Blackheart - Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

bashiba

Iowa

2.8/5  rDev -31.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured a slightly cloudy bright copper color with a thin white head that was quickly a light soap ring.

The smell was very sweet and bready with some light earthy hops.

The flavor is very sweet and malty with a heavy piney bitterness, a ton of lingering sweetness, the hops are lacking in flavor just packing a lot of bitter. The flavors do not mesh well.

The mouthfeel is thick and chewy with a lot of resin.

This is just a mess of a beer, lacking in all subtleties and balance.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2011 01:46:17 | More by bashiba

Blakaeris

Iowa

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

Pours hazy golden-copper with a massive dense head that hangs around awhile.

Aroma is toasted malt and citrus hop. Hints of dark fruit.

Taste is initially dry biscuit malt. The sweet dark fruit from the nose makes an appearance, then the earthy and citrus hop takes over. Plenty of orange and pineapple notes. Finishes with a mild woody dryness and subdued yeasty character.

Mouthfeel is a slick medium body.

Overall, flavorful and interesting. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2011 00:59:28 | More by Blakaeris

BigBossMan

Iowa

4.38/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Special thanks to my State Senator for bringing this back for me from Indiana.

22oz bottle poured into a 12oz tulip

Everything I had ever had from Three Floyds has been solid, and this beer was no different. Blackheart is their May seasonal, so this beer was nearly 6 months old.

It poured clear with a good inch of thick head. The coloring is a darker amber than most IPAs. The smell wasn't quite as strong as I had hoped - hops and sugar were present. The taste, however, was in full force - so many flavors that complimented each other like a great meal. There was a complex breadiness layered with brown sugar like a sweet bread. Add to that a solid level of hops and floral citrus aroma that filled my sinuses but didn't overwhelm. There were definite levels of flavors that worked together but didn't cancel each other out. It had obvious English characteristics that were simply accentuated rather than covered up by the more American style of being hop-forward. Throughout, it was very smooth and drinkable. The high ABV sneaks up on you. Overall, it was both the most flavorful and smoothest English IPA I have ever tried - and all at 9% - hard to top. Great job again, 3F!

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2011 19:59:23 | More by BigBossMan

osusullins

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap at the brew-pub. Poured a dark amber with a nice, full head.

Hoppy notes on the nose. Lots of pine resin and some biscuity/bread notes with subtle caramel.

Taste is very hop forward, but is well balanced by the malts. Very dry bitterness. I can see what makes this English style. Full-bodied beer, tastes almost nitro smooth... almost. The bready malts linger on the palate for some time. A very enjoyable beer.

Not my favorite FFF IPA, but I still cherish every drop. Very nice.

Serving type: on-tap

10-30-2011 04:13:47 | More by osusullins

phiberoptik

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a bright golden hue with copper tones and a creamy white head that dissipates quickly leaving just some sudsy residue on top.

Crusty bread, caramel and toffee notes, floral hop notes with a bit of some undefined fruit.

Resiny pine and some floral hop notes. No hiding the malt backbone in this one. Plenty of caramel and light butter notes in the middle. Very pronounced bitter finish like under ripe grapefruit.Warm finish as well.

Resiny medium to full body mouthfeel with a very smooth feel despite some fresh looking carbonation.

Overall this is on the above average end of bitterness but really tasty. There is a ton of flavors floating around in this that make it a definite worthy try for anyone who can get it. A great example of FFF IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2011 01:15:14 | More by phiberoptik

mocktm

Virginia

4.4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle with some more kick-ass FFF artwork into a pint glass, no bottling date as is the usual.

Golden honey orange hue, a creamy and jagged head forms, resembling a foamy mountain, and sticks around rather well, contributing some significant amounts of lacing; a pretty abstract design of glass decoration once its all said and done.

Hops abound on the nose: pine, grapefruit and pineapple with some accompanying malty sweetness, much more so than on the the average English IPA.

This tastes like a tropical graham cracker; that is honestly the most appropriate comparison I can draw. Abundant citrus on the front that finishes with a honey sweet bread malt backbone; a lingering hop bitterness is present throughout. Rather unique and absolutely phenomenal.

