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

ehammond1

California

3.6/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle (2011)

Acquired via online
Thanks, www.archerliquors.com!

Dark caramel auburn with a tight, light khaki colored head that eventually leaves splotches and lines of lacing down the glass. This beer is gorgeous.

The aroma is particularly sweet, dominated by honey, sweet and sticky toffee and caramel, and some pine and citrus hop components. Not nearly as pungent, bright, or clean as I hoped and have found in other hoppy Three Floyds offerings. I expected great, I was given slightly better than average.

The flavor is similar to the aroma, with bready, malty, and sweet components leading the way. The hops present in the way of a relatively high bitterness, especially for a pale ale. Great drinkability, however.

Medium to full bodied with ample carbonation.

Highly drinkable, somewhat bitter, bready, and sweet pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 23:14:15 | More by ehammond1

bishopdc0

Maine

3.6/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Got this as a trade extra.

Poured into my new Belgium tulip. The beer is pretty dark almost brown. with a decent size head. the head is thick creamy and hugs the glass.

The nose is hops first with a solid malt back. The hops are pungent earthy and piny. I don't get citrus.

The taste matches the nose. Hops first earthy and pungent. After the initial hop flavor the carbonation comes in and pale and lightly roasted malts mix in. As the carbonation subsides the hops present themselves again as a earthy bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 03:02:19 | More by bishopdc0

mfnmbvp

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle, no bottled on date present, but I doubt this was the freshest bottle of Three Floyds Alpha King that was available. Poured into a Boulevard tulip.

A - Poured an obnoxious three and a half fingers of creamy fluffy beige colored head with excellent retention that sits on top with a root beer float like appearance and a very nice looking ruby / burnt sienna orange colored body.

S - Pine needles. Fresh lemon. Oranges. Nice lively array of hop smells going on here.

T - Hoppy. Fruity. Floral. Sweet iced tea kind of taste that I have become accustomed to in pale ales and IPA's. Tastes good, but like I have said before, a lot of Three Floyds beers are way way way too over carbonated, and this beer is no exception. Very overly carbonated to the point where it is distracting.

M - Sticky, piney mouthfeel with the lingering taste of green apple sugars. I love hops, and I think this is a wonderful tasting beer, but like I said it is just too damn carbonated and bloating for my liking.

Overall, a decent tasting American pale ale, but I definitely feel this beer is over-hyped, and there are many much more subtle and complex APA's to be had. I think I would personally rather drink the New Holland Hopivore or the Grand Teton Sweetgrass APA instead. Still a decent year-round beer from Three Floyds, but being their landmark beer, I would probably choose something else of theirs like the Three Floyds Arctic Panzer Wolf.

Three Floyds Alpha King ---3.5/5

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 06:43:10 | More by mfnmbvp

ViveLaChouffe

Georgia

3.58/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Deep hazy copper with a creamy dense tan head. Lacy.

Smell: Citrusy hops, floral and sweet

Taste: Bitter and tart citrus. Smooth lightly sweet malt. Floral.

Mouth: Long hoppy finish, medium bodied.

Drink: Tasty and quite drinkable.

Overall: A bit unbalanced for a pale ale but it does have character. The malt profile could be more steadfast and while it is nicely hopped it doesn't have much to complement it. All in all though a good brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2004 01:55:24 | More by ViveLaChouffe

RoyalT

Ohio

3.58/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance – This one poured a nice, clear orangish-brown with a huge, puffy, retentive head.

Smell – The sharp, East Coast hop profile seems to have a bit of pine. This was a welcome surprise. I can pick up some light grain as well but clearly this is a hop-dominated APA.

Taste – The hops came out big at the taste but did not show a lot of depth, leaving this flavor profile a bit unbalanced. The malts were light and overmatched.

Mouthfeel – This one was somewhere between light and medium-bodied and didn’t hold up well to the big hops, but the bitterness was just wonderfully done.

Drinkability – This is a light, easy-drinking APA that I thought could have used a bit more depth.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2005 22:41:15 | More by RoyalT

tapman

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I get that the 3Fs make decent brews, but why the hefty price tag for the big bottles? Oh well, as for their more affordable Alpha King...

