Alpha King Pale Ale - Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

TheDudeRules

Minnesota

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

From a tap to my brandy snifter.

Pours a very nice copper color. Grapefruit, pineapple, citrus and hops spews from my glass. Very nicely carbonated. As much fruit as I took in the smell, it was lacking in the taste. This isn't a bad thing. It was just slightly citrus and tropical tasting with a pretty dry finish.

A really well balanced beer here. Very sessionable in this guys opinion.

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2011 04:41:47 | More by TheDudeRules

EricCioe

Montana

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

This pours a burnt orange with a nice, tight, one finger head that faces down to a collar and leaves good lace behind. On the nose are earthy, caramel malts that I don't remember being around before, but on top of that is a huge orange peel and other citrus note assortment. In the mouth is more of the same, maybe with the caramel hanging back a bit further and the orange peel mixed with some dirtiness, really a great hop profile that's a little different than the centennial bombs I'm most familiar with like Two-Hearted. The body is on the thin side of medium with a big bitter finish. It goes down really fast and my two bottles were gone quickly. One of the great fake session brews of the Upper Midwest, at least those that I've had experience with, and something of a high-water mark for pale ales.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2011 02:34:55 | More by EricCioe

JackieTH

Minnesota

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

I drove all the way from Minneapolis, MN to Ladysmith, WI to purchase this. When will Three Floyds come to MN?!?

Poured into a straight-sided drinking vessel reddish-orange/amber kicking up a fluffy head that clings and leaves nice lace as the glass is quickly emptied.

Nose is solidly pine forest and orange/grapefruit citrus. Taste sneaks in a bit of sweet carmelly malt up front but with generous helpings of resin, grapefruit and floral notes it's..(wow this isn't an IPA?).

A very pleasantly dry and bitter finish with a light-medium body and reasonable ABV that makes it very difficult not to knock back all six of my stock at one sitting..

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2011 20:09:01 | More by JackieTH

SDDanC

California

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

poured into pint glass, rich amber in color with a miniscule amount of head that dissipates quickly. Nose is definitely malty, caramel and roastyness. On the tongue this thing rocks, very crisp. Lots of piney aromatic hops up front, but the malty backbone tones them down a bit through out the end. A good amount of grapefruit comes out when it warms up, with i think compliments the malty characteristic. excellent brew to go with a late summers night dinner, or to exhaust fatigue from a hard day's struggle.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2011 03:06:01 | More by SDDanC

output01x

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev -4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Huge thanks to Dan3279 for this phenomenal trade!

Poured from a 12 oz. capped bottle (no date) into a pint glass.

A strong pour yields a 1 1/2-finger creamy tan head that falls apart after a few minutes to a thin but clumpy dusting with a thin foam ring around the edge of the glass. The body is a slightly hazy brilliant orange amber with very few carbonation bubbles. Some light lacing can be seen clinging to the glass throughout consumption.

A quick sniff discovers a strong pine hop presence along with some decent citrus peel. Diving deeper, I find the citrus aroma to be composed of orange peel and grapefruit juice. A good toasted malt backbone is also seen in the background, lending a little extra structure to the nose.

Interestingly, the first sip gives a creamy, almost muted caramelized malt flavor. Biscuit, toffee, and caramel are all present as the beer is held in the mouth. Some sharp floral and citrus hops can also be noticed struggling to break through the malt barricade. As soon as the beer is swallowed, pine and citrus hops explode across the palate with a great bitterness that rests on the middle of the tongue. A lingering floral bitter aftertaste persists long after the other flavors dissipate but never becomes very drying.

Medium bodied with great carbonation, this beer is deceptively drinkable. The body is rather full and somewhat coating for the style but never becomes sticky. The carbonation has no noticeable fizz at all but seems to give the beer a great creaminess.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2011 23:04:02 | More by output01x

Gushue3

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a Hill Farmstead wine glass.

A- Nice and full 1 finger head thats just slightly off white. This head is going nowhere and turns foamy, great retention. The body is an orangy red and relatively dark until held near light.

S- Orange and citrus thats right between sweet and bitter smelling. Theres a light malt in there too that helps round this out.

T- Much like the nose with citrus thats bitter not overkill that turns to sweeter citrus and then a light caramel and bready malt.

M- medium mouthfeel that is accompanied by a heavier carbonation. leaves my mouth wet and ready for another sip.

O- Nice APA. pretty good all around brew

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2011 22:24:07 | More by Gushue3

psuKinger

Pennsylvania

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

Bottle poured into one my standard curved-rim pint glass. No freshness date available on the bottle. Once again, thanks to Matt for bring this 3F offering back for me to try.