Medium bodied, mild creaminess and appropriately carbonated, this drinks rather well for a 9% ABV brew.

Another beer from FFF, and yet another one I can't wait to try again. Does that place ever make a bad brew? I can't seem to find one, another stellar effort. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2011 23:09:51 | More by mocktm

dogfishandi

New York

4.05/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

huge thanks to my dad for bringing this home from chicago!

22oz. bottle at fridge temp poured into a snifter. no bottled on date.

pours out a cloudy golden orange color with about 1 finger of white head, good retention and some nice lacing on the glass.

the initial aroma is of very resiny hops. also detectable is piney/ woody hops, a candied, biscuity, caramel malt, a bit of alcohol heat and just a hint of some spice, almost winter warmer like.

a nice balance. pine, grapefruit rind, resiny, woody, spicy hops balanced by a big biscuit, candied caramel malt. comes off slightly herbal/ earthy as it warms. alcohol heat definatly makes the strenth apparent. finishes with a spicy, resinous hop bitterness, again just a hint of a winter warmer like spicey oak.

a big solid, dense, sticky feel on the palate, carbonation feels just right. some really nice bitter flavors linger on the palate after each sip.

a solid IPA here, id say its more american than english, but it works for what it is, almost barleywine like. similar to other 3floyds big IPAs ive had. worth a try, but i prolly wouldnt go after it again.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 00:45:38 | More by dogfishandi

bobhits

Kentucky

3.78/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2

Odd I recall black hearted to be…..black? I suppose I was just expecting the trend of black IPAs. Pours a copper and straw color, strong density with a tall white head, leaving lacing all over.

There is a very clear “funky, earthy” English hop profile here so the style seems legit (darn). That said there’s a strong American something here I like.

The beer opens with intense assault on the front of the tongue where the hops simply dominate and nothing else is heard. From there the hops subside and the malt dominates just as intensely leaving a caramel malt sugary sweetness from the middle to the back of the mouth. Balance is perfectly flawed on both sides! Ok after reading the comments on the bottle the malt makes more sense. The toast and oak are what makes this malt so intense and effective. Huge props for this usage! Not sure how English they are…..

The carbonation is perfectly creamy and interesting, the malty back is thick and nearing the syrupy stage. I’m digging this.

12 dollars for a bomber? 12 freaking dollars for a beer that must be consumed fresh, doesn’t age, and isn’t as good as dreadnaught? I’m sorry but I live with your insane prices guys, but this one is beyond out of wack! That said if you see it on tap for a reasonable price, it is amazing beer and one to seek out.

I saw a man buy old foghorn for 25+ today for a 6er. I really wanted to ask how he could justify that for a 6er of ok beer. The thing is this beer is 39 for a 6er equivalent and well I can’t even begin to accept that for this really really good beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 20:08:01 | More by bobhits

mattboyer182

Indiana

4.53/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a golden orange with a one fingered white head.

S - Smells of bunches of hops. Grapefruits, oranges and pine.

T - It starts out with loads of citrus then melds into a sweet malty balance. Earthy notes really balance all these flavors out nicely.

M - Medium bodied with a medium carbonation.

O - Quite delicious. Continuously bitter through the whole beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2011 22:12:25 | More by mattboyer182

inlimbo77

Delaware

4.05/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bomber bottle poured into DFH signature glass. No bottle date listed on this one, but the label artwork is different than what is shown above.

A: Yellow orange color. Clear. 1/2 finger off white head. Good carbonation. Lacing left on glass.

S: Good hop astringency smell. Almost a biscuity breadiness. I really like the nose on this one, like most 3Fs IPAs!

T: Not overly bitter on the front of the tongue. You get a little on the middle. Interesting malt backbone. It's a tasty brew. Another good 3Fs IPA.

M: Mouthfeel is medium bodied. Very nice beer for being 9% ABV.

O: Another solid IPA from FFFs. I don't think I have had a bad one. This was in the fridge for a couple of month too, but held up to the length. Keep it up Floyds!