Pours rusty-red and orange hues towards the lighter bottom of the glass. Not much head at 1 finger, but the lacing sticks with it pretty well.

The aromas are citrus and grass with hints of pomegranate for that not-too-sweet fruitiness.

I believe the hops I'm getting are cascade, the most abundant American hop unless I am mistaken then please tell me. Earthy/grassy tartness with a bit of an alcohol sting. There is a sea-saltiness that compliments the bread-like malt back.

The carbonation is crispy. Overall the beer is creamy and smooth with a stingy finish.

Quite decent. I could enjoy 2-3 of these before the taste buds need a break from being worked so hard. I look forward to trying the $17 bottles one day, but for now this will do just fine.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2007 19:16:31 | More by tapman

charlzm

California

3.58/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Consumed 04/25/08/.

Pours a hazy medium gold with a two finger, white (light yellow?) head.

Aroma is soapy.

Flavor is restrained but interesting. Some caramel maltiness and strong but smoothly bitter. Juicy, whistle-whetting brew.

Well balanced, very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2008 01:45:59 | More by charlzm

Soneast

Wisconsin

3.58/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a slightly cloudy, orange color, with a pretty thick head that lasts quite awhile, leaving a lot of suds on the glass.

The aroma consists of a lot of citrus character, most notably orange and pineapple, but there is also a light graininess and maybe even caramel notes in the aroma.

The flavor starts out with some nice hop flavors of the citrus variety but then the beer gives up a lot of sweet malt character, mostly caramels and brown sugar. Some may call this well-balanced but for my money, it is too sweet for an APA.

Alpha King does have a very good mouthfeel, nice and creamy, and finishes well, but overall I thought the sweetness of the beer was a bit much. It is possible to bring out a lot of hop aroma/flavor without making a bitter beer, unfortunately FFF's decided to leave just a bit much residual sweetness which I think ruins the hoppy character. The beer isn't bad for what it is, but it is not a great APA, IMO.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2009 17:39:30 | More by Soneast

trxxpaxxs

New York

3.58/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a nice translucent deep honey gold. There is about one and a half fingers of off-white head that settle nicely along the top of the beer. There is a decent amount of lacing as it drinks.

S: The nose is is mainly light sweet malt, some citrus hops, and that familiar FFF yeast note.

T: It starts out with some malt character up front. It's actually a bit musty. I wonder how long this bottle has been sitting on the shelf. I get a bit of herbal tea and the citrus hops come on the the middle and last until the finish. That distinctive FFF flavor is totally evident.

M: Light to medium bodied beer. There is a bit of heft, more than I was expecting for an APA. The flavors hit the palate and shift off. Only a bit of lingering bitters.

O: This is a pretty good beer, but It's not quick what I imagined it to be. This particular bottle seems a bit old, but without any bottle dates, it's hard to know when it was brewed. I'd like to try this again, but when I know it's a fresh bottle.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 23:30:13 | More by trxxpaxxs

katan

Colorado

3.55/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle, no date

A - Poured a nice dark amber color. looks very clear. Had a centimeter high head.

S - No wonder this is called alpha king. I smell cascade hops like crazy. This thing has to be hoppy.

T - First taste is hops, and it hits with a bitter flavor. It finishes with a nice malt hit from the roasted malt.

M - Very smooth - even with the apparent carbonation, it is a easy drinker.

D - I think this is a solid beer if I want to get my hit of alpha acids. I like the flavor, but i wouldn't drink a bunch of these.

All and all, another good 3F offering. This is a very good beer, but as I consider a "5" ranking as the best ever, my ranking is probably lower than most others.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2007 00:54:25 | More by katan

robwestcott

Indiana

3.55/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

third glass in a FFF flight.

poured from tap to a 4oz taster a semi translucent light mahogany with a 1/2 finger off white short lasting head.

aroma of piney hops and not much else - except cigarette smoke from that guy next to me.

piney hops forward to the exclusion of all else. it's a hoppy beer not pretending to balance.

bitter on the tongue, medium carbonation.

very drinkable at 6abv.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2010 17:52:28 | More by robwestcott

Nugganooch

California

3.55/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Another review made possible by my first trade with Shuggy. Cheers mate!