A: Pours a translucent orange with a thick frothy off-white head on top, 2-fingers worth to be exact. 3F beers always have such great head retention.

S: Citrus, grapefruit, and pine collide here. It's that "bright", hoppy smell that I've come to expect from Three Floyds. And I love it.

T: Taste follows the nose. A wave a grapefruit rushes in and holds all the way through the finish. In the process, notes of pine and citrus also make an appearance. A pale-malt backbone underneath is surprisingly most prominent on the finish, but is certainly not "showcased" here. Something resiny seems to linger on the finish.

The hops are showcased. And I love that. My only complaint would be that for all the floral, citrus and flavorfull hops as are here, they really could have used a bit more bittering hops to help really drive the point home for me. As it is, this beer runs just a shade to sweet for my liking.

M: Carbonation is a bit light for my liking. As such, it sits in the mouth with a bit of *heft*. Loads of flavorful hops and sugars are left behind on the finish. Lots of tongue coating.

D/O: I love hoppy beer. This was enjoyable, and I will repeat it again soon.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2011 00:18:35 | More by psuKinger

Efeswasmy1st

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

Poured from bottle into pint glass.

Red, orange hazy appearance with thick, frothy, tan head. Nice lacing throughout.

Aroma is heavy on spruce, citrus and some floral.

Taste has a light sweetness, medium bitterness.

Palate is medium body, slick feel, lively, bitter to the end.

Fun, easy, APA.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 23:58:28 | More by Efeswasmy1st

andrewjraab

Michigan

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

A - Dark burnt orange color. Two fingers of off white creamy and thick head. The head maintains a nice 1 inch thick ring the entire drink.

S - Big Citrus and floral notes.

T - Citrus, grapfruit, hop hop hop...nice sweet balance to it, but it stays true to its roots in the hoppy finish.

O - I stopped at a small bottle shop in Porter IN and picked up 3 varieties of FFF and not a single one has disappointed so far - this is no exception. A must try.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 01:58:44 | More by andrewjraab

WrathsU

Florida

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

A - Ruddy brown or caramel colored body is brilliantly clear. Slightly khaki and cream head is long lived and lacing is good.

S - Big cascade hop smell to me, which is to say grainy and slight citrus. Decent malt backbone to it, there are no huge citrus/tropical fruit smells to it at all. Perhaps a slight orange characteristic in there somewhere.

T - Huge cascade notes with the signature grapefruit taste. Very similar to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale which isn't a bad thing at all. This one tastes a bit sweeter with some more orange characteristic to it and the malt bill is more present. A really nice bitterness level throughout and a pretty dry finish considering how relatively sweet it is.

M - Medium bodied with a good level of carbonation and no alcohol burn.

O - A really good pale ale. If this was around my area of living it would be a staple alongside SNPA. Overall it's nothing PHENOMENAL or revolutionary, but it's a damn good drinking beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 23:56:53 | More by WrathsU

falloutsnow

Illinois

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

From: Three Floyd's Brewery, Munster, IN
Date: None on bottle, but a few weeks old from brewery
Glass: Standard US pint glass

There's no denying that Alpha King is a top-quality ale for those who appreciate hops. The beer's variety of fruit flavors and its fairly intense bitterness are heavily appealing, and are an enjoyable reminder of summer during the winter, or a suitable hop-forward quencher during the summer. This beer blurs the line (if there is any) between American pale ale and India pale ale, weakening the idea of styles and suggesting descriptors may be the better way of describing beers.

Pours a tall (3cm) head of light tan bubbles, which are small in size, creating a very frothy effect. Retention is above average, lasting over two minutes as it declines to a thin cap atop the body of the beer. The lacing the head leaves is fairly substantial and in a variety of shapes and patterns that hang across the glass' interior. The body is a copper orange color, with light bringing out reddish-orange hues. Quite hazy (50% opacity?), but carbonation is still visible, though not terribly numerous or vigorous.

Aroma of fairly pure hop pellets, mostly cascade and centennial, probably others as well. The scents are fruity, juicy citrus (orange, grapefruit), tropical (guava, mango), slightly peppery, and very expressive. This would be even better if it had a slight malt aspect to add some further dimension.

Front of palate picks up slight malt sweetness, but is already starting to notice the bitterness and hop-influenced flavors of grapefruit and bitter orange. Mid-palate finds increased hop character in grapefruit and orange flavors, with lesser quantities of mango, all atop a faintly discernible base of caramel malts. Bitterness is noticeable, but moderate to me. Flash of bitterness occurs as the beer hits the back of the palate, gradually fading to reveal more grapefruit and orange, with even a bit of mango and guava. Aftertaste is of medium-high bitterness and residual hop-influenced fruit flavors.