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2011 18:16:48 | More by inlimbo77

Soonami

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to erric for sending a bomber of Blackheart.

A pale golden amber with billowy white head and great lacing. A little citrus in the nose with a hint of crackery malt. The malt forward beer is countered with minty, herbal hops with a nice balmy lingering bitterness. This is a great beer, that really hides the 9% ABV very well.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 23:39:11 | More by Soonami

HopHead84

California

3.08/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

8/20/2011

Enjoyed at Clusterfork #7 in a snifter.

A: Gold with an orange hue and a frothy white head.

S: Aroma has bread and orange with a little caramel and evident oak. Hops aren't expressive.

T: Bread in the flavor as well, with a stronger than expected malt foundation and a bit of oak. Citrus is light, with notes of orange flesh and grapefruit rind. Lower moderate bitterness.

M: Lower medium body with upper moderate carbonation.

Overall: This was underwhelming.

Serving type: on-tap

08-21-2011 08:50:06 | More by HopHead84

chicagoabbot

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bomber into my giant snifter...label art has changed since last year's release.

Not as bright of a body as their other big IPAs, appropriate for the English style. Big frothy and lacy white head that pools on the surface of the body with its bigness. Body is darker than their other DIPAs, also appropriate for the English style. Aroma has a lot of hops, but still a bit subdued. Hard to decide if it's right on for the style of if it's a little on the subdued side even. Well balanced aroma. Probably less hoppy in the nose than Alpha King (which is pretty dang hoppy), without that typical 3F's hop zing, but you can tell there were massive hops in the boil to balance the huge malt. Some complexity on the tongue, for sure. Mouthfeel is great, and overall I'd recommend trying this beer for a very big example of the style that hides the alcohol well, although for my part I'd rather be drinking a Dreadnaught or Artic Panzer Wolf right now for the price.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2011 21:42:55 | More by chicagoabbot

Mebuzzard

Colorado

4.03/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Well, perhaps the best label art I've seen. Cool cloaked skeleton revealing a black heart with lots of gross stuff spewing out. Awesome...

So, pours a nice copper color, a bit darker than the metal. Barely off-white head, creamy, sticky. Settles to a large collar and some splotches in the middle.

Aroma is hops, earthy spice, caramel and oak. Combine all of that and you get an orange marmalade or something out of it.

Sweet malt, caramel and oak dominate. The hops hang around the whole time, but if they weren't bitter they wouldn't stand out. Earthy and piney. But they fade with a push from the caramel and a pull from the oak. I imagine this represents the long journey from UK to India. But you won't find this in India, that's for darn sure.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2011 04:31:00 | More by Mebuzzard

jlindros

Massachusetts

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

Thanks to dvelcich for this with a slew of 3F beers, easily one of my fav breweries so a big thanks to him.

Pours a fizzy 1 finger head that fades slowly with a bit of lacing over clear honey orange nectar peach colored beer.

Nose has hops, some light earthy and touch herbal, chewy hops, light floral citrus, some candy hops, light sweet caramel malts.

Taste comes with some rustic hops to start, light earthy and herbal, candy hops, light hop oil and almost hop extract but not super bitter, then some light sweet malts, caramel, touch of toffee, toasty malts, hint bready and biscuit, candy flavor. Finishes a bit more bitter which seems to build as it goes, drier, light sticky feel, lots of chewy candy hops finish with a light spicy earthy hop, and a touch of warming booze comes out of the sweetness.

Mouth is med to slightly heavier bodied, dec carb, light warming booze.

Overall not bad, nice hops but not quite english, lots of nice malts and sweet sugars to balance the various hops, sweetness, and light booze, tasty and drinkable though.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2011 01:50:58 | More by jlindros

JLeege

Illinois

3.3/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance- Pours a clear golden orange color with a large frothy white head. Great head retention, and a little lace.

Smell- Floral and earthy, with distinct orange peel. A little woody, with some notes of oak and light vanilla. Smells solid.

