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High on Hops: 3 Floyds Wins Halloween

Lee Heidel
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It’s the spookiest time of year. Welcome back to the day when little ghouls and goblins dress in their most frightening costumes and patrol neighborhoods on the hunt for candy. But who says Halloween treats are just for kids?

Indiana brewery 3 Floyds Brewing Co. brings the scary as well as the delicious every day with its horror-themed label art and extreme flavor combinations. When choosing a special craft beer for Halloween, look for one of these 3 Floyds bottles to tap in to the macabre spirit of the season.

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zombiedustZombie Dust
Pale Ale
6.2% ABV
Available in 6-packs year round

Perhaps the best-known beer in 3 Floyds’ stable, Zombie Dust is a pale ale with the hop burst typically reserved for a burly IPA. It currently holds a perfect score of 100 on Beer Advocate for the sticky grapefruit and citrus notes floating in a bright, easy to drink body.

backmaskingBackmasking
Oatmeal Stout
8% ABV
Available in 22 oz bottles year round

If there’s one thing 3 Floyds brewers love as much as crafting amazing beer, it’s the pounding of brutal heavy metal music. During the ‘80s, backmasking (hiding secret messages in recordings to be retrieved when playing backwards) was all the rage. A tribute to that art form, this beer blends up a peaty, roasted sweetness to hide an aggressive hop profile.

funeralPermanent Funeral
Imperial India Pale Ale
10.5% ABV
Available in 22 oz bottles year round

A collaboration with the grindcore band Pig Destroyer, the werewolf themed art on Permanent Funeral beckons the drinker to consider their own mortality. The toast-like malt with hints of caramel leads the tasting experience, but that mildness quickly gives way to the animal underneath – a spicy, bitter full-flavored monster humanized by a fleck of light fruit sweetness.

dark-lord-du-muerteDark Lord Du Muerte
Russian Imperial Stout
15% ABV
Available in 22 oz bottles. Limited spring release.

The Du Muerte label indicates cognac and bourbon barrel-aged varieties of 3 Floyds’ famed Dark Lord stout enhanced with ancho and guajillo peppers. These hard to find bad boys are hand numbered and outfitted with a sugar skull interpretation of the 3 Floyds’ logo for a Day of the Dead influence underscored by the use of hot peppers.

blackheartBlackheart
English IPA
8.5% ABV
Available in 22 oz bottles. Spring release.

3 Floyds’ attempt to recapture the traditional over-hopped English-style India Pale Ale, Blackheart is a full bodied, smooth sipper that brings toffee malts and herbal hops together in a frighteningly good combination.

blakkrBlakkr
Imperial Black Ale
9.99% ABV
Available in 22 oz bottles. Retired.

Not one to keep all the fun for themselves, Blakkr is a 3 Floyds collaboration with Real Ale and Surly. The three-headed angel of death on the stark label encases a dense, opaque beer deserving of its name. In some respects a traditional hop-forward stout, this black mass keeps you guessing with char, chocolate and tropical fruits.

No matter which beer from 3 Floyds you choose, it’s guaranteed to be full-flavored and unique, with label art that’s just right for a haunting holi

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Lee Heidel
Lee Heidel
Lee Heidel is the managing editor of Brew/Drink/Run, a website and podcast that promotes brewing your own beer, consuming the…
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