I'm sure the term "bog standard" doesn't get used in the same sentence as "Three Floyds" much, but Alpha King is the nearest the Indiana brewery gets. This is their flagship brew, though very far from being beer-by-numbers.After pouring the dark amber ale I noticed that head formation wasn't a strong suit. It's actually quite a heavy and thick one, and I can't help feeling that a few degrees below cellar temperature would have made it a little less work to drink. No ABV on the label but the Internet tells me it's 6% ABV, and it feels it, leaving a sticky residue behind in the mouth.
Toffee and mandarins are the main things I get from the flavour, finishing citric, though not as intensely hoppy as the name might suggest. The aroma is rather understated for a hop-driven beer of this sort, possibly due to the low carbonation. It's a shame, because more often than not the aroma is the best bit of these kinds of beers.
A cold six-pack is probably the optimum method for enjoying this -- it's not a beer that lends itself to considered analysis.
Not gonna lie, I had to look up the phrase "bog standard." Never heard it before. The search result said, "Meaning: The basic unrefined article." Well, then.
ReplyDeleteToffee and mandarins sounds like an interesting flavor profile for a dark amber. Three Floyds has one of those good problems - they have had SO much success with their Dark Lord that I wonder if their other beers are overshadowed.
That would be a shame if true. Brian Boru is lovely, for one.
ReplyDeleteAnother great title for a post. Read it this morning and didn't get it and then it dawned on my several hours later.
ReplyDeleteI thought it up ages ago and have had Cilla Black in my head ever since. Actions have consequences.
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