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

sprinkle

Michigan

4.35/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Even more beautiful than I remember,deep,clear coppery amber in color.Nice lace about a half an inch head that stays.Deep fruity hop nose.Awesome drinker,nice balance of sweetness with lingering hops.A little citrusy.

Serving type: on-tap

06-04-2002 21:43:47 | More by sprinkle

garymuchow

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is one terrific beer. Copper-orange color with thick full head. Hop aroma with mild citrus noted. Full hop flavor with mild bitterness from start to finish and lingers nicely. Mouthfeel very nice medium body and noticable carbonation. Additionally, it possesses a nice creaminess. One of the best examples of this style.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2002 19:14:50 | More by garymuchow

beerluvr

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pale Ale? Seems more in line with an IPA if you ask me! Pours nicely into the glass with a thick, tightly laced head. Excellent deep gold/reddish color. Nose is of fresh hops, citrusy & spicy with a little malt sweetness. Taste is at first malty and sweet again, changing to a tremendous but not palate-numbing hoppiness...citrusy and long lasting. A very satisfying beer to the hophead and non-hophead, I would hope. Very good without being heavy-bodied, well made.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2002 20:15:28 | More by beerluvr

jackndan

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Three Floyds Alpha King: Pale Ale, with the “creepy looking label” according to one South Sider. Deep amber/copper: with a one inch over the rim head, with a Mount Etna Volcano Cone (copyright pending). Sweet honey aroma, with a rolling, complex mix of flowers/fruit/malt. Initial sweet malt stimulates the tip and sides of the tongue and then a big hit of hops takes big pleasant bite. Hops/oranges/some kind of flowers battle it out in the end. Very, very nice beer, and highly recommended.

N.B.: WOW, according to other reviews, this is big in alcohol, but you’d not know it.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2002 19:34:13 | More by jackndan

proc

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Man, what a good beer. A nicely hopped APA (not an IPA) that pours out to a reddish-copper color with a slight head. Initial taste of citrus and caramel with a big dose of hops on the finish. This reminds me of Sierra Nevada's Pale with a heavier dose of hops. This is an excellent beer and does the American Pale Ale style proud.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2002 15:40:30 | More by proc

Murph

Arizona

4.38/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I am definitely happy that I went and bought this beer. Pours a pale orangey/amber color with a nice head on it and a clinging lace. Floral hops and yeast in the nose. This beer starts off all hops. But as I keep sipping it I get more and more malt that really balances this brew very nicely. Lots of bready yeast flavor as well. Creamy and smooth across the palate and very drinkable. This is one kick ass beer. I will definitely be picking up some more of it.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2002 15:38:27 | More by Murph

Viking

Indiana

4.45/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I was checking out some of my old reviews to see if I needed to update anything when I found that I had never reviewed Alpha King...what the hell's up with that! It's one of my favorites. So, I had to go get a sixer for a fresh viewpoint...

Anyhoo, on with the review:
Nice amber color, good head that left some lace on the glass. Too much yeast floating around. The yeast didn't bother me while drinking, but it wasn't a very appetising (sp?) sight. Grapefruit and floral hops dominate the oh-so-wonderful aroma. Pretty damn hoppy for an APA (really closer to IPA). Wonderful bitterness in this beer. It's a must for hopheads. Nice thick mouthfeel. This ale, truly, is "meat, drink, and cloth" - it's all one needs in life. At 7+ abv, this is a pretty damn drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2002 23:43:01 | More by Viking

Bighuge

Minnesota

3.13/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Hazy orange tinted amber color. Frothy white head. A bit of a pungent hop scent. An oily hop taste present. Quite bitter. More like an IPA though. An average pale ale. Tastes more like a British-style pale ale to me. American styles have more of a floral and herbal aroma reminiscent of the NW hop varieties. To me, this one doesn't possess that characteristic. I see I'm not in agreement with most on this beer, but SN, Summit and Big Sky are a lot better in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2002 22:24:04 | More by Bighuge

mophie

Delaware

4.68/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Ahhh, now this is what an APA is supposed to be. Golden orange color with a thick white head that lasts throughout. Floral aroma and knock-you-on-your-ass grapefruity hoppiness. Delightful. Now I am a huge Sierra Nevada fan, but this definitely tops their pale ale. Nicely done!

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2002 18:06:19 | More by mophie

ADR

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

As someone who loves American hop flavor but thinks that lemon tones in wheat beers are sour, I was a little worried that the label was in tropical colors and promised citrus. One short sip later, my fears were allayed, we're talking grapefruit hops...this is a truly good American Pale, and I can echo the grapefruit comments of VENOM and others...yes, better than Sierra Nevada, to me...only the similar but even more hopped Summit Extra Pale is a better example of this style, in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2002 11:41:04 | More by ADR

cokes

Wisconsin

4.45/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

One of the elite American Pale Ales (IPAs). Pours and amberish pale orange with a nice head. Hazy profile, which I enjoy greatly. The yeast adds immeasurable to the beer and smooths out the mix. Big time citrus hops profile, all full of grapefruit oil and resin. Caramelized, biscuity malt balances the brew out nicely, but not completely. This is absolutely a hop bomb. Alcohol content is there, but blended well with the massive hop flavors. Mouthfeel is full, but a bit greasy and oily.
A great refreshing brew, but one that I could drink whenever, wherever.
Certainly smokes more well-known APA examples like Sierra Nevada. Pick some up...you will not be disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2002 01:37:04 | More by cokes

bcm119

California

4/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice herbal nose and fruity malt palate, especially towards the back where some real juicy flavors come through. Hop flavor is mellow but the bitterness is solid. Not the cleanest pale ale, but its really well rounded and has a deliciously plush mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2001 21:45:08 | More by bcm119

Todd

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A damn fine beer. They use this as the base for the Alpha King Challenge, held annually during the Great American Beer Festival at Falling Rock.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2001 14:45:16 | More by Todd

John

New York

5/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is one of my favorite beers. Beautiful rocky head, great citrus aroma, unfiltered copper color, awesome hop finish. Nice malt balance.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2001 13:37:32 | More by John

Brent

Kentucky

4.2/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hops had a great citrus aroma, but I was a little disappointed that the citrus did show up in the finish, which seemed a little on the harsh, quinine-like side.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2001 09:21:52 | More by Brent

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: 12 oz brown long neck with no freshness date to be found.

Appearance: Dark amberish orange with an awesome off white head ... rocky, dense and sticky all over.

Smell: Lots of citrius and a sweet floral aroma. Clean in the nose with hints of malt and fruity esters also.

Taste: Medium bodied with a slightly chewy and textured mouth feel, nice mellow malt flavour holds up to a huge pile of juicy citric hop. Hop bitterness is great ... not too much though enough bite to be assertive. Mild fruity esters and a faint caramel malt are in the backround. Lots more hop flavour in the finish, slowly fading and letting a lightly toasted malt taste through.

Notes: Well built and one of the best ales in the US. Hop character is above the rest ... a must buy.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2000 00:00:01 | More by BeerAdvocate