Taste- Juicy citrus up front, turning sweet in the middle with the oaky notes popping up again, though not as much as the nose would suggest. Pretty earthy and floral towards the finish, even some peat and a little honey. Has a strange lingering aftertaste, maybe aspirin.

Mouthfeel- Medium body and carbonation, and a definite alcohol bite.

Overall- This has got to be my least favorite from FFF seasonal lineup. They make much better IPAs, and I am not particularly fond of most English IPAs, and for whatever reason wood and IPAs dont really mesh for me.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2011 02:41:39 | More by JLeege

jsanford

Georgia

3.6/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle poured into a Pint Glass. Awesome label!

A - Pours a hazy orange with a thick cap of fluffy white that leaves sheets of lacing as it recedes.
S - Pungent hop aromas of orange peel, grapefruit, and pine wood backed up by a sweet toffee malt profile.
T - Follows the nose nicely with big flavors of pine resin, orange peel, grapefruit and toffee malts with a bit of pineapple and peach thrown in.
M - A bit sticky, with a moderately full mouth-feel and sharp carbonation. Alcohol isn't hidden too well, you can definitely feel the 9% ABV.
O - Pretty good, but I'd probably stick with Dreadnaught if I had access to both.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2011 03:56:21 | More by jsanford

cpz28

Indiana

4.15/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Better Than English IPA

A- Deep gold to faint orange, nice 1 finger head

S- Pine and oak meld perfectly, there is some marmalade and vanilla notes in there, followed by some breadiness

T-Balanced bitterness hits you first, oak and hops continue to meld well, while simultaneously competing as this rolls down your tongue. It finishes slightly bitter and some bready malt comes out at the end. The oak certainly adds some vanilla notes, which play nice with the citrus/marmalade.

M- Spot on for an IPA, perfect carbonation, not thick, easy drinking.

O- Really good beer, a different avenue for FFF, it has a lot of aroma coming off of it but not that typicall, supernatural-danky citrus kick of an FFF IPA or IPA in disguise. I look forward to it every year, though it isn't my favorite in their IPA line up.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2011 21:51:41 | More by cpz28

BlastBeats

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a snifter at the Tap House Grill

Appearance: semi-translucent golden yellow with faint orange hues. Frothy white head perseveres well.

Smell: very earthy aromas, pine, citrus.

Taste: hops! The flavors from the toasted oak compliment the bitterness exceptionally well. Citrussy flavors gradually give way to subtle malts in the finish.

Mouthfeel: nicely carbonated. Hop prickliness is somewhat subdued.

Overall: Three Floyds markets this beer as an English style IPA, but it seems much more American in character. It's very good regardless!

Serving type: on-tap

07-14-2011 09:09:08 | More by BlastBeats

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.63/5  rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Slightly cloudy orangeish-brown on pouring into my glass. Enormous head which takes a long time to dissipate, but leaves behind no lacing at all in my stein. The carbonation is fine, however.
Smells like orange peel, oak wood, pine sap, and werther's original candies.
Tastes like tangerines more than oranges, loads of citric and grassy hop profile keeping the sweet caramel malt lemony fresh! If there is an improvement to be made, it is that the oaked nature of this brew needs to be much stronger in the flavor, the oak wood is way too light in the taste compared to how much it shows in the nose.
Mouthfeel is on the heavier side of medium, and sort of sticky thick. It could stand to be somewhat thinner than this. The ABV is well hidden and will sneak up on you when you least expect it to.

I will say, for a name like Blackheart I expected this beer to be a black IPA. Once I got over my disappointment of being wrong about that, this beer is quite the pleasant surprise.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2011 16:18:59 | More by WastingFreetime

nataku00

California

4.08/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into a tulip glass. Thanks to mtunnell for this and several other Three Floyds beers that he sent along.

Beer pours a clear copper with a finger and a half of off white thick and creamy head. Head is maintained fairly well by ample fine carbonation streaming up from the bottom of the glass, receding to half a finger, leaving a lot of sticky lacing on the inside of the glass. Really beautiful looking beer.

