In The Name Of Suffering - Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.89/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Super dark, muddy brown color. Solid light beige head.

Strong, astringent hop aroma of pine and citric zest. There's a solid underbelly of roasted malt in the aroma.

Full on burnt malts giving flavors of dark bread crust, coffee, and super dry chocolate. The hops mix with the bitter, burnt malts to add another layer of complexity to the bitterness. Definitely on the bitter side overall. the malts are undetectable on the finish.

The palate feels resiny, somewhat dry, but also a little oily. Pretty good Black ale, but not something I'd want to drink regularly.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 21:24:09 | More by scruffwhor

Florida9

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A: This one comes off more as a darker shade of grayish-brown than a true black. Mostly opaque, but shows some light through the edges. Forms a smallish sized light tan colored head. Decent retention. Moderate lacing.

S: Aroma is roasty and hoppy. Notes of burnt coffee, grapefruit, and pine.

T: The taste is a bit difficult to describe. As to be expected with FFF, it is very hop forward, most notably pine and grapefruit pith. There is a slight anise flavor. However, while it is not incredibly malty or roasty, there is a "black" flavor to the beer. Like a heavily charred or burnt aftertaste. In the end, I believe it is chicory that I am tasting, which would also explain why this beer is "New Orleans-Style."

M: Medium bodied. Moderate bitterness. Very dry on the finish. Rather high carbonation.

O: A decent beer. Certainly not the greatest, but a different take on the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 02:06:46 | More by Florida9

brewandbbq

New Hampshire

3.8/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

22oz bottle.

Pours dark brown with an inch-plus head of tan. Plenty of tattered lacing and a solid skim coat on the surface for the duration.

Aromatics lead off with chocolate and underlying citrus. Roasty and a bit smokey with hints of orange, apricot, and pine.

Medium bodied with a crisp, slightly lush mouthfeel.

Bitter chocolate with a hop bite starts the palate. Slightly acrid malt with shades of pine-rubbed oranges.

Finishes with lingering roast and fading citrus.

Unlike most other FFF IPAs, the hops are subdued in this beer, and the roast/chocolate character overshadows them. More akin to a hoppy porter.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 01:50:07 | More by brewandbbq

homebrew311

Illinois

4.04/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a cola brown with tan head. Plenty of head retention, perhaps a bit lighter than some of the other black IPAs. The nose is heavy on citrus hops with notes of grapefruit and bright pineapple tones. If I were blindfolded, I would never be able to tell that this IPA is dark. The taste features the deeper malt profile that I expect in the style, but almost no roast is present. Fruity hops dominate with some resinous undertones and mellow bitterness at the finish. Mouthfeel is somewhat light with moderate to high carbonation. Overall, I don't know what the dark malts contribute to this beer, but it is tasty nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 04:50:51 | More by homebrew311

GuzzLah

Illinois

3.96/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Less than a month old when consumed.

A - pours an opaque, dark brown-black with an ephemeral white head. Some lace. Too dark to see bubbles.

S - citrus hops and Midnight Wheat malt which has a dark caramel aroma and a dark color without the roastiness. Faint coffee. The intensity of the aroma is relatively mild for the style, but not weak.

T - more robust than the aroma with similar notes. Citrus hops, perhaps Centennial and Amarillo with a nice Midnight Wheat dark caramel note.

M - medium body. Creamy. Medium-high, smooth bitterness with a relatively long sustain, but not a palate wrecker.

O - this beer is very similar to FFF Toxic Revolution Stout which I drank right before this. It's slightly more hoppy and less roasty/malty with a thinner body. I prefer Toxic Revolution to this by a small margin. This is very similar to Firestone Wookey Jack and the same style, but I prefer the taste of this and I swear I'm not a homer rater nor do I have a stiffy for FFF. Nice beer!

