Zombie Dust - Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

ColdPoncho

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - light copper body, medium white head.

S - earthy, smoked meats, pungent citrus hops, a bit of spice. Really interesting, not at all what I'd expected, but its definitely unique, and just really good.

T - Floral, citrus, and sweet fruity hops, but not in-your-face. This is really friggin tasty for a hoppy beer that isn't hop-forward. It's really nicely balanced, and nicely complex. FFF really knows how to make these APAs.

M - smooth, light, medium body.

O - a really well-crafted beer, very interesting, bringing things to the table I've never encountered before in this style in a tasteful and tasty manner. Great beer!

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2011 01:46:48 | More by ColdPoncho

hawks10

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle, no freshness date, but pretty damn fresh from the brewery. Poured into my Three Floyds imperial pint glass...

Pours a cloudy pale orange with huge amounts of foamy off-white head. The enormous cap of head sticks around forever, leaving chunks of lacing behind...

Powerful aromas of bright and juicy tropical fruit, sweet, very nice...

Tastes as sweet as it smells, big juicy tropical hops explode on the palette, a slight bitterness hits at the end and slowly builds into a full presence. Smooth and creamy feel, but could probably be a bit more lively in the mouth. Overall a fantastic APA, but I still think I would take Daisy Cutter over it most days of the week...

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2011 00:18:39 | More by hawks10

Wadsey

Indiana

4.65/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Zombie Dust, bottled on or about September 5, 2012 and consumed on September 12, 2012 

Served in New Belgium globe glass

A: Pours clear gold with two-inch head that hangs around for a couple moments and then recedes leaving nice lacing. Medium effervescence. 

S: Ton of citrus fruit: grapefruit, lemon and orange. Distinct aroma of cat pee. Additional aromas include citrus peels and crushed white grapes. 

T: Incredibly, taste builds on smell, with citrus, especially lemons, becoming more intense. Medium bitterness steps in, inviting another drink. Relatively clean finish with lemony edge.  Other than a slight note of tea, malts are nowhere to be found. 

M: Medium to medium-light body and medium carbonation. Silky mouthfeel resulting from blanket of tight bubbles. 

O: Three Floyds packs a west coast style IPA featuring the delicious Citra hop in a pale ale package. Big flavor and low abv always rates well with me. 

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2011 22:08:12 | More by Wadsey

Soonami

Pennsylvania

4.85/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Picked up a couple cases from the FFF brewpub ($30/cs bot, $10/6-pack)

Zombie Dust, bottled, is paler in color than I remember from the growler, with just a little bit of carbonation that yields a soft white head that leaves sparce lacing.

This beer smells glorious! Like the freshest hop aroma I've ever smelled in a beer. It's like crushing green Centennial hop cones. The grapefruit rind is the dominant aroma, with hints of sweet, tropical mango and papaya. This is just a fantastic smelling beer.

The beer is very hop-forward with good sticky, resinous hop flavors that also has crisp lemony tang. The bitterness is very clean and not overpowering. It's amazing to get such a tasty, complex hop profile from just a varietal. The kiss of sweet malt is just there to make the fruity flavors taste just sweet enough.

Carbonation is a bit lower than I would've liked, but this beer is the best APA, I've ever had, probably because it's a great IPA marketed as an APA. Considerably better than HF Citra and KR Citra imo, I've sampled both fresh from a just tapped keg and opened growler. Could not recommend this beer more!

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2011 21:46:33 | More by Soonami

jthahn

Indiana

4.58/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. Pour

A, consistent with most all quality apas. Clear, golden, nice one finger head with light lacing in the glass.

S, one of the best parts of this beer. Amazing citrusy nose. If youre familiar with 3 floyds youll recognize this smell.

T, 3 floyds best apa yet. The hop flavor and bitterness are perfectly balanced and the malt takes shape at just the right moment. Almost a dreadnaught light.

M, very good. Suits the beer pefectly and lingers on your tongue just the right amount of time.