Very excited to try some 3 F's goodness for the very first time and just so happens that I actually got to sample some Alpha King at the PizzaPort Real Ale fest recently. Now sitting down with a bottle and results are sort of a let down for me.

A: Pours a much darker pale - more amber color with almost no head love. Just a dank swirling mass of a brew. Struggling lace.

S: Sweet honey malt notes with ample biscuit characteristics. Picking up some slight citrus but smell is dominant malt.

T: Taste is mostly sweet with a light honey and english biscuity malt character. Good amount of bitterness. Some noticeable spice and pine notes but any delicate hop flavors are just trumped by the abundent bready and honey malts here. Bitters do round it out and finish it up nice. ABV slighlty detectable.

M: Not a bad mix of sticky and creaminess on the palate that is bittered well.

D: Good. Malt forward for the style and lands a bit on the sweeter side.

Maybe my expectations were just too high here for a brew titled the Alpha King. As far as hops go this one is definitely not the King. Maybe back in the day this was considered hoppy? Overall a decent brew but a bit heavy on the malt flavors and aromas for the hops to really shine in my opinion. Perhaps one I will not be seeking out again any time soon with the many other options these days. Glad to have tried though.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2011 21:44:01 | More by Nugganooch

Westsidethreat

California

3.53/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

A: Pale ale my butt, looks like an IPA to me. Nice darkish orange, parika color. Off white head has fallen to a playfull froth kicking it on top of the body

S: Again, smells like an IPA. Deep, enriching aromas of tangerine, white peach and redwood.

T: Interesting dry bitterness going on here. Notes of grapefruit, kiwi and loads of fresh hops. Looong bitter finish with a buttery aftertaste.

M: Bit astringent, not very full. Too crisp.

D: Um yeah, it was a decent beer. But the ratings its receiving are not worthy IMO.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2006 04:24:12 | More by Westsidethreat

Beerontwowheels

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle courtesy of Nasty31. Thanks, Andrew!

A: Pours a reddish orange hue, basically amber. Almost two fingers worth of head. Lacing looks great as the head recedes into a nice cap. Super clear, no haze or sediment to speak of. Working my way down the pint glass, the lacing sticks around quite well.

S: Light notes of biscuit and citrus. I don't get a ton of aroma off this, unfortunately.

T: Mild hop bitterness. Biscuit type maltiness is very much present. The citrus is there, but not in your face. Very pleasant APA so far. This one lingers on the tongue for what seems like a long time.

M: Almost creamy. Maybe slightly overcarbed, this one floats over the taste buds rather quickly.

O: A nice APA. Not my favorite by any means though. I expected the biscuit type flavors given the color, but I think the citrus could be amplified a bit more to make this beer stand out.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 00:24:14 | More by Beerontwowheels

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a deep amber color ale with a small white foamy head with minimal retention. Aroma of strong bitter hops with some floral malt. Taste is mostly overpowered by hops with some caramel malt. I’m not sure I get what is suppose to be so great about this beer, seems to me that it lack balance. Will give this another try though.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2005 17:02:10 | More by Phyl21ca

tayner

Arizona

3.5/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle courtesy of buckeyenation, thanks!

Medium nut brown color with a very sticky white head and lots of lacing

Smell is sweet malt and hops of a citrus grapefruit pith in nature.

taste is green. Lots of hot hop oils, bitter, grassy, and pretty unbalanced. Not enough malt backbone to stand up to the hop making it, IMO, a pale ale hop bomb.

mouthfeel is oily but very well carbonated. even with the great carbonation this one was still pretty mouth coating.

It was easy to drink, would have been more enjoyable if it had a bit more maltiness to balance it some.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2008 21:07:46 | More by tayner

ShogoKawada

Rhode Island

3.5/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12oz extra from mikey711. Thanks! Into tulip.

A- That's a damn dark pale ale if I do say so myself. Penny copper brown. Nice sandy head that's mostly white. Large bubbles, nice lacing, head settles to a 1/2 cm and just stays there.

S- Hops! Sweet, sugary malt and fruity, mildly piny hops. Big citrus component. Hmm... west coast hops with an east coast malt bill.

T- Good hop bill here, malt is a bit too much for me. A bit sweeter than I would have liked. Still very tasty.. esp. for a pale ale (drinks like an IPA). Hops are flavorful and don't have too much bitterness. Lots of sugary sweetness... like frosted hops.