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 02:08:38 | More by GuzzLah

ddedhed

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured 1/3 of bomber into a stemmed water glass. Dark, dark brown, very close to black, with an amber hue. There was a ton of thick, frothy, light khaki head that did not last too long. Decent lacing throughout. The smell is a little weak to me. I get sweet malts, not much roast. The hops are not very foward. They are slighty herbal/floral. I get a wiff of something garlic/tobaccoish, but not necessarily in an off putting way. I guess it is more of an earthy feel, and it is very faint. The taste is roasted malts with a sweetness that gives way to a solid herbal/floral hop presence on the back end; centennial, maybe? It has a crisp finish with moderate lingering bitterness. On the medium to thin side. This is a very balanced beer.

Overall, this is a decent beer that I would not pass on in the future. It is by no means a rock star, but something I would gladly drink again. Good, solid beer, but I prefer Hop Heathen.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 01:19:33 | More by ddedhed

cvm4

Mississippi

3.94/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Looks like a dark cola in color with a light khaki head that fades pretty quickly.

S - Big pine hops and roasted malts abound.

T - Pine hops exploding, burnt sugar and roasted malts. There's a a good bit of rye spice as well.

M - Light medium bodied with medium carbonation.

O - Well made with the right notes and an easy drinker at that.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 23:17:17 | More by cvm4

Claytonbrewsby

Virginia

4.31/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Was very excited about trying this one being a fan of Eyehategod! This brew here is an easy drinker. Like most black IPA's, it's not very heavy at all. Very smooth. If I had to compare it to another Three Floyd's beer, it would be the Toxic Revolution. After pouring, I saw that it was dark brown in color with a burnt brown, thin head. Tasted kind of woody to me, kind of like a light porter or something...

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 22:10:49 | More by Claytonbrewsby

ThickNStout

Georgia

3.73/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle from the Three Floyds store (Munster, IN). 10.00. No bottle date but my assumption is that they wouldn't sell beer past it's prime at the brewery. Served in a Dogfish Head snifter.

Pours cola black/brown with a finger and a half tan head. Head fades quickly to a thin layer and leaves a good bit of lace.

Smells of roasted pine. Plenty of piney hops but the charred malts are in there aplenty.

Those piney hops come on strong in the flavor. Also some bright bitter citrus pith, charred wood, burnt sugar, an almost rye-ish spice and some pleasant softer peach/ papaya fruity hops.

Medium body with moderate carbonation. Dry, mildly bitter roasty, floral pine finish.

A well made black ale. The roast and pine notes dominate as expected for the style but with the welcome addition of some tropical fruits. It drinks smooth and I had no problems finishing the bomber in one sitting.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 03:45:34 | More by ThickNStout

cosmicevan

New York

4.25/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

thanks sleuthdog for the hookup. enjoyed from my FFF teku.

brew poured a watery black with a grey foamy head that left chunky lacing. smells of dank sticky hops with solid roasted malts. nice citric notes. taste is big and bold leading with roast and then slamming you with the bitterish hops. fairly dank and pine cone, but the roast really changes the character of an ipa. the body is nice and smooth with good carbonation. things are really in balance. this is a style that i'm not wild about, but if more of the black ipas were like this i'd probably speak differently of the style. i really found this one to be quite good.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 01:35:59 | More by cosmicevan

tdm168

North Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A - black with a big, thick, dense, brownish head that has great retention

S - chocolate, roasted malts, citrus, pine

T - roasted malts, bitter, chocolate, piney, herbal, some citrus, some vegetal-like spice

M - medium bodied, well carbonated

This is a pretty solid Black IPA. There is great balance and tremendous drinkability. The hops are intense and the flavor profile really hits a good range. I actually thought the herbal character meshed best with the malt character. The malts were also prevalent, but very well balanced. This was a decent Black IPA that is definitely worth checking out.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 23:11:36 | More by tdm168

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.53/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

650 mL bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Not quite black. Dark brown. Nice off white head. Laces well with some goof surface wisps.

Smell - Lots of pine hops. Resiny. Roasted malts come through, but it's mostly hops.

Taste - Bright pine hops. Again it's resiny. Chocolate shines through here. Bitter malt and hops. Maybe overpowering.

