Beer of the Weekend #384: Zombie Dust
A special beer, given to me by the host of my beer group, has been chilling in my fridge for a couple weeks and I thought I would drink it. (Frankly, I need to drink it before the hops “fall.” I was chastised this week for letting my four-pack of Surly Abrasive Ale sit for so long because the hops will lose their potency if it is not consumed as fresh as possible.) It is Friday and I just finished work for the week, so I think this calls for a celebratory, though rather late, brown bottle lunch.
The beer today is Zombie Dust, brewed by the Three Floyds Brewing Company of Munster, Indiana.
Though I know very little about Three Floyds, I do know that the brewery is worshiped. It is a holy site for American beer nuts. I have never been there and do not plan to go anytime soon, but a lot of people make a pilgrimage to Munster, especially for its famous Dark Lord Day. I have heard about Three Floyds a lot but have never had any of their beer. Until now…
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. No freshness date.
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is deep gold with a copper tint. Two fingers of dense, buttery, eggshell-colored head dissipated very slowly.
Smell: The citrus hit my nose immediately after popping off the cap. The aroma is even noticeable and strong from an arm’s length away. Very invigorating grapefruit citrus; it is almost like holding a slice of the real fruit. There is also a little bit of orange and loads of pineapple. There may be a little mango, as well. Very fruity and citrusy. It makes me wonder how much Vitamin C it has.
Taste: It is far from a hop bomb, but the hops provide a perfect amount of bitterness. Much like the smell, the taste is citrus and fruit dominated: grapefruit, orange, pineapple, maybe a little mango. It is very well balanced by lightly toasted grains and a little caramel.
Drinkability: Superb. This is the best pale ale I have ever had. Now I know why Three Floyds is a Mecca of beer.
Fun facts about Zombie Dust:
-Style: BA classifies it as “American Pale Ale.”
-Price: I have no clue. It was a gift, so for me it was free-ninety-nine.
-Serving temperature: 40-45ºF.
-Alcohol content: 6.4 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA (which finally revamped its website recently) recommends Pan Asian cuisine; earthy, nutty, and tangy cheeses; salad; and poultry.
-Nerdiness from the website, which also appears on the bottle:
-Zombie Dust was formally called Cenotaph.
-Zombie Dust has a score of 100 on BA. I have never seen that before. I remember seeing beers with scores of 99, but never 100.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A+.
The beer today is Zombie Dust, brewed by the Three Floyds Brewing Company of Munster, Indiana.
Though I know very little about Three Floyds, I do know that the brewery is worshiped. It is a holy site for American beer nuts. I have never been there and do not plan to go anytime soon, but a lot of people make a pilgrimage to Munster, especially for its famous Dark Lord Day. I have heard about Three Floyds a lot but have never had any of their beer. Until now…
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. No freshness date.
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is deep gold with a copper tint. Two fingers of dense, buttery, eggshell-colored head dissipated very slowly.
Smell: The citrus hit my nose immediately after popping off the cap. The aroma is even noticeable and strong from an arm’s length away. Very invigorating grapefruit citrus; it is almost like holding a slice of the real fruit. There is also a little bit of orange and loads of pineapple. There may be a little mango, as well. Very fruity and citrusy. It makes me wonder how much Vitamin C it has.
Taste: It is far from a hop bomb, but the hops provide a perfect amount of bitterness. Much like the smell, the taste is citrus and fruit dominated: grapefruit, orange, pineapple, maybe a little mango. It is very well balanced by lightly toasted grains and a little caramel.
Drinkability: Superb. This is the best pale ale I have ever had. Now I know why Three Floyds is a Mecca of beer.
Fun facts about Zombie Dust:
-Style: BA classifies it as “American Pale Ale.”
-Price: I have no clue. It was a gift, so for me it was free-ninety-nine.
-Serving temperature: 40-45ºF.
-Alcohol content: 6.4 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA (which finally revamped its website recently) recommends Pan Asian cuisine; earthy, nutty, and tangy cheeses; salad; and poultry.
-Nerdiness from the website, which also appears on the bottle:
This intensely hopped and gushing undead pale ale will be ones only respite after the zombie apocalypse. Created with our marvelous friends in the comic industry. Art by Tim Seeley
-Zombie Dust was formally called Cenotaph.
-Zombie Dust has a score of 100 on BA. I have never seen that before. I remember seeing beers with scores of 99, but never 100.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A+.
