3 Floyds | Permanent Funeral

The wolf inside this pale ale is trying to walk upright. This bright and aromatic beer was brewed with our friends in the band Pig Destroyer. Using some minimal marketing speak that could be surmised to posit that even with the first sip, 3 Floyds Permanent Funeral is a werewolf of a beer makes you want to howl at the moon, party your face off and surf on top of your buddies van! I will agree with that 3 Floyds marketing team!

3 Floyds – Permanent Funeral

10.5% ABV

100 IBU

I first remember listening to Pig Destroyer in the early 2000’s. I am a fan of extreme music and heavy metal (obvi) but hearing this type of music, for the first time was a whole new experience. Guttural, emotive blasts of heavy guitars, blast beats and controversial, angst-y lyrics. I loved it. I was fresh out of the institutional high school system and entering the world of higher learning. Hearing this music was just like diving into craft beer for the first time. I felt this momentous shift in my thinking. I was not being force fed the marginal products anymore. I felt like I was making opinions based on my own merits and not being influenced by what others may be saying. Extreme music is not a commodity. Beer is not a commodity. Fast forward to a few days ago (quite honestly, those college days are a bit of a gap in my memory anyway) and you can imagine my excitement to see the craft beer world and extreme music worlds collide in 3 Floyds and Pig Destroyer’s new lycanthropic brainchild, Permanent Funeral. The brew is named after the eponymous track on Pig Destroyer’s new album, Book Burner. While 3 Floyds Permanent Funeral may not directly result in your permanent funeral, it may knock you on your keister for the evening.

Appearance and Aroma

3 Floyds Permanent Funeral pours a deep orange hue with a dense white head and has a high-flying hop aroma that is very citrusy. This pale ale is not throwing punches within its own weight class, this barley pop is an Imperial IPA without a doubt. Upon my second smell, some clean malty sweetness is present but fruitiness (melon, lemon rind, some pine), either from esters or hops, is the real hay-maker in this brew’s punching combination. I also get a good amount of fusel alcohol coming off without it being “hot” or biting.

Flavor

Notes of grapefruit, peach and pineapple peak through the first taste leading the way for a refreshing finish. A brawny malt presence finishes out this brew to bring a bizarre balance that almost makes me think this may be why they are calling this brew a “pale” ale. A calm bitterness hangs back in the aftertaste but is not harsh.

Mouthfeel

The brew is moderately smooth and has somewhat soothing alcohol warmth. Big carbonation throughout the quaff lends to a dry sensation in the presence of malt sweetness. The full mouthfeel with high carbonation is in direct correlation to the recent American innovation reflecting the trend of American craft brewers “pushing the envelope” with high hop intensities and a large malt bill to balance out high ABV brews, and 3 Floyds is no different.

Overall Impression

A highly hopped, very strong pale ale with a light, clean maltiness that is not as deep as an American Barleywine. Clean, refreshing nose and clean, full mouthfeel that lacks harshness is a tribute to historical IPAs and is most excellent. This is a highly drinkable brew and not at all a heavy sipper. I want more of this! Everyone send me more of this! This brew is smooth drinking for the ABV and a true showcase for hops.

So, swing by your local bottle shoppe, grab a 3 Floyds Permanent Funeral and turn up the Pig Destroyer on your way home. These blokes are not making homogenized products or just another “commodity,” they’re making partnerships with other artists that push the envelope in their own way. Cheers to Pig Destroyer and cheers 3 Floyds.