Beer Review: Three Floyds Brewing Zombie Dust

I wish you could look hard enough at liquor stores around St. Louis to find a few beers by Three Floyds Brewing Company, an Indiana brewery.  They make some really good beers, especially Zombie Dust, an American Pale Ale.  The beer has an ABV of 6.2%.

The problem is the beer is very hard to find; in Indianapolis, the beer disappears from the shelf as quickly as it appears, even though it is brewed year-round.  I was lucky enough to get a bottle from a buddy.

Offering: 12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: The bottle poured a hazy dark amber color into a pint glass.  It left about an inch of off-white head, which gradually reduced to a thick lacing.

Smell: The citrus hops are the primary smell, specifically lemon, grapefruit, and orange.  There is also a floral hops present in the aroma.

Taste: This shows what an APA should taste like.  The citrus and piney hops are front and center, but the malt adds sweetness to balance the hops.  Unlike most Pale Ales, the hops are not overpowering and there is little taste of alcohol; this could be a turn off for most Pale Ale fans, but the beer is probably the best of this style I’ve had.

Mouth: The carbonation was perfect and this is probably one of the most balanced beers I’ve tasted.  It’s not a dry beer and doesn’t have a bitter aftertaste.

Overall: This might be the best beer I’ve tasted.  It’s medium bodied and easy to drink.  The beer comes off almost like an IPA (and many consider it one), but for people that don’t like the style.  It’s no surprise that people in Indianapolis horde this stuff.

The Beer Advocate score is 100 “World Class” in over 7700 ratings; the Bros have given it a 90 “Outstanding”.  That’s pretty high praise from both parties.  Beer Advocate also has ranked it currently ranked 15 on its Top 250.