Mouthfeel - Quite bitter. Strong hop presence that isn't unwelcome, but does overpower the malt profile. Still some roastiness to the finish.

Overall - Tough to pull off this style. Pine hops aren't the way to go, but its a decent take on the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 22:27:31 | More by Alieniloquium

MasterSki

Illinois

3.86/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Bottle picked up for me by Sean - thanks bro! Served in a taster pint glass.

A - Off-white foam settles to a partial cap, thick collar, and splotches of lace. Dark brown body with a hint of transparency at the edges of the glass.

S - Leafy and herbal hopping, with perhaps a hint of mint actually. Some chocolate, light black patent malt, and hints of smoke, roast, and char. As it warms, more caramel and vanilla flavors emerge.

T - The taste is more aggressively bitter and roasty, with only mild cocoa and caramel sweetness. More char, roast, smoke, and herbal hop flavors.

M - Zesty carbonation, dry, toasty texture, medium-bodied, with no alcohol and a fairly clean finish.

D - Well this is well-made and to style, it's not really what I look for from a Black IPA. The combination of hop and roast bitterness gets fatiguing and lacks balancing sweetness. Alcohol is well-hidden, and the smokiness paired nicely with the stuffed peppers we made. Might order again as a change of pace, but only in a small portion size.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 20:29:24 | More by MasterSki

sleuthdog

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2013 bottle into FFF Teku

Pour: Dark brown to a deep reddish especially along the edges when held to the light. Head was a good two fingers of khaki brown that receded quickly and left spotty lacing. Further consumption left more visible lacing...not huge but definitely more noticeable.

Smell: Light and easy on the nose with faint citrus hops like a bit of orange, lemon, maybe grapefruit. The malt and roast are in there faintly also. Big surprise to me that the nose on this is lacking.

Taste: Again follows the nose with oh so faint hop presence which is not typical of a FFF offering. Actually lacking some in this category for me as I was hoping for more of the FFF tropical citrus hops. They are there but subdued to me. The malt comes in next with a smooth grain and wood like taste. Some nutty taste mixed in with an ever so slight mild coffee twang and interestingly at the back it finishes more bitter than I expected with the mild hop taste up front. Finishes dry.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation creating a smooth and creamy feel. Alcohol is non-exisent and finish is dry leaving the palate ready for the next sip.

Overall: Not my favorite FFF beer but I do enjoy this style in general so this was up my alley. I probably will end up liking this more than most. Even though I describe the hop profile as subdued I find it to be adequate for the beer as I continue to enjoy this bottle.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 01:18:56 | More by sleuthdog

PHBoiler

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

About a 6 week old bomber poured into a 3 Floyd's Teku.

The beer pours beautifully. Jet black with a nice offwhite, creamy head.

The first smell was all bright, citrusy hops. Second smell was all roast, almost black coffee in nature. Third smell was some sort of mix of the two that pulls you in.

The taste is pretty much the scent. It's almost like a combination of Alpha King and Topless Wytch. Deep roasted taste but the brightness of the hops come through. The carbonation is on point as is the viscosity. This would be a better bomber to share as I was done for the night after this one just because my mouth was on flavor overload. The alcohol is well hidden due to the all the battling flavors. I would seek this out to try. It's very different than many Black IPAs I've had. The roast is deeper, and the hop character is distinctly 3 Floyd's.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 19:38:46 | More by PHBoiler

StonedtotheBone

Ohio

4.11/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance- a vigorous pour leaves a light head with plenty of dark malt but more of a dark reddish brown, then black.
Smell- Slight cascade or citra hop leaves the dark malts overwhelmed
Taste- The strong citrus front is followed up by a piney resin that balances the dark malts.
Mouth- perfect viscosity is followed by an apropriate addition of carbonation and bitterness
Overall- Best Black IPA to date perfect example of a solid beer from the FFF

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 22:57:18 | More by StonedtotheBone

Auracom

Illinois

3.2/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

22 oz. bottle purchased at the brewpub in Munster. 10 oz. poured into a FFF pint glass on March 23rd, 2013.

