with a creamy white head. Spotty lacing effect is left on the glassware.

The smell of this brew includes a pleasant display of hops that you would expect in an ESB. Herbs, light grainy sweetness and an essence of lemon across the back of the nose.

The taste of this brew is fresh grainy sweetness with herbal hops that impart quite a bit of flavor without getting bitter. A toasty grain flavor is left inside the mouth. The hops come across with an herbal aspect as it warms that almost turns minty, fresh and cool tasting.

A medium bodied brew with a smooth feel and light level of carbonation. It is very drinkable and a fine example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2010 18:08:17 | More by stakem

CooperEllis

New York

3.68/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz into 7oz tasting glass. Thanks to spicca66 for sending this my way.

Muddy carmel color, lighter at the bottom (narrow end of the glass) darker at the top end. A sticky, ivory white head.

There is a full malt aroma. A strong note of fig; perhaps a combination of spices that my nose reads as fig. Some bitterness, but mild.

The taste is malt, light sweetness, crisper than the spice notes would suggest. I greatly enjoyed the overall mildness of this brew. There was a lot of room for each of the flavors to be noted, and they blended together well without overpowering each other or my palate.

The mouthfeel is more in keeping with a hoppier style (indeed, this could have been chock-full-O hops, but it certainly wasn't evident in the tast of the bottle I had). I will say that there was a min of carbonation with this, and in keeping with the 'englishness' of it it certainly reminded me more of the english styles I enjoy.

It is solid. And if I had easy access to it I imagine I would keep bombers of it around because it is an easy drink. But it is not so over the top good that I will continually be trading for it to keep it on hand.

(46)

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2010 20:53:45 | More by CooperEllis

2BDChicago

Illinois

4.58/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A: Hazy, orange amber, with full off-white foam.

S: Appealing aroma of multiple notes. Fruit, light spice, and some caramely-biscuity malt.

T: Don't you love it when the taste and aroma are equally fine. Equal parts of fruit and malt sweetness, but not overly so. The hop bitterness is unique in that I get a hop bite at back of the tongue, but it's like a side show definately not the main attraction. Don't mis-understand, FFFs is almost always big hops, just mostly well blanaced. The mouthfeel is dry and very clean, with good carbonation.

D: A very under the radar offering from FFFs, and I don't know why. To me it's a very enjoyable, and highly drinkable brew. It's probably the most IPA-ish ESB on the planet, and it totally works because of balance. There's a very pleasant flavor that runs through the brew that gives it a great personality. The malts and hop flavors work perfectly together. Hard to find but woth the hunt.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2010 02:21:53 | More by 2BDChicago

gory4d

New York

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

Thanks to mandark for the birthday beer.

Pours deep orange w/ a fluffy white head. Smell is sweet clover honey, sharp minerals, autumn leaves. The taste is clean mineral water, herbal honey, tangelo tang, orange skin bitter finish. It's highly carbonated, mid-weight body. Really too easy to drink for a beer this big. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2010 02:23:46 | More by gory4d

ahurd11085

Georgia

3.98/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Got this bad boy from klshanks. Thanks again bud.

A: Poured into tulip from 22oz bottle adorned with some of the most bad ass artwork I've ever seen on a bottle. Rock! Pours a fierce golden orange topped with a 3 finger orangish fluffball of a head. Good start.

S: Subtle yet complex. Notes of spicy noble hops, pine and earth mixed with toasty, slightly nutty malts. Not as upfront as I would like, but lots of depth.

T: Pretty damn good, with lots of complexity from the blend of the spicy hops and malts. Nothing that's going to scorch your palate or blow your socks off, but a really well done, balanced beer. It's not everyday you try something that is rich and complex, but still well balanced.

M: A bit on the thin side, with some hop oil slickness and medium carbonation. A touch more weight would be nice

D: High. I could drink this all day and be perfectly happy.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2010 20:15:06 | More by ahurd11085

z3niMAGiNE

Arizona

4.2/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer is delicious.

Pours a hazy translucent orange sediment visible on the bottom of the glass with generous head which exhibits fair retention and mild-moderate lacing.

The smell draws me in. I smell malts and hops with kind of a caramelly odor and a little bit of berries way in the back.

The taste is well balanced between malt and hops. The malt is dominant up front and the hops give it a somewhat piquant finish.

Quite a bit of carbonation but not too much. It makes the beer feel substantial and sizzles along my tongue.