Beer is medium-bodied with carbonation of medium intensity, resulting in a mouthfeel that is at first slightly fizzy, then softly foamy as it moves across the palate. Closes quite dry, with modest stickiness lingering across the palate.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 06:27:57 | More by falloutsnow

BierReise

Florida

4.1/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle fresh from the brewery. Beautiful copper colored ale with a thick frothy head. Big piney citrusy hoppy aroma which smells like a good amount of Cascade but I could be wrong. None the less, fantasticly hopped. Smooth body with a bitter slightly dry finish. Terrific flavor with nice blend of malts and hops. A bitter pale but fantastic and nearly an IPA in my opinion. Delicate lacing. Wish I had more of this.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2003 22:43:24 | More by BierReise

SheepNutz

Kentucky

4.1/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz. bottle poured into a tulip-style glass. It pours a deep bronze color with one finger of head. There is a good amount of lacing left down the sides of the glass. The smell hints at pineapple and grapefruit, with a good dose of hops as well. A very full smell. The taste starts a little sweet and malty, but ends with a fury of hops. This brew reminds me of Burning River, because both are pale ales that have lots of IPA characteristics. The body is fairly thick and strong for a pale ale. The drinkability is really good for a 7.25% brew. A fantastic pale that works anytime!

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2003 06:07:20 | More by SheepNutz

TinusTime

Virginia

4.1/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours an copper colour with a fairly standard white head.. the head doesnt last too long but the beer laces well. Smell is of piney hops and a little citrus in the hops. Taste is actually a bit of sweet malt at first then the hops over take that without being overly bitter or hoppy.. Nice carbonation makes for an easy drinking beer. It would be a great session beer.. Over all the beer is good, but It didnt blow me away as much as I thought it would.. I guess i thought it would be hoppier. Still a good solid beer that I would drink again

EDIT-- maybe my first review was with an older bottle or maybe i was in a bad mood, but on second glance this was better than i thought.. The nose on this one was pure piney hops.. Hell my wife even noted that the room smelled like evergreens. Taste was still as good but the Hops much more pronounced. Still goes down smooth .. Glad I gave it a second glance

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2004 16:07:28 | More by TinusTime

beergeek279

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in the 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass. The color is copper, with a foamy white head. The smell is a strong citrus hop. The taste is fairly hoppy, but at over 7% the malt shows up quite a bit as well, and a lingering bitter aftertaste. Mouthfeel is average. As for drinkability, I could have a few of these.

Ahh, a not bad pale ale at all, and I appreciated the chance to give it a try, and I might well have it again.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2004 03:56:04 | More by beergeek279

Ellbert

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Orange with brown highlights. A yellowish head crowns this brew. A beautiful sight. What is this... floaties... bits of hops... you can't get much bette.r

Smell: It smells like fresh hops. There is little malt in the smell but the hops just smell so inviting. They over-take the aroma and invite you in. Very citrusy.

Taste: This is not as apealing as the smell but it is good. If you like sharp fresh hops this is great. The hops are upfront... They seem to overpower until halfway into the brew. As it warms up it balances more. The malt decides to play more of a role and steps up to the plate to hand it to the hops. The hops linger and leave an oily coating on your tongue. There is a little caramel in there towards the end. The alcohol is not evident.

Mouthfeel: Rich and dense. The hops impart an oily smoothness that coats your mouth. The malt adds body to the beer and the hop oils strengthen it.

Drinkability: This is not for the faint of heart. It is very blunt with the hops in aroma, flavor, and even appearance with the hop floaties.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2004 03:17:55 | More by Ellbert

flaminghomer

Indiana

4.1/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

this is a nice clean crisp pale ale that will knock you on your ass if you do not watch yourself. abv is a little over seven percent but doesn't taste over 5. very little alcohol taste. taste is clean crisp and hoppy. from the things that i read i expected some sort of hop freak show but instead had good hop character which is what i like. wait a minute... it is pretty freakin hoppy. i'm looking forward to trying other three floyds brews.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2004 05:25:51 | More by flaminghomer