A - More of a deep brown ale than a true black IPA, plentiful sticky light brown lacing and a moderate amount of head sticking around.

S - Mocha foam, a twinge of smoke, lightly toasted coffee beans, graham cracker, and slight tropical fruit.

T - Gentle hop acidity and pine zest really well balanced with honey malt and baking spices.

M - Light-medium body, moderate carbonation, slight dryness in the finish.

D - Unexpectedly balanced. Normally I'm all for that, but in this instance it's balanced because nothing stands out in the taste. The aroma was significantly more complex and interesting. Would grab Wookey Jack before I'd try this one again.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 21:26:59 | More by Auracom

SerialHiker

Illinois

4.16/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Pours a dense, dark brownish mahogany…fluffy and thick, head is about a finger width and only thins slightly… really nice! (4.5/5)

Smell: Citrus hops up front, hints of orange, lemon, mango…malts are mild but present…I’m smelling light roasted malt and the slightest bit of chocolate…also, just some basic brown malt aroma in there…a splash of rye maybe…smells good, but I wouldn’t call it aromatic…it’s light, crisp and fresh…has the classic Three Floyds hops profile…(4/5)

Taste: Yum! First I get a rich, creamy citrus hops flavor, very full and fresh…it just pops right out…but then smooth, subtle malts come in, bringing nutty, roasted, very light chocolate flavors…very light chocolate, but it’s there…superbly well balanced…earthy/slightly piney bitterness does come out towards the end…the more I drink, the more I get a rye bite (which I love)…it’s not overly complex on the palate, just super flavorful…again, Yum! (4.25/5)

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body…light to medium on the carbonation…not too much to it, comes in fresh and light and leaves rather smoothly…slight earthy/lemony/piney bitterness in the after taste, but it doesn’t dominant the palate…the more I drink, the more I feel a piney tingle on the edges of my tongue…(3.75/5)

Overall: This is another fantastic brew from 3 Floyds…black IPA’s aren’t typically my favorite, usually I find them to be over malted with muted hops flavor, but that’s not the case here…this thing has the classic 3 Floyds hops flavor shining through, but it’s well complimented by brown malts that don’t want to do anything but assist…this beer drinks fantastically, finishing it won’t be hard…for me, paying $10 for a bomber is somewhat ridiculous, but as the old adage goes, “you get what you pay for”…if money was no object, I could easily drink $30 worth of this in one sitting…I’d also have a fantastic buzz…easily recommendable, pick this up while it lasts…(4.25/5)

Brewreport.blogspot.com

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 01:02:27 | More by SerialHiker

smakawhat

Maryland

3.8/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured on tap into a 4 oz. taster at Pizza Paradiso Dupont DC. From notes.

This is the most reddish Black ale I have ever seen. Pretty wild, extremely dark red with mahogonay brown highlights. Quite crystal clear too but very dark. Light collar is tan picking up some of the red hue.

Nose is very interesting, different. This smells like a roast porter, with light toast and roasty grains, maybe a hint of brown sugar squeeks in there, I almost want to say dubbel Belgian strangely but it can't quite be. Very different I am not sure where this is going.

Palate is one again juicy and lucious, with a mix of porter and grapefruit hop action. Some melon washes over the middle quite a bit too, with mellow roast complimenting also. Malts accentuate as it warms up almost getting into doppelbock territory strangely, the hop character really tappers off quite a bit also after some time.

This is a real style blur, I am not that drawn to it, but it's kind of interesting.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 00:52:48 | More by smakawhat

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It's somewhat of a surprise to me that the ever-hoppy brewers at Three Floyds doesn't have an American Black Ale as part of their standard portfolio. This random offering suits the style exactly spot on.

The ale pours dark brown, but not quite approaching black confusions. It's capped with a mild tan head that's frothy in its texture. Strong resiliance allows the beer to line the glass with its pillowy lace.

Sharp and certain IPA aromas leap from the glass- citrusy grapefruit and orange peels are apparent and governs the nose at first. A background malt note of light campfire char, coffee, and burnt sugars override any caramel scent.