Get it as soon as you can. This is one outstanding apa.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2011 17:12:24 | More by jthahn

newrbrewr

Indiana

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

Bottle given to me by backfat. Poured into my Unibroue Maudite Snifter.

Appearance: Pours a crystal clear, yellow-orange color. Fat inch of off-white foam that reluctantly recedes to a thin layer of teeny bubbles. Incredible lacing sticking to my glass, as if parts of this beer are too good to be consumed. Brilliant.

Smell: Citrus fruitiness wofting out of the bottle pre-pour, and just intensifies once it is in the glass. Inviting aromas of Grapefruit rind and Pineapple erupting from my snifter. Hint of malt hiding in there as well, but this beauty is leaning heavily towards the hoppy side.

Taste: Starts out like I'm chewing on a healthy chunk of fresh grapefruit. A quick flash of sweet maltiness dances across my tongue, and then my tasters are consumed by more resiny hops. The taste of citrus rinds has the final dance here, lingering on my tongue and the back of my mouth for a good long time.

Mouthfeel: Light and airy, with a velvetine smoothness that is breathtaking. Phenominal.

Overall: I must start by saying that I am not a big fan of the "HypeTrain." Time and time again, I am let down because I let Hype tell me that "x" beer will be insanely amazing. This beer lives up to the hype. Easily. I think Three Floyds raised the bar on this style for sure. Definitely gotta grab some of this if you are given the chance. This beer is absolutely fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 04:13:02 | More by newrbrewr

kawilliams81

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a pint glass.

A- Golden with huge white head and good lacing that resides after a minute or so.

S- Lots of citrus and caramel malts. Lemon, orange, and pineapple.

T- Very similar to nose, sweet caramel malts and perfect amount of citrus hops to balance the malt and leave a nice bitterness.

M- Medium to light bodied. Nice creaminess with lighter carbonation. Very easy to drink.

O- Probably the best pale ale I have ever had! Could easily drink a 6 pack of this in a night or day, which I never do. Very easy drinking crisp beer to enjoy frequently.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2011 22:26:18 | More by kawilliams81

Prostman81

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Was fortunate to have a work buddy pick me up a case from FFF on 9/7/11.

This beer, for me, sets the new standard for a hoppy APA. The citra hops are completely enveloping, both in aroma and taste. Unlike a comparable IPA, however, you can have a couple of these without feeling like you're starting to over do it. This beer blows the doors off of pretty much any APA I've ever had, and even rivals some IPAs. A fantastically drinkable beer that I think will give Gumballhead a run for it's money. Look out Alpha King, this Zombie is gonna eat your brains, and then crap them out on your throne!!

Great job FFF!

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2011 15:48:35 | More by Prostman81

BUNZILLA

Indiana

4.75/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Serving Type : 12oz bottle poured into a 8oz tasting glass. Just picked up a case today at FFF so I'm sure it's super fresh.

Appearance : straw yellow in color. A nice foamy head forms after a vigorous pour. Head has medium retention and fades away leaving a white ring behind and some lacing.

Smell : strong sweet piney evergreen aromas abound. This is what I really appreciate about this beer. Best nose ever for this style that I have come across.

Taste : Big bold flavors here that linger on you palette . Tons of citrus and pine . Not alot of bitterness for my taste I'm going with 50 IBUs but I like to scorch my taste buds with 100 IBU beer routinely. If this beer had a tad more bitterness I would give it a 5.

Mouthfeel : light to medium body with medium carbonation

Overall : this is my favorite beer to date. Easy to drink and big in flavor. Lots of hoppy goodness and IMO subtle hop bitterness . A beer drinkers beer. I'm so glad they finally bottled this beer and can enjoy it 12oz at a time instead of trying to smash a growler in one night.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2011 23:57:17 | More by BUNZILLA

snaotheus

Washington

4.47/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass. I'm told this is the first time it's been bottled, and the first day it's been available. We just happened to be there for lunch. Lots of people were coming through and buying multiple cases. I only got a six pack.

Pours slightly cloudy golden yellow, small pale head. Smell is delicious, very citrusy, very floral, very appealing, very strong.

