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

Wasatch

Utah

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

A - Pours a slightly cloudy dark golden yellow, nice carbonation, tiny head, not much lacing though.

S - Scents of hops, sweetness, slight caramel.

T - The taste is sweet, but pretty hoppy for an APA. Nice clean finish.

M - Medium body.

D - Very drinkable. This is a very tasty APA, more of a slight IPA flavor to me. Totally different than a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Glad I got a chance to try some.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2006 00:50:10 | More by Wasatch

expatsteve

Wisconsin

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

Appearance: Orange amber in color, with 1/4 head that thins to a light sudsy skin. Medium visibility. Low/medium viscosity.

Aroma: Kiwifruit and mild grapefruit. Sweet malts underneath, and some orange and honey notes. Great fresh aroma.

Taste: Nice balance - pine and grapefruit hops bristle on the front and middle palates, while sweet cantaloupe and honey notes develop alongside this and control the aftertaste. Fruity developments as it warms - kiwi, orange and sweet citric bursts.

Mouthfeel: Thinner than it looks, which keeps this really drinkable; no bitterness in the aftertaste - just a hint of toffee malts.

Drinkability: Great pale ale, though the fruitiness is more reminiscent of an IPA than it is an APA (which I tend to think have heavier malts). Nonetheless, this is a fairly unique flavor that displayed a lot more balance than I thought I'd find in a FFF pale ale. Refreshing and sessionable brew.

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2006 03:32:35 | More by expatsteve

edmundfitzoil

Florida

4.7/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Alpha King poured from a 12 oz. brown bottle into a standard pint glass on the eve of our move to Florida.

The beer poured a very deep, reddish amber with a finger of thick off white head that left fine lacing around the top of the intial pour. The beer's nose was quite nice: big and bigger piney and spicey hops.

How do I catergorize the flavor of this beer? Seems unbelievable that this is an American Pale Ale, but my first thought is how good this spicey, hoppy beer would be with pizza. Upfront spicey hoppiness with a warming, subdued aftertaste. The spiciness wasn't as prevalent with the second sip, which hinted at various citrus juices. Later, a light maltiness barely peeks through. No alcohol to be found anywhere in the beer, and even at 6.0% ABV. I'm thinking about sessioning this one. A creaminess appears further into the glass. Alpha King is a medium bodied, hop bomb that is super drinkable. Believe the hype about this one.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2006 01:29:39 | More by edmundfitzoil

aforbes10

Iowa

4.43/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Dispholidus brought a six pack of this to work for our friday beer drinkin' time, and im glad he did. mmm. this is a good beer. Butterscotch colored beer with a little head but good lacing. Smells like oily hops and sweet malts. Tastes fan-frickin-tastic. Very, almost overthetop hoppy on the first sip but for the duration just a nice powerful hop flavor that is a great treat to drink. Some sweet malt and pine flavors, but its pretty much all about the hops. A fantastic bottle of beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2006 20:20:24 | More by aforbes10

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

ClearDog

Wisconsin

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

Appearance -- Pours a deep amber-orange color with a creamy, clean white head. Leaves a sticky lacing on the glass.

Smell -- Very intoxicating! Rich, citrus smelling hops. Just a touch of malty sweetness. I love the smell of this beer on a hot day like today.

Taste -- Complex citrus. This is not a beer that is lacking in hoppy bitterness. I seek out this hop goodness in a lot of my beers and find that few deliver like this beer does.

Mouthfeel -- Nice . . . very nice. Creamy and wet. A slight bitterness just kisses the tip of your tongue.

Drinkability -- This is the first beer I've rated all 5s and I now declare it the official beer of my summer. I plan to drink a lot of it. I've been drinking this beer off and on for several years now, but this is the first time I rated it. This beer delivers what few others do. It's just excellent.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2006 19:56:47 | More by ClearDog

maundythirsty

Wisconsin

4.03/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Amber-going-on-red beer is very clear. It started with maybe half a finger of just-off-white head that went directly down the rabbit hole. Skimpy ring remains.

Aroma is a great big kick of grapefruit zest. Consider yourself forewarned.

Taste is so much a liquid version of the aroma that worried me briefly, but rolled slowly into a warm and expansive malt and then again into a tart asprin bitterness. The hops are loud enough for IPA territory.

Smooth enough, though all those flaming hops deliver a potent sting.