M- Again, too much malt. Maybe I'm just not being kind to this beer, but it borders on too sweet. Good carbonation though.

D- Moderate. I'll have to revisit this at some point, maybe my head's just not in the game. Good stuff, not great stuff though.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2010 02:26:55 | More by ShogoKawada

frank4sail

New Jersey

3.48/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pale average appearance. Not alot stands out. There is an above average hop presence, but it seems to fade into thin air as you drink. Slight white head. Overall a slightly above average pale ale.

Serving type: on-tap

10-18-2002 11:48:18 | More by frank4sail

rugger

Arkansas

3.48/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This beer poured a nice coppery color with a small white head that stuck around for a little while, and then left a nice lace pattern down my glass. The smell was at first very hoppy and then that went away and there was a smell that was very malty. The taste was more malty than hoppy, however you could tell that there were a lot of hops in there. I think that there could have been more hops in this beer, especially seeing as how it is called alpha king. This was a nice beer, but I have had better. I will try this again if I ever get a chance. It is always hard to rate a beer on one experience. i think that this beer would be great with a RANDALL.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2004 16:35:07 | More by rugger

SlothB77

Virginia

3.48/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

12 ounce bottle poured into glass

A: Dark copper with half a finger of milky white head, viscous and a little rocky.

S: Grapes, passion fruit and cut grass.

T: Slick sour taste, toast and honey. Lemony sour mixed with hedgerow.

M: Medium-body, medium carbonation, acidic, slick, sour and bitter.

O: This is a little too sour for my taste, but I am more of a fan of IPA's than I am of pale ales.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

03-20-2013 00:07:15 | More by SlothB77

aracauna

Georgia

3.45/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The appearance isn't too much. Color of one of the lighter shades of leather with an off-white head that was neither large nor long lasting. Nose is malty with hops that are dominated by the Christmas tree-like over the citrus but both are present. Flavor is surprisingly thick malt for a pale beer with a nice balance with the hops. Kind of a slick mouthfeel, but not as slimy as some.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2002 23:29:11 | More by aracauna

rastaman

United Kingdom (England)

3.45/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pretty nice stuff, quite sweet at first, then quite bitter towards the end. Rich palate, full of flavour, a soft smooth texture. Sweet malts, a nicely bitter aromtaic hops. Main flavours of lychee, pine, grapefruit (sweet). Satisfying bitterness. A slightly stronger version of an APA, Tasty stuff.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2004 13:07:50 | More by rastaman

OlieIPA

California

3.43/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Orange and hazy with good head. Not much lacing.

S: Sweet and hoppy; very typical

T: Syrup like taste with a light bitter finish. Couldn't pin-point out any distinct flavors...but perhaps a honey like sweetness.

M: Light body and carbonation; just about perfect for this type of beer.

D: Could drink all night if needed.

Overall: A good beer...not great. One of the better pale ales I have tasted.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2008 08:10:22 | More by OlieIPA

JudgeRoughneck

Louisiana

3.4/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Thin head evaporates to surface mottling over dark, brownish-amber beer. Nose is fruity and piney hops. Alpha indeed. This beer is straight up bitter. It may be the bitterest beer I've ever had. Deeply resinous with bigearthy/ cinnemon in finish. Mouthfeel is thick and sticky.

This is a well-made brew but not my style. I'm way more into FFF's Gumballhead, which I consider an IPA also (though it is wheat-based), and showcases Amarillo hop flavor beautifully.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2006 05:26:50 | More by JudgeRoughneck

dborginis

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Really cool bottle label, foil backed picture with "It's not normal" visible in the right light. Great packaging.

Poured into a standard pint glass, brownish red, a bit turbid with a foamy head. Smell is of citrus and bitter bitter hops.

Taste, at first I taste the yummy citrus hops. Then it gets really bitter with the taste of a dark bitter malt backbone. A bit of an earthy planty flavor in there too. Maybe with a sweeter malt flavor I would, but I'm not especially enjoying this. The lingering bitterness is just not doing it for me. A Dale's Pale ale is a bit more accessible to my taste. As I go though, it's going down easier, but still not ideal.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2009 02:07:38 | More by dborginis