Dreadnaught IPA Brewed by Three Floyds Brewing Company - Munster, Indiana

A hophead’s dream beer. This Imperial India Pale Ale has an opening salvo of mango, peach and citrus hop aromas that sit atop a pronounced caramel malt backbone. Although Dreadnaught is a strong and intensely hoppy ale, its complex flavor is both smooth and memorable. 9.5% ABV 99 IBUs.
 
      
             
Beer Review from Beer Advocate
Appearance: Nearly pumpkin orange in color, slight chill haze. Thin cropped white lace does an excellent job of sticking to the glass.

Smell: Big wafts of fresh hop oil smack the nose around a bit; sweet pine sap and some citric rind. Light fruitiness, faint esters and some diacetyl in the aroma as well.

Taste & Mouthfeel: Light carbonation but real smooth and creamy with a slickness in the mouth. A constant barrage of hops hits the palate right from the get go and does not cut any slack. Sweetness does come from an ample maltiness but more so from sweet hop oil that borders and overwhelming pungent sensation. Higher alcohols are held to a minimum but it is quite warming. Touches of bready grain and buttery flavours, the hops just keep coming with a huge wall of bitterness and piney citric flavour. Finishes slightly on the sweet side but still puckering from the hops.

Drinkability & Notes: Very deceiving alcohol, hops are out of control but done in a perfect way. An amazing brew that warmed me up on this cold winters day.

 
    
History of 3 Floyds Brewing Company
Three Floyds Brewing was founded in 1996 by brothers Nick and Simon with their father Mike Floyd. The original brewery was built by Nick and Simon in a run down warehouse located in Hammond, Indiana. The first beers brewed by the brothers were designed to be a departure from the fairly bleak craft brewing scene in the region. Nick and Simon brewed intense balanced beers that were and still remain “not normal” by conventional standards.

The first brew house was an old 5 barrel (155 gallon) kettle fired by a wok burner with old open Swiss cheese tanks as fermentation vessels. This very small and eclectic system was utilized to produce full flavored draught ales for the Chicago and Northwest Indiana region.

With increasing support and demand for Three Floyds ales the brewery slowly and methodically grew, eventually outgrowing the Hammond location. In 2000 the whole operation was moved to Munster, Indiana where it remains today. This new era for the brewery included a new 15 barrel (465 gallon) brewhouse and three 30 barrel bonifide closed and temperature controlled fermentation tanks.

With new quality control measures, equipment and space to grow Three Floyds looked toward bottled products. Due to limited resources the first bottles of Alpha King Pale Ale were contract brewed and bottled. This lasted until 2002 when a reconditioned Italian bottling line at the Munster facility started to spit out beautiful 12 and 22 oz bottled Three Floyds beers in house.

Since 2000 the brewery has steadily grown. Many more fermentation and conditioning vessels have been added and more and more beer has been brewed. A brand new 35 barrel brewhouse has just come on line and our new bottling line is up and running. This being said, Three Floyds Brewing Company is still a very small brewery even by Micro Brewery standards.

Although growing and being very well received among the craft beer crowd, the limited production only enables Three Floyds to distribute locally. But with steady growth and increasing support more markets may open up.

In November of 2005, after receiving numerous visitors to the brewery over the years, Three Floyds opened its own brewpub at the production facility. What was once office space is now a refuge for the craft beer enthusiast. With all the Three Floyds mainstays, seasonal offerings, special small batch beers and many guest beers it is a mecca for craft beer. The pub also has a full service kitchen providing pub fare of the best quality supported by a 3000 square foot organic herb and vegetable garden.