I have now had three opportunities to try one of Beer Advocate’s highest rated beers, Zombie Dust from Three Floyd’s Brewery out of Indiana. My first taste was consumed on tap at a great gastropub in Chicago. My second experience was actually a result of being able to get my hands on a 6 pack. I credit my good friend Chad Meindl (@ChadMeindl) for uncovering a store in Chicago that claimed to sell it. The third time was while visiting Three Floyd’s brewpub, which was probably the most memorable experience and you can read about it here: Memoires of An Epic Beercation.
After having this world renowned brew three different times I feel pretty comfortable with my assessment: it isn’t anything more than a great everyday beer. It is technically classified as an APA, though all indications point to an IPA in my opinion. Three Floyd’s Brewery is absolutely masterful with their hops, nice citrus, a touch of floral, great balance and super potent with the bitterness. This brew hangs in the 6% range for ABV, but call me deceived because I would have guessed 7% at a minimum. Again, my hat’s off to Three Floyd’s for delivering on the mouthfeel and the ability to give a syrupy characteristic to a beer with such a low ABV.
This beer is really fantastic, but a top 20 beer of all time, impossible! Three Floyd’s does make a perfect 5 out of 5 beer in my opinion and it is Dreadnaught. When I rate beers, I do not compare apples to apples, it just isn’t how my brain works. Is Zombie Dust the best APA I have ever had? Yes, by a mile. How does it compare to Dreadnaught or Founder’s KBS? Not even close. I think of it as a bell curve, where most of the beers you rank should be in the middle and then as you get out towards the outliers there are fewer and fewer. The jump from 4.5 to 5 stars is huge in my opinion.
Maybe I am overly critical, but I am sticking to my guns. I love giving credit for great beers stylistically, but when you are talking about the best of the best, I get pretty picky. I would say it is impossible for any brews other than Imperial Stouts, Barrel Aged Stouts, Double/Imperial IPA’s, or Sours to get a perfect score. And I cannot wait to be proved wrong on that.
Here for the Beer Rating: 4.5/5 Stars