I'd return to this beer gladly at any time.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2010 01:40:23 | More by z3niMAGiNE

domtronzero

California

3.9/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Oh yeah, thanks Dankbeers619. A seriously generous BA.

A - Slightly hazy orange copper with a big long lasting whitish head. Tons of lacing throughout.

S - Big caramel bread crusty malts. Lots of piny/earthy hops. Otherwise quite clean.

F/M - Sweet bready/toasty caramel-like malts. Nice medium piny hops with medium bitterness. Medium body with moderate carbonation. Clean dry finish.

D - Very good, clean and refreshing. Quite poundable. This is a great beer for sure.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2010 08:20:04 | More by domtronzero

andrewinski1

Maine

3.15/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Bendurgin for sharing!

Poured into a pint glass with a three finger almost perfectly white head. Large bubbles on this one. Nice amber color on the body with a slight bit of haze.

Smells of bready malt, with a slightly noticeable citrus aroma. Decent balance for the style.

Taste is all malt flavor; a kick of bitterness is in the finish to balance out but I feel it is a bit much for a good balance. Nothing too spectacular here.

Average mouthfeel and decent drinkability. This is an okay beer, I would probably only try it again if I could do so on tap though.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2010 03:17:19 | More by andrewinski1

Bendurgin

Maine

3/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Got this as an awesome extra in a trade recently with a very generous Midwest BA. Poured this into a pint glass. The beer is a cloudy amber color with a big frothy looking white head that shrinks down to soapy lacing. I'm not really loving the smell on this. Sweet malts are really front runners on this. I get a kind of apple sauce smell, but it seems really out of place. Behind all that is a slight smell of piney hops. I'd really love a bit more of a hoppy smell. Big malts on this with a decent bittering finish of floral piney hops. It's pretty nice drinking, but I overall am a little underwhelmed by this one right now. The mouthfeel is a bit heavier than I would imagine but the carbonation is nice. Overall this beer drinks fair enough, but I'm not in love with it.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2010 02:56:46 | More by Bendurgin

aasher

Indiana

4/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I poured this one into a Guinness pint glass. It poured a watery light amber, very translucent with a frothy white head. The smell is a wonderful mix of floral hops, bitterness, and light dry sweetness. The taste is good but it's not mind blowing by any means. I remember this being better last year. It drinks very thin and isn't as crisp as I'd like it to be. It's very drinkable because it's a very solid beer but this bottle at least disappointed me a little bit. It's good but nothing too crazy.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2010 01:20:26 | More by aasher

cetherid

Indiana

4.28/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

poured into a tulip

Re-reviewing this beer.

A.

Beer pours a dark, somewhat cloudy amber color with about a fingers worth of frothy white head. Lots of nice bubbly lacing going on the sides of the glass.

S.

A nice balance of sweet caramel and toasted malts with some piney, floral and perhaps a hint of citrus hops. A very nice smelling beer. As this warms up, I get almost a slight fruity aroma to it, like a barleywine but not as strong.

T.

A nice bitterness up front with some slightly sweet & toasted malts that cut through that bitterness leaving a smooth and crisp finish. Flavors of slight toffee, pine, citrus rind and maybe a little bit of tea. Well balanced

M.

medium bodied with great carbonation. Very crisp/clean in the finish. A touch of sweetness lingers on the finish.

O.

overall a great ESB (it doesn't hurt I'm having it extremely fresh as well). Not too sweet...a perfect balance of hops/sweet malts. The first time I reviewed this I wasn't much of a hophead. I preferred stouts and that was about it. My palate has definitely changed and for the better.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2010 23:53:53 | More by cetherid

mdfb79

New York

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

From 09/15/10 notes. Had at a small DC tasting; thanks Jonathan.

a - Pours a murky golden amber color with one inch of white head and low carbonation.

s - Smells of citrus hops, fruity malts, light pine hops, and light spices.

t - Tastes of citrus hops, pine, fruity malts, tropical fruit, and bready malts.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation; very easy to drink.

d - A very good beer. Lots of citrus in the nose and taste, and it was very easy to drink. I would definitely like to try this one again.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2010 02:33:05 | More by mdfb79

jrallen34

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle thanks to Alex, served in a Bells tulip...Is this the beer that gets me to like esbs? Its easily the best esb I've had, maybe that's because its more of an ipa...A medium copper, good retention and lacing...Super smooth aroma of caramel malt, light grass, hops have a nice light bite. Taste is essentially the same, super easy to drink with a caramel base, and just enough hops to make it enjoyable and not boring to drink.

