Arctic Panzer Wolf - Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

nrs207

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks chanokokoro for a bomber of this. Poured into a DFH Signature 2/26.

A - Hazy golden orange. Really typical DIPA look. The head isn't too thick, and there is a bit of lacing down the glass.

S - A blast of piney, resinous, and floral hops. A hint of sweetness from the malt, but this thing is all about the hops. A nice contrast to Dreadnaught, which is a bit sweeter and more balanced.

T - Biggest thing is the bitterness and resinous character. It's not overly bitter, although I can put up with any level of bitterness so don't take my word for it. A bit of alcohol, stronger than Dreadnaught. Not overwhelming by any means. There is just a hint of sweet malt, but this reminds me more of a west coast IPA. Dry finish, very nice overall if you like a more earthy DIPA as opposed to a citrus and tropical fruit DIPA.

M - Carbonation is spot on. It really wakes up your palate along with the instant bitterness. I wish the alcohol was a little less present in this, but at 9% it's hidden fairly well.

O - I really like this beer, but I do prefer Dreadnaught. I've been drinking a lot of east coast and/or citrus IPAs lately, and this really brought me back to the lovely world of pine and floral hops. I do prefer Dreadnaught to this because of the great malt backbone, hop profile, and lower alcohol presence, but it is yet another fantastic FFF brew. I wish more breweries would create 2 contrasting DIPAs that are both excellent in their own respects. Definitely try this if you can, just try Dreadnaught first.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 00:33:50 | More by nrs207

kojevergas

California

2.95/5  rDev -30.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.75

"Imperial India Pale Ale." Less than three weeks old. 1 pint 6 fl oz brown glass bottle with interesting label and art and distinctive colorful branded pressure cap served into a conical Samuel Smith's pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Acquired in a trade with the very gracious tcman128 - thanks again, buddy! Expectations are quite high given the brewery and its reputation.

Served cold, straight from the fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a four finger beige colour head of nice soft complexion, good thickness, nice cream, slightly frothy consistency, and good (~4-5 minute) retention for the high ABV. Sticky consistent even lacing clings to the sides of the glass as the head recedes. Body colour is a transparent yellow-copper. Vibrant. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Spot-on for the style. I'm looking forward to trying it.

Sm: Floral hops are dominant, with some accompanying light grapefruit and soapy hop character; this may have spent too long in primary. Pale malts. Caramel is a bit too present. Some piney hop character. No yeast character or alcohol comes through. Tangerine. Mango, pineapple, other tropical fruit hop esters. Not ideal choices of hops for my particular tastes, but decent for the style. Clean and pleasant. An average strength aroma.

T: Mango, pineapple, tangerine - all tropical fruit hop esters, and not to my tastes for the style. Too sweet, with a caramel malt undertone. Light grapefruit. Hop bitterness does come through, compromising the balance. Clean. Not a fan of the sticky malty aspect blended with the sweet fruity notes. The pineapple in particular really kills the flavour profile for me; I'm not liking the hop choices made here but I can see where others with different tastes would really enjoy this. Pine. Light bready malts. Old orange juice comes to mind. I'm really just not big on this type of hop character.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Good thickness. Overcarbonated. Sticky. Chewy. Suits the flavour profile decently. Clean. Decent presence on the palate. Sugary. Good body.

Dr: This one just wasn't for me personally, but I don't doubt that it's brewed well. It's largely redolent of old orange juice mixed with tropical fruit notes that don't at all appeal to me - whether in an imperial IPA or not. I didn't find it well-balanced and I won't be having it again, but it does hide its ABV well and I'll happily finish this bottle by myself. Glad to have tried it, but it's just not suited for my personal tastes. Disappointed in the beer, but not for any issues with the quality of the brewing. Looking forward to trying more Three Floyds' IPAs which are hopefully more what I'm after in an imperial IPA.

C

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 05:54:24 | More by kojevergas

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