Head to Head: Three Floyd’s Dreadnaught Imperial IPA vs. Bells Hopslam
Welcome to another Head to Head challenge. Today we have two Imperial India Pale Ales. Both are from America. The first is from Indiana and is the Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA. The second is from Michigan and is the Bells Hopslam.
As usual the tasting was done blind and to style.
Price: Winner – Unsure
Floyd – ?? (22oz Bottle) This was brought down from Ohio by a good friend.
Hopslam - $14.99 (6 pack 12 oz bottles)
Appearance: Winner – Hopslam
Floyd – Pours a yellow-amber with a decent sized off-white head that diminishes but leaves some lace.
Hopslam – Pours a yellowish-amber color. The off-white head is small and mostly diminishes. It leaves very little lace.
Aroma: Winner – Floyd
Floyd – Hops, hops and more hops. Some pine/resin is also in there but bouquet is overwhelmingly hops.
Hopslam – The aroma is sweet with some citrus and honey and a light hop presence.
Taste: Winner – Hopslam
Floyds – This starts out with some moderate bitterness which builds in strength.
Hoplsam – Presents a really good balance of sweet and bitter. It starts with a moderate bitterness that does not become overpowering. Instead the sweetness form the malt provides a good balance.
Body/Finish: Winner – Tie
Floyds – The hops again dominate the finish but here it is really nice. The body is dry and lasts a long while.
Hopslam – Ends with a wonderfully flavorful bitterness. Has a nice dryness in the finish.
Overall: Winner – Hopslam
So a decisive win for Hopslam? Perhaps not. While it did win it was not the powerful win I remember when it went against the 90 Minute IPA. I can’t help but think that if the Dreadnaught had a bit more balance it would of faired incredibly well. It is still a great drinking beer you just need to love hops to truly enjoy it. So rack up another win for Hoplsam.
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