This one has gone over the wall a la Bitter Woman From Hell, but it's packing more balance. Crazy, but tolerably so. This goes in the pile with the hoppiest beers of which I would not mind having two.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2006 04:15:41 | More by maundythirsty

PBRstreetgang

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep amber bronze with surprisly good clarity given the sediment. One finger of soapy but dense head shows good retention and leaves spotty lacing. The scent of citrus here is collosal; more like fresh squeezed oranges rather than the rind. Some faint pale malt aroma lingers somewhere in obscurity. Toasted crystal malt and vienna upfront. Semi-dry aftertaste, herbal/citrusy cascade does an excellent job of balancing the sweetness. Low carbonation and medium body allow a hint of slickness, but it's really just enough to keep the mouthfeel less than crisp. Cascade and caramel flavors meld perfectly in the finish, which is a nice medium of dry to slick. Highly quaffable.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2006 04:14:08 | More by PBRstreetgang

MuenchenerKindl

Germany

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

Poured from a 12 Oz bottle to a heavy pint glass. Very nice semi cloudy, golden toasted amber liquid with good carbonation. The creamy head is a two finger off white puff of thick foam. It fades slow to a slight lace.

The smell is sweet carmely malt flooded with a generous amount of hops, not over dome for the style. Some fruity grain notes.

The taste is delightful. Lightly caramelized malts, making a small impassion over the smooth rush of a very nice bitter hops display. Just edgy enough to please the crowds, but not over done. The grape fruit taste is noticeable but smooth and enjoyable.

The mouthfeel in quite good, rich creamy think and coating, good body with a nice bite.

Drinkability is very high as this beer is better balanced that most of it's peers. Prost MK

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2006 00:11:36 | More by MuenchenerKindl

dreadnatty08

District of Columbia

4.83/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a crystal clear light caramel color. Off white plumes of bubbly head is formed, tracing impecable. After transfering my IIPA to secondary and getting a good whiff of cascade and centennial hops, this beer comes off as a hop tea, the aroma as fresh as those hops. A little sweetness is also detected in the aroma, but American hops dominate. Flavor starts out sweet with the hop flavor dominating. Lots of complexity in hop and malt flavor swirls around the mouth ending in a stab of bitterness. This beer is almost too perfect in the realm of APAs or IPAs whatever you want to call it. I've yet to experience one like it, but I hope I can make one damn close.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2006 18:13:11 | More by dreadnatty08

hoppymeal

Michigan

4.58/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours amber and orange in color with a cream colored head. Aroma is outstanding, smells of a hint of grassiness, sweet vitamin C citrus, red grapefruit, and sweet peaches. Complex taste of sweet oranges up front, quickly followed with bitter grapefruit,a little biscuity and then a dry slightly peppery finish. Mouthfeel is also very good, crisp and clean with a nice mild dryness in the finish. Definitely pushes the envelope of the Pale Ale style category in a very good way. I could very easily continue to drink more and more of this beer, and I probably will.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2006 23:12:56 | More by hoppymeal

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

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

Poured an awesome tawny, sunset orange with a slow moving head - took a second to start up then (like bread in an over) slowly raised to the perfect spot, and just leveled off and would keep for the tasting. A very nice semi-clouded shade. Thorough lacing too. Explosive aromatics. One of the most full bouquets I've encountered with any style. And lively too, quite vibrant. Mouthfeel is surprisingly smooth, drinkability is at a super high level. A polished mouthfeel leaves the flavour almost undetectable for a second, then you can feel the hops come back and coat your mouth. A great deal of citrus character. Different hops come out but the malt is blended in well enough it keeps this beer level without interfering with the hops. In other words, this taste and smells (and well overall, just plain IS) ultra hoppy - but it doesn't feel like it! Immense job with their flagship beer. A big, huge thanks to HogTownHarry!

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2006 05:27:09 | More by biegaman

MeLikeBeer

Minnesota

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

Pours a glorious bronzed amber color, seeming to glow in my glass. The half-inch thick froth of head sticks to the glass...beckoning.
Smells of caramel, and citrus hops- melons and orange...sweet malt overtones are also bombarding my senses.
Damn! Hops cascade through my tastebuds, malt brings it into balance...the bitter tang of hops is quickly flattened into a smooth, delicious beer. I can taste orange, imbibing the floral goodness of the hops.

This is one damn good beer. Smooth, well-balanced and highly drinkable. This wasn't my first and surely won't be my last. I've got a case I just picked up at the brewery and I'll be stretching that out until the next visit. Nice work, 3F!

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2006 02:21:50 | More by MeLikeBeer

villainchiwwin

Maine

4.47/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

murky amber-brown color with a nice slightly beige head and touches of lacing.
spicy, floral and piney nose with some malt also noticable beneath the hop aromas-->faint brown sugar/caramel.
taste held sweet malt at first with medium-bodied smoothness then the hops attack with some crispness and briefly floral/bitter raw hop oils -- citric fruit too; grapefruit, orange, lemon, and pine. sweetens somewhat in a semi-dry finish.

this is a great, hoppy american pale ale for sure. very solid, tasty, and luscious brew. could session it but it's complex and packs enough hop-power to sip and savor 1 at a time.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2006 16:11:30 | More by villainchiwwin

westweasel

Illinois

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

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle, with a nice white head. Belgian lace clings to the glass throught the drink. This beer has a wonderful strong hop smell (obviously dry hopped). I smell citrus and floral scents.

