Alpha Klaus Christmas (Xmas) Porter - Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

Jaycase

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

a: Black as night. Large mocha colored head. Decent lacing.

s: Chocolate is the most predominant aroma. Perhaps some coffee present too.

t: Here too chocolate is the most predominant. Roasted malts. Piney hop presence in the background

m: medium body, medium carbonation,

o: Very drinkable. The blend of flavors is nothing extraordinary but still very much a good beer. Perfect for a cool autumn evening. Definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 01:13:37 | More by Jaycase

scottfrie

California

3.85/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle opened by someone generous at a recent tasting.

A: Pours a raisin brown with a finger of dark foam that faded into a thin collar of a head.
S: Sweet smelling with a bit of chocolate, coffee and dark fruits.
T: Dark fruits dominate. I get flavors of nuts, chocolate, cinnamon, and leather in the aftertaste with a bit of smoke as well.
M: Medium-thin body, low carbonation, creamy mouthfeel that goes down smooth. The alcohol is barely noticeable but not super distracting.
O: Solid porter for sure. Great sweetness and balance. I can’t wait to try this again.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 23:04:54 | More by scottfrie

vrbulldog22

Ohio

3.85/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

My introduction to Three Floyds.
Pours black, small white head, nothing out of the ordinary for a porter so far..
Smells of coffee and... hops? Wait - isn't this a porter?
Initial taste is coffee, malt & hints of chocolate, quickly followed by hops hops hops. More like a black IPA than a porter.
Smooth in the mouth, but dries you out. The carbonation made it feel almost foamy.
Overall tasted great, and i would definitely have again, though it wasn't what i expected from a "christmas porter."

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2011 21:52:23 | More by vrbulldog22

Halcyondays

California

3.85/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From a 22 oz. bomber, courtesy of an unknown Beachwood patron,

A: Pours a dark brown with a medium tan head, spotty lace.

S: Dark chocolate, Dutch cocoa, hint of coffee, charcoal, straight up porter nose.

T: Creamed coffee, dark chocolate with a nice roasted malt undecurrent. Well made, classic flavours.

M: Medium-bodied, drying finish, crisp carbonation.

O: A beer I had a long time ago, well before I was a BA, so it was cool to revisit it. I remember when this you to be in the old Top 100. I don't think it's that good, but it's very solid and a nice holiday treat.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 06:58:38 | More by Halcyondays

CRJMellor

Arkansas

3.88/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours very deep brown with a dark off-white head. Aroma confused the heck out of me, was this a chocolate IPA ? Heavy, resiny hop aroma that hides some dark chocolate notes. Had some folks at my house give it a whiff and the range of answers was pine trees to marijuana. Taste was roasted coffee, semi-sweet chocolate and the overpowering hop bitterness. If you sat down 10 blindfolded folks, at least 9 of them would guess this an IPA by aroma and taste. Mouthfeel was good but I look for a little more chewiness and depth in a porter.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2004 00:38:04 | More by CRJMellor

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A 650 mL bomber from a trade with liverletdie. I believe that it is a 2005 bottle.

A: The porter is a deep brown with ruby red highlights that appear when held to light. It pours with a very vigourous and active head that weighed in at close to 3 fingers. As the head recedes, it laces nicely.

S: The aroma has elements of an American porter, a winter warmer and a DIPA. There are roasted chocolate notes, brown sugar sweetness and explosive hops.

T: The flavor is primarily roasted malts and chocolate depth that I associate with a porter. The hops hit hard, providing a piney taste that is not too intense. Because I am familiar with FFF's beers, I think that the year's aging has softened up the hops a bit. In conjunction with the chocolate and hop flavors, there is a brown sugar sweet spiciness.

M: The mouthfeel is a good blend of chocolate, sugar and hops. I like the flavor and I like the mellowed hops.