Burnt sugars and roasty malts align to give first impressions to its dry taste. The middle palate brings on the sharp hop flavors of grapefruit, orange, pine, and grass. Wood-ish tones of roasted grain and nuts fade in and out of the hop profile before the beer dives into a deeply resinous bitterness to finish. It seems that the coffee-ish roast creates its own bitterness that exacerbates the bitterness of hops for a two headed monster of bitterness that tramples the esophagus.

Medium-bodied, the ale reads bolder because of its dark appearance, but it is remarkably dry and light even early on. But as the carbonation recedes and the malt sweetness fades, the bitterness and mild grain-derived astringency takes hold and dominates the finish. Its crisp and spicy aftertaste is something of toasted hop cones in essence.

It's an incredibly bitter beer from both hops and char. More floral character and an even drier malt texture could really propell this thing into orbit!

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 18:30:11 | More by BEERchitect

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.76/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Bottle opened on 3.19.13

A - Pours a dark cola brown with a two inch foamy light tan head with good retention.

S -Hoppy pine and grass, sweet, roasted malt.

T - Roasted malt and subtle grass, pretty mild.

D - Good carbonation with a light body.

O - Roasted malt with a hoppy background. Mild Beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 05:17:56 | More by HuskyinPDX

macrosmatic

Florida

3.93/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Thanks to augustg for this bottle! Reviewed from notes. Poured from bomber into a Russian River pint glass.

A: Pours a hazy dark brown, with a one-finger brown head and medium visible carbonation.

S: Roasted malt, coffee and toffee, with some citrus and pine hops.

T: Follows the nose. The overall impression is that of bitterness, but I couldn't quite decide how much came from the hops versus the roasted malts. The hops are present but have a hard time standing up to the big malt bill here.

M: Medium to heavy-bodied, moderate alcohol presence, good carbonation.

O: Decent - no particular flaws but nothing outstanding. I had higher hopes for this beer from this brewery...but only mildly disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 15:53:54 | More by macrosmatic

weonfire

Kentucky

3.91/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

A - Deep brown- slightly opaque. HUGE light mocha head, 3+ fingers, great lacing.

S - creamy carmel malt, chocolate, and minor hops

T - initial- carmel, smoothness and creme. finish- piney, bitter and a little boozy

M - wow its frothy. viscosity is low.

O - wasn't super impressed with flavor. was hoping for more hoppiness. alcohol comes thru more than expected. Three Floyds has many much better products. I would pass on this brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 21:38:33 | More by weonfire

Efay

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Served into a teku.

A- Appears jet black at first, but when in the light it is a dark moca brown. Not much head retention, but great amounts of lacing.

S- Extremely hoppy, with lots of pine. However, I can smell some earthy malt undertones.

T- Initial pine taste, but then I taste some earthy coffee-like malt. However, I disliked how hoppy this beer ended. Just dries my mouth out.

M- Heavy and high carbonation, but enjoyable texture for the style.

O- A great black IPA, and it could be stellar if it wasn't so ridiculously bitter. Still on par with wookey jack.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 23:56:17 | More by Efay

jeonseh

Indiana

4.23/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottle poured into a FFF teku during the week it was released

A - Dark brown that lets no light through it. It had a two finger head composed of many small bubbles and left lots of lacing down the sides

S - Light roasted and smoked malt initially. Slight grass, lemon and orange peel. It is also fruity with pineapple and slight mango to it

T - Upfront is sweet pineapple, slight strawberry and mango. As the beer continues, you feel the bitterness creep up and work its way to the back of your tongue as pine and grapefruit make themselves known. There is a slight roasted malt and pine that linger in the finish

MF - Medium body with lots of carbonation to make this a nice creamy beer. Light hop resin remains in the finish

O - A great black IPA from FFF that brings lots of different hop flavors together with the fruity and the bitter pine / grapefruit. It is well balanced between the two and has a nice creamy mouthfeel. Another great IPA from FFF.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 21:24:01 | More by jeonseh