Another great 3f that should be sought out.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2010 16:23:28 | More by jrallen34

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

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

thanks to StormKing47 for sharing this - poured chilled from the bomber into an ale glass.

A - a moderately tarnished golden shade w/ slight chill haze and light white head, lots of lace clings and tiny beading comprises the head.

S - I found the smell to have lots of English hop character -very nice mix of herbal and spiced scents w/ a mild caramel malt odor in the background

M The feel is good and bitter, but balanced by the malt w/ a moderately high carbonation level for the style and slight chalky mineral note which I picture as similar to the english water profile for the type of beer

T - The flavor is of a tasty english yeast which has mild pear notes and ver herbal almost minty hop flavor with a spice from the hops and mild caramel tinge in the malt flavor with light biscuit notes rounding out the flavor

D - The beer is very drinkable and is a good representative of the style even if on the high end abv-wise but brings a lot of English character with the ingredients used

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2010 18:47:46 | More by Slatetank

teamizm

California

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

Big thanks to Wadsey for the growler!

A - Nice, dark brown/bronze color with a beautiful head reminiscent of a beer that fresh off the tap from a brewery.

S - Very nutty with a nice, light malt backbone

T - Like the smell, a nice nutty, brown ale taste. Feels very fall-ish.

M - Very pleasant, especially out of a growler

D - Let's just say, I didn't have much (any) help finishing this growler. It was a perfect beer to watch some college football (despite UCLA getting their asses handed to them by Stanford).

Love this beer.

Serving type: growler

09-12-2010 07:43:30 | More by teamizm

SuperNova777

Indiana

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

A:Pours a non transparent copper/amber color with a nice fluffy head that slowly falls, leaving a nice web lacing down the glass.

S:Classic FFF aroma, including grapefruit, citrus, and tropical hops with a slight sweet malt scent as well.

T:First up hits a nice floral hop kick on the initial sip, followed up by a nice malt backbone balance that smoothes everything out on the back burner. A really flavorful taste that leaves an oily hop resin on the palate that begs for more of the sweet nectar.

M:A thinner body which is what you would expect from the style. Good carbonation throughout and almost no alcohol bite.

D:A very delicious, easy to drink, and flavorful beer that I could take down all the time no problem (especially with the decent price tag and abv.) Another great brew from FFF as usual, just a lot of pleasant hop action that is very balanced at the same time. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2010 15:32:58 | More by SuperNova777

yeahnatenelson

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Consumed at FFF Pub earlier today.

Appearance -- Pours a bright and rosy orange with two fingers of sudsy white head.

Smell -- Bright citrus, bready malt, and a touch of honey.

Taste -- Big citrus/tropical hop flavors up front with mostly dry, bready malts. The little bit of honey/caramel malt sweetness present really makes the tropical fruit hop note sing. While less malty, not terribly unlike Alpha King.

Mouthfeel -- Medium in body with mild carbonation. A little bit of chalkiness, but my guess is that the bottled version will not suffer the same pitfall.

Drinkability -- There is a *lot* of overlap in flavor profile between Lord Admiral Nelson and Alpha King. Nelson shares the big hop profile of Alpha King but with more subdued caramel malt sweetness. Not a perfectly dry ESB, but still quite quenching. Love it.

Serving type: on-tap

08-28-2010 22:48:31 | More by yeahnatenelson

Tiklmelmo

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to wedgie9 for this awesome extra.

A - Nice crystal clear caramel with a generous fizzy head. Bit of a gush when I opened it is the only negative.

S - Big sweet biscuity malts with hints of toffee and fresh grassy hop resin. Very nice smelling beer.

T - Taste follows the nose. Very nice malt flavors....shortbread and toffee, but perfectly balanced bitterness with minimal residual sweetness. Again, some nice big fresh hops are present. Much moreso than a traditional british ESB, but I still thought the malts made the beer. Very well balanced.

M - A hair thin, but by no means watery. While there was a bit of a gush upon opening, the carbonation seemed moderate and was certainly pleasant. Mouthfeel was probably the lowest marks for me, but certainly not bad by any means.

D - Very drinkable. I downed the bottle and wanted more.

