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

Scooter77

Ohio

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

I ordered this beer at restaurant a couple nights ago, already knowing that it received high ratings, but I had no clue that it was going to be this dang good. Pours a dark copper color with a thick rocky white head. The head retains itself for the entire duration leaving a thin lace splattered on the sides of the glass. The aroma is all about hops, lots and lots of hops. Light citrus aromas where also detected. The taste…nuthin’ but hops, it seemed as though I tasted a different type of hops each time I took a drink. But, where’s the 7.3% alcohol? It’s hidden exceptionally well. There was an intense amount of bitterness left in my mouth, but I didn’t mind, I was in love with the taste of this beer. Will I buy this one again? Hell Yeah!

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2003 05:36:30 | More by Scooter77

fattyre

Georgia

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

This beer pours a slightly hazy orange color with a moderate tan head. The mouthfeel is moderate. The smell is sweet maltiness with citrus notes. The taste has a malty start finishing with grapefruit hops. Overall a nice hoppy pale ale that seems to hide its relatively hight alcohol percentage well.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2003 19:25:17 | More by fattyre

OldFrothingSlosh

Pennsylvania

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

Presentation: 12oz amber bottle. Bottle features a rather portly man? looking like a cross between Mr. Yuck and a grown-up, steroid-raging version of the little kid in the Jolly Green Giant commercials.

Appearance: Dark, almost "burned" orange in appearance, complemented by a fairly decent head that struggled to maintain its dignity and be seen. Patchy lacing of the glass.

Smell: Lovely mixture of citrus, spice, and floral bouquets. You can just picture all of the hops figthing amongst themselves to make it out of the bottle.

Taste: Whatver the ugly dude on the label was sprinkling over this beer really worked. A tantalisingly smooth flavor is detected at first, followed by an avalanche of hops. The bitterness isn't too over-powering, and is very flavorful.

Mouthfeel: A moderate amount of body. Finished crisp and clean...leaving you ready for another sip.

Drinkability: Very, very easy to drink. The blend of the flavors, coupled with the dryness on the tongue make for an excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2003 19:36:55 | More by OldFrothingSlosh

FirkinDave

Illinois

4.8/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Where to begin!?! Pours a beautiful amber hue with a strong head 1in. to bring the flavors flying up to the surface. The nose is of a perfect brightly green fresh picked hop. Taste is amazingly big. Citrus and hops abound to beat the living crap out of my tongue. A tiny touch of grapefruit does appear midway through, but not enough to overpower the floral hops. Great finish leaves my mouth a bit dry, but understandably so because I immediatly need to order another. Sneakily designed!!
The bottle version is pretty tasty also, but no comparison to the experience of a tap Alpha King. This beer lives far up to and over it's name, and is definitely one worth picking up!
Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2003 00:04:18 | More by FirkinDave

purplehops

Maine

4.18/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Alpha King pours an amber-orange with a white head that has staying power and leaves some spotty lacing on the glass. The aroma is floral and citrus hops with some fruit notes. The taste starts with a creamy maltness that gives way to hop bitterness quickly. Along the way there are flavors of apricot, caramel, and pear intermixed until the hops take over all flavors. The finish is slightly dry with citrus hop bitterness being the dominant flavor. The aftertaste has a sleight resurgence of malt flavors followed by a tidal wave of hop bitterness that lingers for some time. Mouthfeel is medium to medium heavy with a nice balance of carbonation.
Overall this is a wonderful ale. They call this an IPA? Can't wait to try Three Floyds IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2003 04:46:24 | More by purplehops

TheLongBeachBum

California

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

During a recent Beer tasting held in my Apartment I was not too impressed with this offering. In the slightly less noisy and more laid back surroundings of my own company tonight, and another 355ml Bottle all to myself – I have changed my opinion somewhat.

The 12 fl.oz. bottle label is quite intriguing, a big fat green dude with green hop-vine hair and a gold crown with the letter ‘A’ on it, appears to sprinkling his own hoppy dandruff into a pint glass full of beer. Looks like a cross between Don King, a Buddha and the ‘Green Man’ of Southern English legend.

It pours with a reasonable head at first but it almost immediately subsided to a thin white halo head that was stretched over the top of the beer with only a handful of bubbles floating on the surface. The body of the beer is a gorgeous deep clear amber color that shines with a deep copper orange brilliance when back-lit.

Aromas are slightly acidic, citric, lemony and very hoppy. Fresh hops abound in the back of the nose, whilst the tantalizing pull of hummulus lupulus will certainly tease and entice hop-heads.