D: A nice combination of flavors, with chocolate, sugars and hops all making appearances. It's too warm outside (despite it being mid-December, it is near 50) to properly enjoy this. It goes best in front of a fire on a cold snowy night.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2006 19:31:05 | More by akorsak

chuckm

Indiana

3.88/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A very good beer just a little more hops than I expected from a porter. One that carrys a well hidden kick while being drank, color looked right for a porter but both flavor and mouthfeel seemed off from what I expect. Maybe the flaw is in the reviewer but not one of the FFF I'll buy again.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2007 03:32:13 | More by chuckm

Minkybut

Virginia

3.88/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured this big beer from bottle to tumbler at 48 degrees. BE CAREFUL with this beer. It has like pepsi amounts of carbination in it. Poured a mountain oh head, big lumpy brown biscuit head. I actually floated a potato chip on top of it. Smell oozing from this mass of foam was nutty and sweet. Taste was also nutty with big amounts of roasted coffee and a little peaty. I thought the carbination was a little over the top but all in all it is a fine porter. maybe a little heavy for a porter though. I would call it a stout. i will buy again.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2007 18:05:13 | More by Minkybut

jpiper

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured at celler temp into 2 snifters.

Dark black with an off-white head which turns quickly into a thin layer.

Coffee is the dominant aroma, with other warm roasted malts, a floral hop note, and a slight sourness.

This turns out to be a somewhat classic, light-bodied, coffee, smokey porter. Not quite as special as I was hoping, but still good. My wife, who knew what was coming next, immediately set it down figuring it wasn't worth the calories. My reaction wasn't nearly that strongly negative - but I like a porter.

Light, with high carbonation. A little mouth-coating, but minor.

Easy drinking, though not terribly interesting.

There are several other porters I'd much rather drink. Somewhat of a letdown.

http://foodbeertravel.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/alpha-klaus/

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2009 14:18:40 | More by jpiper

t0rin0

California

3.88/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Yet another beer shared by azagthoth in his fridge clearing event yesterday. 22oz bottle.

Pours very dark brown, real small tan head, no lacing, not much retention but I guess the lack of head is forgiveable given the style.

Aroma is of roast, chocolate, and alcohol in that order. Didn't detect much hops in the nose(certainly not like the other reviews would suggest), just a little hint of some citrus. Smells more like a stout.

Flavor is more of a sweet porter. Some brown ale flavors coming out, ie nuttiness. Not much roast or bitterness, some booze and chocolate flavors make things interesting. Possibly a hint of spiciness but that could be hops, don't know.

Body is medium, CO2 is ample, the beer warms as you drink it. Not a bad beer over all.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2009 20:31:00 | More by t0rin0

jpalarchio

Michigan

3.88/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours very dark but very thin for a porter. Smells almost of pine needles; maybe it's the whole "christmas" thing that has me thinking of pine needles.

I think there is a lot of unfounded hype around this one. It's good but like most FFF I've had, price per beer is just way too high for what you're getting. One 22oz vs a six-pack of Bell's Porter and I'll take the Bell's hands down.

Pretty drinkable although the 7.5% seems a bit low; this one really hit me.

Good to try, wouldn't be a regular beer I would seek out.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2009 02:53:21 | More by jpalarchio

kingcrowing

Vermont

3.88/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bomber poured into a pint glass - 2008 bottle.

Pours a very dark brown with a one finger fluffy light brown head. Nose os surprisingly hoppy with a nice solid maltiness. Very nice lacing.

Mouthfeel is smooth and rich without being too thick, adds to the drinkability, it's smooth and has light carbonation. Taste is rich and roasty, light dark chocolate flavors as well as some holiday spiciness as well.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2009 21:29:54 | More by kingcrowing

chaz01

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

650 ml bottle that's been aged in cellar for at least a year, poured into a snifter glass.

A: Dark brown, black, with a tannish brown head. Beer is very dark, thick and opaque.

S: Roasted malt flavors including some chocolate flavors.

T: Semi-sweet taste of cocoa initially, followed by a little bit of a cocoa-mint taste. Finishes with more cocoa flavors and just a little hint of roasted coffee.