Nose is light orange with earthy and herbal hops, and a pronounced caramel malt. Some bread and biscuit malts as it warms up closer to room temperature, along with hints of the alcohol.

Caramel and bitter orange hits the tongue first, mellowing the sweetness with further earthy and slightly funky hops mid tongue. Mellow biscuit and bread malts finish with a light amount of bitter orange on the finish.

Slick and oily medium bodied beer finishing dryly. Fairly well balanced beer and easy to drink given its high ABV.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2011 02:42:07 | More by nataku00

RTJakarta

Kentucky

4.33/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a nice rich, golden yellow with a medium off-white head. Leaves a good deal of lacing behind, which I love to see.

Smell is of strong, yet subtle piney hops. A little faint citrusy notes strewn throughout. Also a little sweet.

Sort of the like the smell, the taste is prevalent, but sort of subtle and smooth for me. Citusy hops take the lead, with some woody, caramel-y flavors in the back. Very nice, very smooth.

Medium carbonation. Really sticky. Smooth. Very enjoyable.

Overall, I think my experience with "English" IPAs was pretty minimal, so this was a very welcome surprise. An incredibly smooth, pleasant IPA. Another winner from FFF.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2011 22:50:55 | More by RTJakarta

generalnotsew

Tennessee

4.47/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Huge frothy cotton head on the pour. Body is a light orange. Could be a little darker. Smell is hugely sweet tropical grapefruit and cotton candy. A twinge of sourness on the end of the nose. In short, it smells awesome! I can't take the glass away from my nose. Taste is very bold sweetness with the cotton candy quality carrying over. And yes there is a good amount of bitterness in the end. Lots of grapefruit and tropical notes as well. Mouthfeel is very smooth, rich and creamy. The beer is a bit hot though. Outstanding beer! Really tastes more like a really good east coast DIPA than an English one. Hop bitterness is much more amplified. Seek this one out. And as always wish I bought more than one.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2011 00:38:49 | More by generalnotsew

iadler

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz. poured into a tulip glass

A- Pours a clear golden copper with a two finger head that slowly dissipates. Some thin lines of lacing.

S- Oak is noticeable followed by some grapefruit, orange zest, pine and floral notes. Finish with some bready and toffee malt as well as a touch of honey.

T- Subtle citrus notes including tangerine, grapefruit and lemon. Apricot and peach are present too. Some sweetness and earthiness is provided by the oak as well as some bready malt.

M- Medium carbonation and body. Slightly chewy mouthfeel that finishes a tad dry and sweet. Leaves a coat of hop oil on the taste buds. The 9% is hidden fairly well, however, it did provide some warmth at the finish.

O- My favorite English IPA I've had. The oak aging provides some interesting earthiness and sweetness that isn't found in American IPA's. A nice change of pace from the hop heavy Dreadnaught and Arctic Panzer Wolf. Another great IPA from 3 Floyds.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2011 04:06:08 | More by iadler

Thickfreakness

New York

4.03/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A bottle of 2010 with the Grim Reaper on the label.

A- Poured with a two finger creamy off white head into my tulip glass. Really nice honey amber color, a little cloudy with a touch of carbonation. Nice lacing left around the glass as it drips away!

S- Really nice fresh cut grass hoppiness! Nice bready maltiness! Sweet, fruity, and toasty! The oak comes thru just enough while still letting the hops shine!

T- Nice bitter grassy hop punch right up front! Just a touch of burnt wood rises up and lets some of the nice sweet caramel maltiness come thru! Nice breadiness, sweet citrus, and bold bitter hops! This is really nice. I wish it had just a bit more vanilla/oakiness though.

M- Kinda heavy mouthfeel. Really sticky and warm. The sweetness sticks around nicely, but that bitter/grassy hop flavor never lets go! Just a bit of alcohol on the finish.

O- A really nice change of pace from all those super hoppy West Coast IPA's. I'm digging the way the caramel sweetness and the grassy hoppiness are playing Marco Polo together! I'd love to try this fresh sometime.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2011 02:47:20 | More by Thickfreakness