The tastes are quite superb, fresh green acerbic hoppy skid-marks are laid on the tongue, and it will take more than Billy Mays and his bloody annoying super-sized OxyClean, or miracle Orange spray, to get rid of these stains. The hop-bitterness is beautifully balanced amidst the multi-layered citric floral strata’s. Talking of Billy Mays, this beer did appear to have a slight fruity end, I got an orangey taste set amidst a feint malt finish, which I enjoyed. Bitterness still lingers in the long finish. My hoppy belches are quite tasty after this offering. How impolite, yet incredibly self-rewarding it is to burp aloud and taste ones own belches? – My Mother would slap me hard for these bad manners if she was here. LOL, Awesome.

If this is the Pale Ale from Alpha King – I would dearly love to try their I.P.A!!!!

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2003 22:41:33 | More by TheLongBeachBum

oberon

North Carolina

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

The labeling on the six-pack caught my with the crazy looking king on it to begin with,poured a hazy-yellow color with extreme hoppy mown grass smell.Taste was a little piney,with definent hop overtones.Alittle malty in the background but in my opinion not quite balanced enough,a decent beer but maybe a bit overated.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2003 07:12:44 | More by oberon

Bunnyhop

Georgia

3.8/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A slightly hazy, orange colored Pale Ale with a moderate tan head. The smell is most definitely hoppy, along with malt. The taste is malty, followed by a hoppy grapefruit flavor, with a bitter finish. It has a moderate body in my mouth. I was quite surprised and liked this more than I thought I would.

(source: Habersham Discount Beverage; Savannah, GA)

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2003 16:30:21 | More by Bunnyhop

PhantomVodoo

Ohio

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

Very good APA. Pours a coppery golden color with an off-white head. Good citrusy hop aroma. Aggressively hopped. Very good citrus hop flavor that seems to overlay a solid malt backbone. Spice notes are also detectable. Maintains good drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2002 13:46:40 | More by PhantomVodoo

ethosx19

Wisconsin

4.6/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Dark red amber color, citrus hop smell, and a really cool label. The taste is a little grapefruit and a whole lot of hops. The hop flavor stays on long after the beer is gone. I like hoppy beer and the 7.3% alcohol is a nice bonus.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2002 17:05:54 | More by ethosx19

RBorsato

Virginia

3.68/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Dark gold, bronze-ish color with a low tan head and good lace. Hoppy, piney, tar(?) aroma with light malt aroma detected. Piney, sprucey hop flavor with a good malt balance. Medium bodied with a bitter finish.

One of the coolest bottle labels I've seen around.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2002 09:35:14 | More by RBorsato

Lupe

New York

4.8/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

While being poured the citrus hop aroma hits you and your mouth starts watering. This is the start of something good.

Pours a hazy copper color with a tight, creamy, off-white head that leaves some lace. Citrus aroma greets you with some grapefruit, pineapple, and hints of sweet malt. Smooth and creamy mouthfeel with a medium body. Starts with a short blast of hop bitterness that smoothes out into a citrus flavor, all the while sweet malt flavors dance about your tounge. Amazingly well balanced, nothing dominates but all the flavors come out nicely. Finishes dry with some sweetness.

7.3% abv?? You have to be kidding me. Not even the least bit noticable in taste. Highly drinkable but watch out or this will hit you like a hammer to the head. A great Pale Ale!

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2002 17:48:31 | More by Lupe

MJR

Missouri

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

Appearance: Has an amber-orange, semi-cloudy body with a light tan head that leaves too quickly but still manages to lace the side of the glass.

Smell: Great aroma with grapefruit, pine resin, pineapple, and a touch of sweet malt. There's Cascade in here, but that's probably not the only hop used.

Taste: This is a really well balanced American Pale Ale! It starts with hop flavor, and ends with a shot of piney bitterness, all the while letting the malt shine through. Lots of grapefruit and citrus in here as well. Good spiciness. Outstanding flavor and balance.

Mouthfeel: Medium mouthfeel, with a semi-crisp, dry body. Good at rousing the appetite!

Drinkability: Very high. The incredible balance and dryness combine to make a very drinkable beer. Start a big meal with this brew. A great example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2002 20:07:40 | More by MJR

maxpower

Missouri

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

Pours a glowing amber-copper color, nice thick head,decent lacing. Strong grapefruity cotten candy, hoppy aroma. Medium body, soft creamy palate, Strong citrus hoppy with some caremel flavor, good session brew, easy to down a few.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2002 15:23:12 | More by maxpower

beernut7

Massachusetts

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

First thing that came to mind: "Holy crap what a great beer!" Huge citrus aroma leading to a refreshing and extremely drinkable, well-bodied ale. The intense spicy citrus hop profile is awesome with an aggressive, but not oppressive, bitter bite. Up on/near the top of the line.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2002 12:51:02 | More by beernut7