The taste was excellent, only a hint of malt flavor and good strong hop bitterness.
I can taste an orangey/lemon flavor and even a little pine. The mouthfeel was medium and very smooth.

Even with the strong hop flavor, this beer is very drinkable. The hop bitterness is not overpowering. This is a fantastic pale ale / IPA.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2006 02:45:55 | More by westweasel

jamesdergen

Minnesota

3.93/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: A dark caramel brown with a decent off-white head that dissipates but a little bit sticks around.

S: Very sticky, piney hop aroma but it is a little hard to detect

T: The hop profile follows the nose: resiny, sticky, piney hop attack with an ample nutty malt background. The alcohol presence makes it seem more like a Double IPA. Well-balanced without wimping out on the hops!

M&D: Relatively light-bodied and pretty well carbonated. Goes down pretty easy, but not one I would session.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2006 23:00:40 | More by jamesdergen

jokelahoma

Missouri

4.4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

An ever-so-slightly cloudy "old penny" copper liquid sits in my glass, with a good-sized, rocky, eggshell colored head that falls quickly to a small, thin, dishwater foam layer.

The aroma is hops. Not surprising from Three Floyds in general, or from a beer called Alpha King specifically. I'm sure there's malt in there somewhere, but if you're going to find it, you'll have to look behind the curtains, beneath the couch cushions, under the bed... it's there, but it hides very, very well. What an amazingly enticing aroma.

The taste is hoppy as hell, as expected. There's good bitterness up front, good hop flavor mid-drink, and a good floral hop atertaste that lingers on, and on, and on... About the time it starts to fade, you're ready for another hit. I really couldn't find the malt in this one at all. Granted, I wasn't searching too hard, enjoying the hop utopia I had found myself imprisoned within. I know it's there, same as with the aroma. This would be undrinkable otherwise, and it's anything but that. This is a very, very good hop-oriented beer. I can't find the malt, but I honestly don't miss it.

The mouthfeel is oddly a tad thinnish, yet, like the malt, I don't miss the body. Thin is in, where this beer is concerned.

I'd heard rave reviews over Alpha King for a long time, but since they don't distribute here, I couldn't locate a sample to try. Closest I came was another Three Floyd's brew, Pride and Joy, which I panned due to style, not due to quality. When I finally located bottles of this in Vienna, Virginia, I snagged a couple to bring home and try. I'm very glad I did. This is an outstanding beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2006 04:55:24 | More by jokelahoma

hammer09

Illinois

4.47/5  rDev +4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A friend of mine gave me a bottle of this to try, and I've been thanking him ever since. This is an excellent beer!

The Alpha King poured a nice, deep amber with very little head. Lacing was minimal with a fine amount adhering to the glass. Not as cloudy as I expected from a bottle conditioned beer. Carbonation was minimal with only a few visible bubbles.

Smell exhibited a very pleasant hop aroma with citrus accents. I was quite surprised at the hoppiness; this is more characteristic of an IPA than a pale ale.

Taste was very bitter, but good, with a strong hop presence in the beer also. Slight citrus flavor throughout.

Mouthfeel was crisp and dry. Amazingly, the Alpha King was well carbonated considering that visual observations indicated otherwise.

This beer is very drinkable and I will definately add this to my "must drink again" list. Depending on its local availability, I will most likely pick up this beer whenever I see it on the shelf at my local retailer.

Overall, a solid, very drinkable, very enjoyable beer. However, I still can't figure out why this is classified as a pale ale and not an IPA.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2006 03:54:54 | More by hammer09

Mdog

Minnesota

4.28/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Deep red with a good head.

Smell: Bitter citrus smell.

Taste: Some sweetness up front and then really sharp grapefruit hops. Bracing!

Mouthfeel: The bitterness sticks around for a while, but overall not too heavy.

Drinkability: IPA hoppiness in a pale ale, good stuff.

Not available in Minnesota but is in Wisconsin and Iowa, this is a really hoppy pale ale. It's a hop-head's dream and easy to session. Recommended!

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2006 21:55:32 | More by Mdog

rabsten

West Virginia

4.93/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Schlafly pint glass. Dark amber, orange-tan head, slightly cloudy/hazy. Decent but not spectacular lacing. Pretty much everything I look for in a Pale.

S: Drool-inducing hop headiness. Evergreen and grapefruit-smelling hops and lots of them. The only brew I can think of that's better smelling - off the top of my head - is Troegs Nugget Nectar. And this is real, real close.

Taste. oh, dear me. Everything I want in a Pale. Everything. Hard hit of hops up fromt, mellowing into a spicy middle, finidhing with a bread-like maltiness. Very hoppy for a straight Pale. Hoppier than most IPA's, really. Delicious.