Taste has a lot of straw, a lot more of the citrus, honeysuckle sweetness, the hops are there but doesn't seem like it's super bitter. This is really nice.

Mouthfeel is light and effervescent. Overall, this is a really good beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2011 21:04:45 | More by snaotheus

Shagtastic

Indiana

4.93/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Well I put it off long enough but its time to review for my very first time. Had on tap at Ale Emporium

A: At first glance looks awesome with a great color. Poured with a great head with lacing that hangs around.

S: In one word... heavenly. If they made car fresheners with this id buy the whole stock.

T: I'm a few sips in and I feel like this will be one of my favorite beers when it comes out bottled. The citra hops just make this thing so damn enjoyable I can't hardly stand it.

M: solid once again. Not too overbearing and easy to drink

Overall: I don't think I can really do this beer justice. Possibly one of my favorite beers of all time and just one I could put down every single day and be happy to do it.

Serving type: on-tap

09-06-2011 18:31:53 | More by Shagtastic

BearsOnAcid

Massachusetts

4.53/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Clear orange body with a nice stiff white head.

Tangerine and fruit punch mixed with some heady in the aroma. Damn this smells good. Thankfully the taste delivers. I was scared that the 50 IBUs as listed wouldn't be enough but this beer came through with the citra hop flavor. Lots of dank bitterness and more tangerine flavor. Closing in on Hill Farmstead status but a little unrestrained and wild which is FFF style.

This is the best beer I've had from 3 Floyd's. The major problem I have with this beer is that it's very high in alcohol for a pale ale. The taste totally works but for what it's labeled as I want that sessionability and the abv is just too high. Comes through just a little bit in the taste too. I have to knock it in the overall points because of that.

Serving type: growler

09-02-2011 04:52:17 | More by BearsOnAcid

maximum12

Minnesota

4.15/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to malty who lugged this from the brewery to our cooler at the Great Taste of the Midwest, from whence it traveled back to the Twin Cities. Now, finally, two weeks later, we get a chance to crack it open after I forgot to bring it to a tasting (doh!).

Cap twists off with a soft but satisfying hiss: carbonation intact! Pour is clear pale yellow with mild revving carbonation & a head that proves the beer still lives. Smell leans heavily on the hops, citrus on the fruit plate mingled with all manner of tropics. All hop, no malt. OK by me.

Zombie Dust stomps all over the chalk outline delineating India Pale Ale from American Pale Ale. This beer is all about the hops. There is still a pale malt character underneath, but it's second fiddle. The hop flavors are lovely: plenty of pine, citrus, pineapple, with a follow-up nip of bitterness that's aggressive enough to chew my palate up. Not sure if it's the malting or not, but this gives off a lighter 'feel' that your typical IPA, & goes down like cool water. Tasty cool water. If this came out of drinking fountains...oh, sorry. Almost got lost in my fantasty world.

Not quite the life-altering experience I'd hoped for, but easily one of the top five pales ales I've ever had, clearly behind only its brewery-mate Alpha King. Excellent beer. This is going to be a good evening.

Serving type: growler

08-28-2011 01:53:52 | More by maximum12

homebrew311

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served on tap in a pint glass.

A: clear gold, thin white head to start, not much hanging around, decent lacing

S: citra hop heaven! Juicy grapefruit,papaya, mango,and peach come through. All fruit, not getting any malts, but that's okay because this smells amazing.

T: bright fruity hops, peach and mango return with a bit of a bitterness towards the end, a slight touch of pine along with fair amount of bread and caramel on the finish. Impeccable balance.

Mf: light carb, light bodied.

O: delicious. Best APA I've tried to date. Can't wait to see this in 6 packs!

Serving type: on-tap

08-27-2011 01:04:49 | More by homebrew311

mattboyer182

Indiana

4.93/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A - A hazy amber color with a nice thick head.

S - Amazing fresh, piny, citrus hop smell.

T - Delicious citrus hops right up front. Oranges and maybe slight grapefruit.

