3 Floyds "Dreadnaught" Double IPA

This beer proudly declares on its very difficult to read label "it's not normal" with no further explanation. I suppose one of the less-normal things that this beer does is put a label on its bottle without further explanation that kind of needs it. The giant picture on the bottle is a mech of some kind that has stripes on it like a bee or a wasp. There's also some weird skull with bat wings and a crown as their crest, I assume. The label is unsettling.

The relatively clear copper beverage has an off-white head with tiny bubbles that grab the sides very well. The resultant blotchy cap on top of the beer is almost complete in its coverage. The aroma is light citrus fruits, and they are weighted down by a indiscernible malt. The smell seems very heavy, and I suspect this is going to be a bit of a kick in the pants.

First sip is, indeed, quite heavy. The malt is absolutely weighing down any hops that might be trying to assert themselves until maybe toward the end where the bitterness overtakes the sweetness that the middle bread seemed to have. The thickness of the malt is usually indicative of a DIPA, but it doesn't seem particularly balanced with the hops. It's not bad, but I'm pretty sure sipping isn't the way to go.

Tip-in is light carbonation tingle over orange and grapefruit mixed into an almost overwhelming bread malt. The middle expands into a thick, sweet caramel malt with a little too much carbonation going on around it. On the label, it says that this has a crisp finish, but the finish than I'm experiencing is a little more funk than crisp, and it definitely has bitterness latched onto it.

Bottom Line: I'm normally a huge fan of DIPAs, but this one's just kind of meh.

2.0/5