Mouthfeel takes a little ding b/c of the pure up-front strength of the hops. Once that's over and it hits the middle it opens up nicely. Smooth drinking after that.

Drinkability. I could drink this all day, every day.

This just entered by personal HoF. It is going to be a standby for as long as I can get it. I'm going back to Leo's Carry Out next weekend to get more, just to have around.

Bottom line: wow. Believe the hype. It's that good.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2006 16:45:46 | More by rabsten

wcudwight

North Carolina

4.93/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Ok, Father's Day is over and the boys are in bed. Now it's time to treat my self. I want something special, flavorful, but not over the top as I want to go to bed soon.
As I look into my fridge I see an Alpha King...perfect!
Appearance looks much more like an IPA than an APA. Maybe it's a double APA. Just Kidding. Oh man, I could just sit here and sniff this for hours. A cornacopia(sp) of aromas. Orange, bannana, grapefruit, mango, and pineapple come to mind. Flavor is the perfect hoppy beer. Tons of hop flavor with out the hop bite. Sure I've had hoppier beers, beers that make your mouth pucker. And I've loved them, but I've never had anything quite like this. Maybe it's super balanced, maybe the amount or type of malt they used. I don't know enough about brewing to distinguish the differences, but I do know this is a damn fine beer, and my taste buds are going crazy and jumping for joy. Feels great in the mouth. Chewy for a light to medium bodied beer. Drinkability? Well I'm going to have to switch it from my gots list to my wants as that was the only one I had. But when I get another one it will go fast.
The perfect beer to cap off a fine father's day.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2006 04:22:31 | More by wcudwight

Gaisgeil

Michigan

4.08/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Maybe by FFF hoppy standards this is a APA, but for most brewers and drinkers, this a definite IPA. Pours a light amber in color with a slighty creamy head with good retention. Nose is quite hoppy, piney and full; inviting. Taste is well balanced, some nice malt backbone but an over the top fruity and piney hop profile explodes on my palate. Mouthfeel is quite full, perfect carbonation. A very well made beer, I could easily see drinking a lot of this.

Slàinte!

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2006 21:20:38 | More by Gaisgeil

nickss

Texas

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

Dark for a pale ale... looks almost like an IPA. Pours a deep copper hue that is almost brown with a 1/2" head. The head could be alot better, but the bartenders pour wasnt exactly aggressive.

Big citrusy hop aroma. Lots of lemon with some resin in the backbone... the aroma, too, is IPA-esque.... very nice.

Huge hoppy citurs flavour... reminds me alot of Dale's Pale Ale, if maybe a touch more bitter. Very nice, and significantly more hoppy than your typical PA.

Decently thick body with a crisp feel.... quite nice.

This is one hop bomb of a PA, but still maintains its drinkability. An absolutely fantastic pale, and one I expect will be a regular in my fridge.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2006 15:45:24 | More by nickss

BEERchitect

Kentucky

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

Good, God, this bee may be the opidome of all Pale ales! I have had this beer several times, both on tap and in the bottle-- interestingly enough, I think the beer holds much better aromas than on tap and it holds the creamy carbonated body just as well. I don't expect bottled beers to compete favorably with tap versions.

A very juicy, aromatic, citrus aroma leaps out of th glass and greets me as I use the aromas to explore the taste, but get so much more. The citrus, pine, and fruity aspects of the hops compliment the caramelly, malty notes of the grains excepionally well. Extremely intense and mouthwatering throughout.

A darker than usual amber-rusty ale takes the appearance of an Amber Ale than the typical golden-straw colored beer. Because of

Those extreme fresh characteristics flow seamlessly into the taste. Very intense tastes of oranges, lemons, grapfruit, pine, and fresh-cut grass transer effortlessly. But all that goes unnoticed if not for a firm but understates toasty, cracker-like maltiness. Clean, crisp, and supportive of the hop flavor all the way.

A clean, crisp, cracker-like maltiness sets the tone for a dry, snappy finish to the beer. A light caramel sweetness lingers along with slight fruitinessl. Spicy hop bitterness and citrus lingers a bit longer than the malts; as a Pale Ale should.

Is this beer a perfect Pale Ale? Yea, pretty much.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2006 18:24:37 | More by BEERchitect

dogfooddog

Panama

4.47/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

bottle served around 50f....pours with a very large head into a pint glass. interesting variant on pale ale, as normally they are not hop-bombs.

Nose is overwhelmingly hops, surprise surprise. The taste starts out with a dominant hop note (don't know which variety), the background of the beer almost invisible at first. Eventually some of the pale malt fades into the aftertaste, but this is without a doubt a hop bomb, as intended.

At 6% sessioning this might be a bit short-lived, but it is a very enjoyable hoppy beer, typical of the quality I have found in 3 floyds' products.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2006 23:50:47 | More by dogfooddog