M - A light crisp mouth feel with a good amount of carbonation.

O - Very good APA. Good hoppy beer.

Serving type: growler

08-26-2011 01:42:50 | More by mattboyer182

AaronHomoya

Indiana

4.55/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Finally got to have a couple of pints at the Tomlinson tap room. I've been looking forward to this one! Firstly, it's a beautiful beer. Orange-amber color with a good, whitish head. The aroma could only be better if there were more of it. Awesome citra hop, juicy, grapefruit goodness. The flavor has some caramel malt early, then the juicy hop flavor and finally a dry, slightly bitter finish. I wish it was just a touch smoother, but it's so good as is. Mouthful is nice. Overall, one the best I've had in quite a while. Lives up to my expectations.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2011 00:45:08 | More by AaronHomoya

ChrisPro

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Growler from FFF

A - dark golden with a monster frothy head. Awesome lacing

S - tons of fruit (mango, peach) and pine. Slightly dank in the background. This is just am awesome bouquet of aromas I want to smell all day.

T - nice sweetness then an awesome piney butter finish. Lots of earthy notes on the finish

M - solid body and light carb. Little oily on the finish

O - just a ridiculously awesome apa. Super drinkable and tons of flavor. This is even better than I expected. Possibly the best apa I've ever had.

Serving type: growler

08-25-2011 20:12:27 | More by ChrisPro

TCgoalie

Michigan

4.22/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a standard pale color - golden yellow with a large foamy white head. Lacing is solid.

The aroma is detectable once it was placed in front of me even though it was 1 foot away. Tropicle pineapple, mango, with some pine notes.

Tropical heaven with tons of hop presence without a lot of bitterness. They must have loads of late addition hops in the brewing process. The malt backbone is a wonderful compliment to the hop bouquet.

Medium full mouthfeel.

This is a wonderful APA. I would love to settle down to a 6 pack of this as the drinkability is great.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2011 00:21:00 | More by TCgoalie

jpmclaug

South Carolina

4.85/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Growler poured into a Duvel tulip.

Golden yellow with a nice white head.
Smells fantastic. Tropical fruit notes, a little dank resiny hop aroma, a hint of pineapple like sweetness. The description here for this says this beer showcases Citra hops and that is no lie.

Taste follows the aroma. Big tropical fruit flavors, pineapple, grassy hop notes but then at the finish is this nice pale malt backbone. Not really bitter but this is an APA not an IPA so it really works for the style. A really easy to drink beer. I could put away gallons of this if given the opportunity.

medium bodied, a light carbonation, probably would be better on tap than in a growler as far as mouthfeel goes but still is fine the way it is.

I really really like this beer. I can easily say this is the best pale ale I've ever had. The flavor is simply phenomenal. If you have a chance to try this then go for it you will not regret it.

Serving type: growler

08-21-2011 19:22:49 | More by jpmclaug

seeswo

Ohio

4.65/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Enjoyed as one of my first beers of DLD.

Pours a nice orange color with white a white head. Simple but effective. You bring this beer near you and you get huge orangey hop smell. One dimensional in a fantastic way. The taste is huge orange hop flavor with a medium bitterness. Holy cow, this is fantastic if you like citra. The malts are there for only the smallest amount of balance and the citra hop gives off other, much smaller tropical fruit notes. Again, simple, but effective. Better than Daisy Cutter and equal to Hoppy Birthday, where hoppy birthday has less malt balance and a different type of hop flavor (pine). Good body and good carbonation. Wow, this is fantastic. Hopefully it holds up when they bottle it in the same way it comes off from the tap. Tied for the best APA I've ever had and lightyears past a local throwaway APA.

Serving type: on-tap

08-20-2011 13:13:26 | More by seeswo

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to Deuane for picking me up a growler of this one during his recent trip through the brewpub.

A - Pours slightly hazed golden orange with a nice one finger tall white head leaving

S - HUGE amounts of grapefruit throughout this one. Tons of oily citra hops dominate the nose with a bit of lightly toasted sweet caramel malt hiding in the shadows. The second we cracked this growler I could smell it from across the room.