M: Creamy mouthfeel reminds me of chocolate milk, just enough carbonation.

D: Nice sipping beer on a cold winter night. Very smooth and easily drinkable at 6%.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2011 06:46:52 | More by chaz01

marksto

Florida

3.9/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours very dark but not quite opaque, with a thin head that falls rather quickly. Aroma is of chocolate, some malt, and fruity cherry. Flavor starts with a chocolatey roast character, as it warms more complexity starts to show, with a touch of cinnamon and some oily hoppy notes.

Overall, certainly a nice and respectable porter, but not something I would really go out of my way for. I've found other FFF beers more enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2007 02:13:35 | More by marksto

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into Bell's Tulip

Pours almost 1 finger of near tan head. Decent retention with some splattered lace left. Color is a dark dark brown, pretty much black.

Aroma: A lot of burnt malts/roasted flavors. Caramel with tons of earthy hops and chocolate. A nice smelling porter.

Taste: Very sweet malt, caramel, chocolate, and a ton of grassy hops. Well balanced. A lot of roasted malt flavor.

Mouthfeel: Roasted, smooth, and a lighter bodied makes this beer refreshing. Great amount of carbonation for the style. Leaves a really dry smoky aftertaste.

Overall, not a bad porter at all. Very roasted. Fairly drinkable. Nothing to special. Still trying to figure out what makes this an Xmas beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2009 18:53:51 | More by mothman

Mora2000

Texas

3.9/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to thirdeye11 for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a dark brown color with a tan head. The aroma is strong toffee malt and coffee. The flavor is coffee and roasted malt. The flavor is pretty basic American porter. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2010 05:39:39 | More by Mora2000

cetherid

Indiana

3.9/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

bomber poured into tulip

A.

pours black with a head, similar to that of a root beer. It essentially looks like a glass of pop.

S.

Getting the dark roasted malt smell you get with most porters, then you get that piney hop aroma. No aroma really stands out but still good smelling.

*as this is getting warmer, I get some subtle coffee. The hops smell dies a bit..perhaps I'm drinking this a tad too cold*

T.

basically like an alpha king with bitter chocolately roasted malts. You get the really bitter piney hops in there as well. A little more piney than alpha king as alpha king also has those citrusy hops in there as well. Good tasting, but a tad too much pine bitterness for my taste.

M.

faily thin. about medium bodied. lots of carbonation. A little resiny hop aftertaste left over.

D.

decent. I'll have one or two a year probably around this time of year. I'm close to the brewery but it's only a 1 month item. ABV not too bad so a bomber would be easy in one sitting. I'd like this more if I was a fan of very piney hops.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2010 00:06:14 | More by cetherid

hardy008

Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Jet black with a 2 finger creamy tan head with good retention and lacing. The aroma has dark chocolate malt, roasted malt, and hops.

The taste of the beer has dark chocolate malt, roasted malt, sugar, and hops. There is a light amount of sweetness, balanced by the bitterness from the roasted malt and hops.

Medium bodied, creamy, smooth, and properly carbonated. This is a nice, easy to drink Porter. Not too hoppy, which is a plus for a porter in my book. I would buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2010 03:20:50 | More by hardy008

bamadog

Kentucky

3.9/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to beerman207 for the hook up on this one. Review is from notes taken on 12/18/2010 and poured from the bottle to a tasting glass.

Appearance: Pours like a standard looking porter -- a deep dark brown color and it starts with a 1/2 finger tan head that fades quickly to nothing other than thin ring around the surface; body is dark and nearly opaque, showing highlights on the edges and where the light manages to pierce it through the center; body does show a little bit of carbonation, but leaves no lacing.