lackenhauser

Maryland

4.1/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to BUCKEYENATION for the trade sample. I had tried this ages ago and was not impressed. Poured a nice coppery red color with a damn nice head that remained the whole way down the glass. Wonderful aroma-citrusy,almost spuce like. Big hoppy flavor up front-almost thirst quenchingly bitter if thats possible. Good body-well balanced to the hoppiness. A killer pale ale-more towards an American India Pale to me but a great beer all around. Funny what a second chance will do.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2004 19:38:59 | More by lackenhauser

lampkins

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Three Floyds Alpha King a perfect example of a pale ale that is not dominated by a overwhelming presence of alcohol in a beer. The beer pours a copper color that reminds me of a amber ale with a nice head. Beer smells like grape fruit and whole wheat bread. Tast of this beer is something spectacular, the taste of the hops do not dominate this beer and blends smoothly with the malty finish of this beer. It is easy to drink a lot of these beers, but they do catch up with you given the modest ABV. Give this beer a try, you will not be dissapointed.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2004 01:43:17 | More by lampkins

LarryKemp

Texas

4.1/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A dark clear reddish copper with a thick long lasting head that leaves a nice head. This is what an Americn IPA is supposed to look like.

The citrusy hop aroma is quite prevalent with little malt in the nose.

The taste started with a hint of malt sweetness that lingered throughout and tempered the hops in the finish. I could not detect any caramel or roasted malt. The hops bitterness did indeed linger into the finish and approached harshness.

The mouthfeel was surprisingly medium-bodied. Because of the malt sweetness, it was not as dry finishing as I had expected. I did not detect much carbonation.

Overall I find this is a very good American IPA and is at the upper limits for style in IBU's and ABV but does not go over the top in any aspect.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2004 03:47:22 | More by LarryKemp

abcsofbeer

Virginia

4.1/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a pale orange color, clear, with ample carbonation. The head is very nice, off white and bubbly. There is lots of sticky lace all over the glass. Aroma is abundantly citrus with
a great deal of hops throughout. The taste is grapefruit and nicely bitter in the aftertaste. A fine APA, I must say. Very refreshing and good for quenching the thirst.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2004 01:02:49 | More by abcsofbeer

ybnorml

Rhode Island

4.1/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A copper/amber colored beer with a slight haze. Small creamy beige head, with a good lace. There is a strong hop boquet with both spicey notes and citrusy notes. The hops in the flavor are quite assertive but not overpowering. There also seems to be a hint of smokey malt in the background.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2005 21:15:21 | More by ybnorml

Golden2wenty1

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a single at Riley's here in Madison.

Pours a dark clear amber with a short finger of white head with decent retention. Nose is big and hoppy, the bitter floral variety, some citrus, and sweet malts. Taste starts off with a sharp bitter hop bite and transitions nicely into tropical fruits and caramel malts Alcohol is mildly present. Mouthfeel is crisp and refreshing, though a little on the thin side. This is a tasty APA. Didn't wow me, but a solid bitter hopped pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2005 02:46:47 | More by Golden2wenty1

Zorro

California

4.1/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 Oz bottle Sampled through the efforts of SS 05 BIF and Meathookjones.

Pours a chill hazed copper to red colored ale with a good off white head.

Smell is very hoppy with a tart edge to it like a SNPA. Mild citrus and pine aromas with a slight soapy edge to it.

Taste is mild with almost nothing but caramel and slight astringent bitterness in the first taste. Very subtle flavors here, caramel and butter glide like a ghost across your tongue while the herbal bitterness dries out the palette just leaving a slight woody after taste.

Mouthfeel is good.

Quite a hoppy brew but it is so smooth that you almost wonder if you really are drinking something milder. Very subtle and easy to drink beer that will satisfy the hophead and the Macro drinker equally well.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2006 04:51:05 | More by Zorro

gbarron

Georgia

4.1/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From a 12 oz. bottle, no freshness dating that I can find.

A - light copper, orangey/golden. Head is creamy, off-white, coverage is excellent. Leaves nice lacing.

S - great aroma on this one. Strong hop presence - pine, resin, citrus, grapefruit. Little bit of alcohol. Malt in the nose as well - can smell some malty, bready sugar. Very, very well balanced nose.

T - forceful bitterness, but not overwhelming. Bitterness hits the tip of your tongue and goes all the way to the back of your mouth. Hop flavors of citrus, grapefruit, NW American hop variety. Some malt here - toffee, bread. But hops win out. A little bit of warming alcohol, but very slight.

M - very smooth mouthfeel. Carbonation appears average. If you let this beer sit out and warm up a little bit, carbonation calms down.

D - very, very tasty brew. Very nice on a warm spring day. Refreshing hop content livens up your tastebuds.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2006 22:21:05 | More by gbarron