Thrasher

Oregon

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

Bottle numbered 02142 which I presume means the 142nd day of 2002. Does anyone know if I am right? Says brewed in New Ulm; Cokes tells me it's contract brewed by Schell. Despite being 6 months old still in fine shape. Spooky bottle. Excellent head, sensationally fruity aroma. Taste is quite good, rich caramel malts buttressed by grapefruit hops. Instead of bittering, the hops bolster the sweetness of the malts. Interesting effect. Kind of like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale crossed with Magic Hat #9. But sweeter than both those beers. Top-notch mouthfeel, creamy frothy and just a hint of rawness. This should appeal to not only the hophead but the fruit beer fan, as well as middle of the road drinkers looking for adventure. A fun beer to drink but too fruity and zesty to be a session pick. 7.3? Is that for real? Yikes. Three Floyds is new to me and definitely one I will keep my eye on. God bless this current wave of intrepid new US microbrewers, I was born at the right time.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2002 15:45:35 | More by Thrasher

BeerBuilder

Minnesota

4.18/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I must say that I really enjoyed this beer. It pours to an amber-orangish color, with an off-white, creamy head. It also has a slight hazy appearance to it. Alpha King has a very hoppy, citrusy nose, probably from the possible use of Cascade hops. The citrus aroma reminds me of lemon zest. The beer has a nice hoppy, citrus flavor as well, and finishes dry. Overall I would definitely drink this beer again when I want a nice hoppy beer. I would love to try this one on tap.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2002 09:48:28 | More by BeerBuilder

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

sponberg

New York

2.93/5  rDev -31.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bright golden amber, reasonable head.

Nose of citrus and spruce over a hint of malt. The flavor... It starts out OK, but about a third of the way through a medicinal, herbal note kicks in that I can't get my tastebuds around. I found it slightly off-putting, but can appreicate that it makes it different from other APAs out there. Decent balance otherwise. Good, bit it wouldn't be my first or second choice.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2002 19:34:56 | More by sponberg

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

pezoids

Pennsylvania

4.63/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

We stopped by their brewery in munster recently and was
poured an Alpha King by owner and brewer Nick Floyd. I was completely blown away. First by the intense hop and citrus aroma, then by the overall taste. I had this beer in a bottle a few years prior and it was pretty good then, but I urge everyone out there to go and see Nick and let him pour you
a fresh one. You might also be blown away.

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2002 21:11:15 | More by pezoids

Jon

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

As a Hoosier, I've got to give it up for my favorite beer brewed in Indiana. This pours a deep copper-orange color. Smells of citrus and floral aspects. Has a huge hop flavor (lots of Cascades, I presume) and should qualify as more of an IPA than a Pale Ale. However, this is a Three Floyds brew, and as they say, "We're not normal." Regardless, this is a great ale.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2002 15:36:48 | More by Jon

budgood1

Minnesota

4.55/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

can't believe this is brewed and bottled at schell in new ulm. what a serious and bold beer...cloudy, hazy burnt orange color. nice off white head that sticks. hops explosion in the nose...a citric dynamite blast. tastes awesome. bitter alpha hop madness in the mouth is meakly balanced by a caramel malt body. it IS slightly thin in mouthfeel but the hop party doesn't let you worry about that. hits the spot after a hot day in the sun! a hop-head delite.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2002 16:18:17 | More by budgood1

Bierman9

New Hampshire

3.95/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle review of 19JUL02....
Tried on draft before....now it's the bottles turn. Decent copper color, with a good, frothy white head and good lacework. Floral, hoppy nose, a bit more pronounced than the draft version. Found the body a tad thin, but still fairly smooth. Came across with a lot of hoppy flavor, both a combo of citrus and some bitter notes. The bitterness carries more-so into the finish. Thanks for the sample, Murph!

overall: 3.95
appearance: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | mouthfeel: 3.5 | drinkability: 4

*** ***

On-tap review of 05JUL02...
Enjoyed at Richmond's Commercial Taphouse, with Artied2, Drew and friends! A medium-dark copper colored brew, it had a thin, lasting head, and some lace. Looked appealing! Nose was a floral, hoppy version, but mild. Body and smoothness did nothing to detract from the quaffing experience. The leadoff batter was a mildly sweet malt hitter, but the clean-up man was the hops! Smooth, floral, and some fruity hop notes brought everybody home. Good company, good bier! (4.0/3.5/4.0/4.0/4.0 - 3.90)
Prosit!

240

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2002 16:26:13 | More by Bierman9

Wildman

Ohio

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

This beer had a nice dark amber orange color to it. It formed a nice light tan head that left some nice lace. A slight hop and malt aroma to it. The flavor had hops and malt with a sweet, but not too sweet, citrus and caramel taste. It has a medium body and finish. Not as dry of a finish as their Pride and Joy, but a good beer.

Serving type: on-tap

07-01-2002 14:17:20 | More by Wildman