Smell: Um, hops, but I want to say that it actually smells more like pot. Tons of grassy hops are right up front on the immediate pour and I'm a little let down -- I like hoppy beers, don't get me wrong, but this comes across as overly hopped at first; thankfully, after a while the smell starts to settle down, and while the hops are definitely present throughout, a nice bittersweet and syrupy sweet chocolate presence sneaks in and kind of brightens my night; some roasty and toasty maltiness is in there as well, with a bit of a burnt espresso presence. It ends up quite good, but it really had to work its way there for me.

Taste: Much like the smell, starts as totally hops and really nothing else, and they're very bitter and grassy, again, kind of like pot (I almost feel like I'm drinking at a Dave Matthews show or something here) and the hops dominate, until, after a while of warming and settling, the syrupy sweet and bittersweet baker's chocolate/cocoa start to sneak in and offer a balance and suddenly this beer comes across more like a Black IPA as opposed to a porter -- really, I feel it's a bit of a lucky save.

Mouthfeel: A little thin and watery, but not "light" by any means like some porters tend to struggle with; the carbonation is quite full; a thin, semi-dry sticky coating is left on the roof of the mouth; belly is left warm from the acidity, but not likely the ABV as it's quite doable at 6%.

Drinkability: There was a little bit of contention amongst the tasting group about what to do with this bottle. I feel that it would do well to sit for some time, perhaps 6 months to 1 full year to allow the hops to mellow out and allow the malts to showcase their flavors; the argument to that would be that it is only 6% ABV and may not stand the test of time, even if kept in a relatively decent closet/cellar or whatever. Frankly, I'm willing to give it a shot -- after all, what's 6 moths?

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2010 06:08:17 | More by bamadog

Erish

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this on tap in a nonic pint glass at the FFF brew pub.

A: dark coffee color, goodly cappuccino-colored head with good retention and good lacing.

S: coffee, chocolate, pine and floral hops, oaky malt backbone.

T: so much coffee.... in the front, middle, and finish, also lots of citrus and grassy hop character, the finish has vanilla smokiness and a nicely bitter hop backbone.

M: medium-bodied, creamy to oily, moderate carbonation.

D: very tasty, but the overwhelming coffee flavor was a bit much for me at times. This beer needs a dessert to go with it!

Serving type: on-tap

12-26-2010 21:06:52 | More by Erish

CooperEllis

New York

3.9/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

22oz into .3l tulip, from mistakebythelake in the n00b2 BIF. Good people send good beer.

This'll be a quick 'un as there isn't much here to review (but in a good way). This is an easy drinkin', smooth pourin', nice smellin' brew.

I have become a bit oversaturated with the 'lets just add' phase of craft brewing that was heavily representedin the brews I've sampled over the past two months. It was very nice to sit down tonight and enjoy two brews that are what they're supposed to be. While, perhaps, not the best example of the style, this porter has a deep and rich mohagany color with a decent tan head and a small amount of lacing.

There's a rich malt aroma and a touch of hops up front that I'm not outright tasting but which is evident in the balance of the flavor.

The taste is bitter, bitter chocolate, perhaps a bit of pine in the back. It is full of malt.

The mouthfeel is a bit light for a porter, nothing wrong with it, but I'll use a heavier feel as the bench mark.

Fin.

(70th)

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2011 02:47:38 | More by CooperEllis

Gobzilla

California

3.9/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Good lookin out on cracking this bottle drew

A: poured a dark brown in color with brown highlights and had a thin bubbly head leaving a little lacing sticking to the glass.

S: some roasty character was present on the nose with chocolate, toffee, brown sugar notes and a little grassy boozy aroma.

T: the chocolate, roasty, and brown sugar flavors blended quite well and were more apparent on the palate with grassy hoppy accents. It also seemed to have a little caramel character as well.

M: the brew was medium to full in body with a moderate amount of carbonation which had a sweet, roasty, grassy, mild hoppy and silky finish.