T - Starts off with a huge, oily, citric hop bite quickly giving way to a mix of strong tropical fruits like grapefruits, pineapple, and oranges. Once the hop resins die down you get a bit of the chewy, lightly toasted, caramel malt but this one really is all about the hops. The alcohol is nearly undetectable, only coming through at the very end of each glass. The finish is a mix of citric hop oils and some light chewiness, lingering for some time.

M - Medium-Light body and flavor with moderate carbonation. Lots of hop oils and some light chewiness in the feel, lingering through the finish. Even with all these hops it remains quite light.

O - Well that growler disappeared pretty damn quick. I could drink this one all day, every day, it is that good. The citra hops are the perfect choice for this beer and this is easily one of the best hop-forward pale ales I have ever had.

Serving type: growler

08-18-2011 22:11:20 | More by orangesol

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Thanks to brewslut for delivering a growler of this from the FFF brewpub. Several Imperial pints poured and consumed on 8/16/11.

A - Poured a slightly hazy amber/orange liquid with traces of slow-rising carbonation bubbles and a finger's worth of foamy white head that receded to a thin, wispy retention and deposited a sticky smattering of lace around the glass.

S - Whoa! Tropical fruit galore with citrus notes not too far behind. Malt character is sweet with hints of caramel and toasted grains. Possibly the freshest, hoppiest pale ale I've ever smelled!

T - Flavor is dripping with hop nectar - tropical fruit and citrus at the forefront, as well as traces of grass, faint catbox and leafy hops. Complex hop profile to say the least. Sweet and grainy malt balances things out, especially in the backend, resulting in an extremely well-balanced pale ale that retains amazing hop character.

M - Light to medium bodied with a very oily texture and minimal carbonation. Lots of hop oils in this sucker! Finishes with a light lingering bitterness on the palate.

D - Ridiculously drinkable, insanely balanced pale ale... perhaps the best straight-up pale ale I've ever had. Amazing. Reminds me of Alpine's Nelson.

Serving type: growler

08-17-2011 13:11:12 | More by ffejherb

Florida9

Illinois

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

A: Served in a shaker pint. Beer itself is a clear gold in color. Served with a minimal 1/4 inch of head. Decent retention. Light lacing.

S: Pure citra. Lemon and orange. Little biscuit. Slight sweet floral quality.

T: Mild pale malts. A little toast. Lots if juicy citrus. Some tropical fruit, orange and lemon. Mild to moderate hop bitterness.

M: Medium bodied. Slightly chewy. Appropriate carbonation.

O: A wonderful beer. Great balance and drinkability. Can't wait for this one to come out in bottles.

Serving type: on-tap

08-16-2011 21:34:29 | More by Florida9

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

4.44/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

had on tap at 3F brewpub sunday afternoon. review from notes.

Bartender pours beer into nonic pint glass.

Appearance: glowing yellow golden colored beer. White head with great lacing clings to pint glass!

Smell: Smells of fresh citrus and light bready/biscuit malt.

Taste: Mild hop bitterness that is all citris. This beer is fresh and tastey! Citris notes of huge oranges. These hops taste super fresh.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied thats at the far end of the spectrum; almost medium bodied. Medium levels of carbonation thats near perfect. Really drinkable.

Overall: great session beer if you love citrusy hops. Went down way too easy! Great value when you can grab a case for $35 at 3 Floyds.

Serving type: on-tap

08-15-2011 15:51:22 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

Luk13

Quebec (Canada)

3.18/5  rDev -31.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Showed on tap at the brewpub when we got there. Nice surprise, I had a lot of expectations since I love citra and what I’ve heard from it. Aroma: This one is all hops: earthy, citrus and soap. Appearance: Pale orange with small head. Flavors: Light, some tropical fruits. Feels likes there is no backbone. Palate: Quite dry but too watery. Overall: Expectations were not met.

Serving type: on-tap

08-14-2011 20:20:06 | More by Luk13