Brewery: 3 Floyds Brewing Company
Beer: Arctic Panzer Wolf
Style: American Double/Imperial IPA
ABV: 9%
Character: A massive IPA at 100IBU
Ratings: BA: 93 | RB: 100
Metal Connection: MARDUK – Panzer Division Marduk
BeerMetalDude Rating: 4.5/5
When it comes to Craft Beer and Metal, one brewery that comes to mind quickly is 3 Floyds Brewing Company from Indiana. These guys have been known to collaborate with some of Metal’s best, like Lair of the Minotaur, Pig Destroyer, Amon Amarth, and even Cannibal Corpse, just to name a few. I am trying my hardest to get most of their offerings to my page. Since starting this website, and meeting some killer new friends like Jorge Espinoza of the website, animebeers.com, getting my hands on such beers, which are not available here in Texas became a lot easier. I am grateful for the friendship Jorge and I have, as we have been trading beers since 2014. He is also responsible for me getting my hands on this beer. Besides our trade boxes, he helps me get beer orders to me. What a guy!
With their love for Metal, their labels definitely can be used as album covers. Arctic Panzer Wolf is no exception to this. This label looks like it will be on a Doom Metal or a Modern Black Metal album. The main part of the label is a close up of a vicious looking wolf leading the charge. In the red background there are silhouettes of army tanks falling in after the leading wolf. The beer’s name is also written in a drawn font that looks like a band name or album name. I remember seeing this bottle for a while, wanting to have the beer.
I wanted to use the specialty IPA glass for this, but then I remembered that I had a 3 Floyds logo glass, so I thought that was more appropriate for this session. Arctic Panzer Wolf poured a semi-hazy bright orange color topped with a 1 inch head. There was good retention throughout this session as the head was a thin layer atop the beer, leaving sticky, spotty lacing down the glass.
The aroma was very hop forward. Big citrus, and tropical fruit hops dominate with a touch of grass and floral aromas. Orange, orange peel, pineapple, and mango are present. There is slight pine, as well. Soon after the hop aroma fades, there are scents of caramel, and fresh baked white bread. Overall, the smell is pretty sweet influenced by the fruity hops.
The taste follows the aroma. My taste buds are hit with a massive amount of hops right away. Citrus and tropical fruit flavors reign supreme with notes of orange pulp, orange peel, pineapple, and mango. There is a bit of pine in there as well. The body is light sweet caramel, toffee, and fresh baked white bread. The aftertaste is sugary sweet candied citrus fruit.
This beer has a good medium-heavy body with a smooth, slick mouthfeel. There is a nice astringency as well. Moderate carbonation. The finish is dry.
Overall, I knew ahead of time that beer would not disappoint, and I was absolutely correct. 3 Floyds, so far, in my opinion of their beers, can do no wrong. I hope this continues as I get more and more of their bottles. Let the battle on the palate begin, led by this ferocious tank of hops. All hail the Arctic Panzer Wolf!
Metal Connection: The Metal connection for this beer could not have been any easier to choose than this one. When I first saw this beer, the band that I knew I would use for this would be Sweden’s Marduk. I also knew the alum I would pick a song from would be Panzer Division Marduk. And lastly, I knew the exact song I would pick would be “Panzer Division.” Marduk began back in 1990, and released their first demo in 1991, Fuck me Jesus. In 1992, they released their first full length album, Dark Endless on No Fashion Records. Marduk has been a highly active band since they began putting out 13 full length albums, a handful of EPs and live albums. In 1999, Marduk released Panzer Division Marduk, which was one of my favorite albums that they released. I am very pleased to feature this band, and this song here on BeerMetalDude. All Hail Marduk!
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