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

zerk

California

5/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Sampled this one on tap at the brewery, and again from my growler at home.

From a Three Floyds pamphlet: Rich and chocolatey, with English chocolate and Mexican sugar.

Just when I thought Three Floyds couldn't wow me anymore than they already had, along comes Alpha Klaus. Black with an amber tint... a persistant tan head... leaving beautiful lace all the way down the glass. Aroma of sweet chocolate and quite a bit of pine. Flavor is very bold, and somewhat sweet... pine, chocolate, toasted malt, and some noticable alcohol. The pine hop flavor is what really dominates... almost as if they had extracted the pine flavor from the hop, and left the bitterness behind. Mouthfeel is very smooth and creamy, with a delicate carbonation, and medium body. I don't know the ABV% on this, but I would imagine it's pretty high, based on the flavor and the punch that it packs.

A truely astounding brew from 3f, and *dare I say it* probably even better than Dreadnaught!

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2002 05:48:49 | More by zerk

meathookjones

Virginia

5/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This was from a 22oz bottle. After finally seeing this in a store in the area I decided to pick up a few. This pours out with a pitch-black body with a tall tan head that slowly rising from the bubbles beneath the surface. The head is still a good size even after I drank the whole glass and all the while putting huge clumps of frothy foam around the glass. This is just perfect to look at it really gets the mouth watering. Aroma is a malty mix of chocolate and caramel with strong roasted coffee presence. Wow the hops are just as strong here with notes of earthy and floral hops coming through all that malt. This is quite a bit to take in and I wasn’t sure what to make of it at first but it is amazing. The taste is an amazing blend of fresh hops and chocolate malt with both coming on strong. It took me a while to really take this all in but damn this is good. The hops cut though the strong malt to make themselves known and add a wonderful contrast. Flavor ends on a lingering earthy bitter note. Mouthfeel is about full and quite coating that makes the taste stick with you. This is something I could drink all day, huge malts, huge hops and it blends together wonderfully. Simple amazing.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2004 21:43:14 | More by meathookjones

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

5/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Purchased from my local Shop Qwik, I've downed 6 or 7 of these already, I better write up a review on one of these before it's all gone.

Appearance - a vigorous pour gets a moderate head, mocha in color. Thick with good retention and lace. The beer is very dark and lets just a little light through its deep garnet body.

Aroma - strong and piny, mixed with a dark chocolate and roasted malts. A perfect aroma for the holidays.

Taste - everything seems to hit my palate at once. Malts, chocolate, coffee, and of course, a fabulous hop presence that is piny but not overly bitter. The hops stay the course while the other flavors subside. This beer I can best describe as my interpretation of liquid Christmas Tree, bringing joy to all who partake. From the first sniff to the final swallow, it is delicious. Regardless of how much I drink, the empty glass is still like December 26th, always a bit of a letdown but ever mindful that New Year's Eve is but a handful of days hence... :-)

Mouthfeel - the plentiful malts and generous hops give this a heavy, sturdy feel. The rich flavors are kept festive with some moderate carbonation.

Drinkability - are you kidding? I think I spent $100 on Alpha Klaus this year, it's dreadfully delicious. If my refund gets here in time, I may deplete Jungle Jim's of their remaining stock!

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2005 20:29:05 | More by brewdlyhooked13

pezoids

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

An excellent beer. Pours dark mahogany and opaque. Vanilla and sweet oak on the nose. Mouthfeel & Taste is perfect. Just enough body and full of flavor. This sample had been in the fridge for quite a long time which could of added some mellowness. Excellent overall and a beer I could drink all day long, even on a hot summer day!

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2008 00:36:47 | More by pezoids

angrywolf

Illinois

5/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: Pours a dark brown color with a bubbly mocha head.

S: Smells of chocolate, molasses, coffee and pine.

T: Similar to the smell: starts of of chocolate roasted malts, coffee notes, a slight sweet taste probably coming from the Mexican sugar and finishes with a pleasantly bitter taste from the hops to balance it all out. There is no question that this is a hoppy porter, which is not surprising considering this is a Three Floyds brew.

M: Thin to medium-bodied, on par with most porters. Perfect carbonation.

O: This is one of my favorite porters. The roasted malts balance out the hoppiness of this beer just perfectly. I love that this beer is full of big flavors and its ABV is only 6%

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 22:10:01 | More by angrywolf