Overall, this is another extremely fine offering from three floyds. If this became the mold for an american ESB, I would not complain. I am very glad to have had the chance to try this.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2010 01:19:04 | More by Tiklmelmo

dirtylou

Washington

4.33/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle, scooped at armanetti's in chicago last weekend

served with a farmers market dinner - honey/soy/dijon grilled porkchop and baked golden beets

appearance: typical "busy" and colorful three floyds label art - poured into a great divide shaker pint...bright copper-orange body, light beige ring

smell: nice bright hops, floral grapefruit zest, orange, lemon peel, light spice, toasted malt

taste: another confusing beer from three floyds - unlike any ESB on the market...trademark hop bomb - tons of pink grapefruit, orange zest, lemon zest, a little toasted malt, rye spice, pineapple and mango. You definitely forget you have an "ESB" in your hands - damn tasty beer though

mouthfeel: medium-light body, oily hop resin

drinkability: great

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2010 00:43:00 | More by dirtylou

ktrillionaire

Florida

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

Big thanks to Spycow for the brew.

A - It pours a glowing orange hue with an inch of ecru head. Not much in the way of lace.

S - Big hop presence from the get-go. I am getting mostly grapefruit and herbal spiciness as well as some spiciness from the malt.

T - The initial impression is of grapefruit-y hops and rich spicy malt that tastes like some sort of caramelized rye. It is a richly flavored and flavorful brew, no doubt. As it opens up, the malt shows some toasty notes and the hop presence shows some 'nobility'. Certainly not to-style, but a nice American take on the style.

M - Big, smooth and rich. Slightly too viscous, though perfectly carbonated.

D - A very good brew from FFF. Why am I not shocked?

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2010 18:54:54 | More by ktrillionaire

Jayli

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Acquired this from GbvDave so a big THANK YOU goes out to him!
Poured in to a pint glass
Consumed 6/14

A: This beer pours a massively cloudy/burnt orange with a one finger of crisp white head. Head recedes quickly leaving ringlet lacing on the glass.

S: Nose is very hoppy. Big doses of piney and citrus hops with some minor malt presence.

T: Taste is piney hops at the forefront. Mingle of pineapple and mango coupled with malts fill out the middle. Finish is a big citrus hop - juicy lemon citrus lingers in the finish.

M: Medium body, medium carbonation, creamy yet oily body.

D: Goes down easily, somewhat filling, mild kick. This is one that I would love to have again!

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2010 21:34:51 | More by Jayli

cameraman

Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A medium amber color is poured in the glass, with a light beige colored head that is about a half inch high. The laces slowly down the glass and settles to a thin layer. Citrus and grass right into the nose at every scent, then gradually fading away slowly. A cracked grain and bready/yeasty flavor attacks the palate come to the front, but is soon overtaken by the hops. The hops bring a strong grapefruit flavor that attacks the palate, that is followed up by a piney resin flavor, that lingers on the palate. A watery thin texture at the front, then gradually gaining weight and becoming more medium bodied, staying that way till the finish. A strong bitter? How about an extreme bitter, this one crosses over into the IPA realm. Everything is very good about this beer though, an inviting look and a fragrant aroma invites one to the glass. The taste just backs up those aspects, with strong hop flavor and intensity. The feel stays consistent all the way through, so hop heads drink up.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2010 12:47:57 | More by cameraman

Gobzilla

California

4.22/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: poured and yellow orange with light brown highlights and a finger of head tha had good lacing.

S: sweet citrus fruits with caramel malts dominate with hints of grapefruit, piney hops, and bready notes. after a couple whiffs I also got pineapple mango armoas as well.

T: nice fruit forward flavors that consist of citrus, pineapple, mango, and grapfruit bitterness. Caramel, bready notes, and piney hops collaborate on the overall taste. I also got peanut butter notes.

M: medium body with a good amount of carbonation and had a sweet citrus and mild piny hop bitterness at the end.

D: very good and drinkable esb from FFF and will definitely seek out another bottle.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2010 16:11:38 | More by Gobzilla

koopa

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Rec'd as an extra in a trade with a generous BA thanks!

Appearance: Pours an attractive medium iced tea (slightly more red than brown) that is transparent and capped by a nice 2 finger off white crown that displays good retention and lace.

Smell: Slightly faded citrus hops (mainly grapefruit), some floral hops, a touch of white pepper, and a nice combo of fruity malt / caramel malt.

Taste: Hop bitterness up front is swept away by a dash of caramel that yields to a fruity malt and toasted malt wave. The finish has a small hop kiss. Good stuff.

Mouthfeel: Fairly active carbonation which helps because the medium body is the slightest bit syrupy.

Drinkability: I'd score it higher if it weren't for the mouthfeel.

Another good FFF brew that I'm really happy I got to try! I would have loved to sample this fresh.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2010 00:25:19 | More by koopa