D: it actually was really easy drinking and was a tasty porter, glad I got to try this brew again; pretty solid.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2011 05:30:35 | More by Gobzilla

mikereaser

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Alpha Klaus 2007
A - Pours a pitch black with 2 inches of tan foam
S - i'm picking up a nice amount of smoke still and some sweet roasted malts. Very nice still 4 years later.
T - Nice roasted malts, alot of coffee and hints of chocolate. It seems like i'm drinking coffee at some points and an nice roasted porter at other times. Its actually very enjoyable. I am curious what the flavor is fresh if its this good later on.
M - smooth and creamy, with light carbonation. there is a slightly dry finish that makes this very drinkable.
D - I am enjoying this one alot. I wasn't expecting alot from it after this many years..

4/3.5/4/4/4

Alpha Klaus 2008
A - Pours a pitch black with 2 inches of tan foam and nice oily lacing
S - same as the 2007 just a bit stronger, the sweetness seems a bit more intense and the roastedness
T - The taste is where this one seems to lack compared to the years prior. The coffee and chocolate seem a bit more muted along with a thinner watery feel. There is a slight roasty bitterness in the finish.
M - light-medium bodied but I don't think its meant to be that way. light carbonation.
D - I'm disappointed with this one. I find it to be quite different from the previous years.
4/4/3/3/3

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2011 02:53:58 | More by mikereaser

WesM63

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Pours a very dark brown with a decent 2finger light brown head. Decent amounts of retention and lacing.

S: Smells of chocolate malt and a hint of pine.

T: Spot on the nose, lots of chocolate, roasted malts and some pine/resin.

M: Medium body and carbonation.

O: Pretty good porter, I don't get as much hoppyness as others, but good none the less.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 05:08:57 | More by WesM63

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From: Binny's, Schaumburg, IL
Date: None
Glass: Tulip

Three Floyd's Alpha Klaus is a hop-forward American porter, with focus on the hops growing as the beer warms. Charred or roasted malt mixed with pine (primary) and grapefruit (secondary) hop characters are the dominant characters of this beer. The feel of the Klaus is somewhat thin, appropriate for a porter, but perhaps too much so for a 6% ABV beer. Ultimately similar to their Black Sun Stout in many ways, for ample pine-like hop flavors mixed with chocolate malts, I'd choose the brewery's Black Sun Stout over this in general, I think.

Pours a tall, 2.5cm head of dark tan to light brown bubbles, small in size, very dense in appearance. Retention is average, lasting a bit over a minute, as the head settles to a thin cap atop the body, thicker around the sides. Lacing is slightly above average, the head leaving many small dots, and a few larger clumps, of foam along the perimeter of the glass. The body is dark brown to black, opaque, with carbonation not being visible through the void of color.

Aroma is of some papery ash with fainter roasted malt and chocolate notes, which are mixed with mild pine and grapefruit-like hops. The result is a bit like inhaling the smoke from a pine-scented cigarette, not altogether pleasant, though not too unpleasant, either. In general, I'd say that the beer has a bold aroma, which I'd expect from Three Floyds, but it is not one of their better-smelling creations.

In taste, Alpha Klaus is not so much about alpha acids as it is about fairly balanced chocolate malt with pine-like hops. The front of palate is fairly generic sweetness, perhaps from the Mexican sugar, with hints of roasted malt. Mid-palate of pine and grapefruit-like hops welded to a solid backdrop of charred and chocolate malts, not particularly bitter, but with detectable bitterness. Back of palate with obvious charred malt and chocolate flavors, with a slight increase of pine and grapefruit-like hops and a touch of ethanol. Lingering aftertaste of pine resin-like hops that coat the mouth fairly well, with moderate-to-mild bitterness and a bit of roasted malt sweetness and flavor.

Beer is medium to medium-light in body, with carbonation of medium intensity. This leads to a slightly prickly, fizzy mouthfeel at first, which then fades to a marginally foamy, generally smooth mouthfeel for the remainder of the sip. Ethanol can be felt flashing across the throat, or upon the tongue (if held there). Closes dry, with fairly substantial stickiness across the palate.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 06:51:08 | More by falloutsnow