Why we picked it: A recommendation from Andy at Norm's and a Virginia beer. Oh and it's a 16 oz can. Enjoy the extra 4 oz on this Friday night!
About 3 Brothers' Drift: Escape the mundane with this citra-based, session IPA, the perfect beer to end a workday or to carry you through a weekend with friends. A heavy dry-hop and pristine finish make Drift the ideal indulgence for any time, every time. Serve cold and enjoy with friends.
3 Brothers Brewing is located in downtown Harrisonburg, VA.
Beer Advocate Score: 91
ABV: 5.0%
Case Cost: $48
*website: http://threebrosbrew.com/beer/drift/
Disappointed to get home entirely too late, ready to log in and drink my beer for the day, and sad to see that there are only 23 posts for day 4. Just finished my Winter Cheer and wished I had been able to share it with more of you...I certainly hope when I get home to drink the Drift later today I will have a few more posts to read...
ReplyDeleteGetting ready for my company holiday party tonight so left work early to get things set up. I figured I would get prepared by drinking todays beer nice and early. First off I loved the selection because I have 3 boys. Second,16 oz beer...bonus. Finally, I had never had this beer before but really enjoyed it a lot. Im sure part of it was because it is friday at 4PM and I am already drinking a beer but it was definitely my favorite of the beers so far. Great pull
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ReplyDeleteAhhhhh...now that's what I'm talking about. 16ozs of a delicious beer! I love the look it has in the mug, the head, the smell, the taste, and the extra 4 ozs. More than all of that, I love the fact that my wife doesn't really like it, so I'll be having 32ozs of this guy tonight! Only one minor flaw, it has a slight aftertaste that is a little weird, but I can deal with that. Grade 9 of 10, A-
ReplyDeleteI'm not into IPAs. This is one of the better ones I have had - it's drinkable but I hate the aftertaste. Didn't feel like finishing it so Tony gets the rest! Check minus.
ReplyDeleteNebraska hired a new coach yesterday. I pulled up the press conference introducing the new coach on the ol' Interweb, opened up the 16 oz can of crisp, clean goodness and relaxed for the presser.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that struck me was the awful backdrop of the podium, come on Husker nation, at least dress it up in some Red & White. The next thing that hit me was the simple, balanced and refreshing taste of the Drift. It's not too hoppy, it's not too weak, it's a nice balance.
Of the beers so far, I'll be on the look out for this beer in the local beverage stores.
Concur - balanced and good!
Delete(And I do hope the Huskers bite a little worse than the Illini next year!)
So I crack this open and immediately I'm overwhelmed by a pleasant grapefruit aroma. Im taken back to the magical day in last year's 24 DOB where we had Schlafly Tasmanian IPA which ended up as one of my top 3 brews. And im not an IPA guy! So back to reality, the Tres Hermanos has nice head and great looking color too. I take the first sip and for a half a second a smile is creeping across my face....but then it falls flat. Just like this beer. It starts off great, but then this bland dryness kicks in and just kills it. The citrus beginning and dry finish do not work well together. If the citrus was paired up with a more mellow finish OR the dry finish was paired up with more of a pine taste this could have been something good but alas it's not :(
ReplyDeleteAnyway, this wasn't my thing but I did enjoy the extra 4 ounces. B-
I don't consider myself an IPA guy either, but I agree that the Schlafly Tasmanian IPA was indeed a highlight of last year and one of the reasons why I love trying as many different beers as possible. A great find, that one.
DeleteGet out there and buy up all the tazmanian you can! It will be gone for another year very very soon...
DeleteReally enjoyed this one. I think I'll add it to the regular rotation.
ReplyDeleteIn other news, does anyone else use the Untapped App? It's a social networking app for beer drinkers. You check in beers, rate them, etc. if anyone is on it, feel free to add me: Dustin6263. Cheers!
Yeah untapped is legit. Only issue for me is that I'm inconsistent with my use - otherwise it's cool, my brother in law turned me on to it
DeleteLove untappd. Its like Facebook, but just for important stuff: beer.
DeleteThis one gets a giant "meh". I feel like this is a beer that doesn't really know what it wants to be. At the surface, there seems to be a lot to like. Good color, head, aroma - so I'm thinking that this is going to be a solid IPA. But it's only 5.0 ABV, and I felt it had a more watery consistent flavor/feel than what I'd want from an IPA - more pilsner-esque. Then it had a funky, bitter aftertaste. I'm cool with that......if I'm getting the warm belly (and buzz) of a proper 7-9% ABV I'd expect from an IPA, but no. So overall kind of a letdown for me. I don't hate it, I'd have one again, maybe I just got my hopes up a little too much. Middle of the road - it's the Alex Smith of beers. Solid game manager, just don't expect Aaron Rogers type of production.
ReplyDeleteThis beer has a great aroma, but I understand why they call it a "session beer" - it's weak. And, nothing to balance or compliment that aroma - only a seemingly obligatory IPA bitterness. Beers that really get my attention are 1) balanced and 2) interesting, and this one falls short on both points.
ReplyDeleteOh well, at least there are 19 more to look forward to.
I have been looking forward to this since I put it into the fridge. I appreciated the extra 4 ounces. I really liked this one even after a nice Bengali Tiger I had. I thought it had a good start and nice finish. I do wish it was little stronger though.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure if I was going to like this beer seeing how it’s from Harrisonburg VA. I thought it might be a temporary stop over to better things, but I enjoyed it. I’m in agreement with others about the good hop balance.
ReplyDeleteIs there such a thing as a lite IPA? Other than being able to pound many of these, there's no redeeming qualities. And Harrisonburg, really? Exit 245, just 127 miles away from good times.
ReplyDeleteI'm calling it, this is the best beer of the 24 days. Its brought to us by Harrisonburg, VA: Land of the Free, Home of the Brave, and number one in our hearts.
DeleteNever forget: http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=302540259
BS
I rank IPA's on a scale of this is the grossest thing I've ever tasted to tolerable. 3 brothers Drift falls around the tolerable side of the scale. I drank it and my wife's extra 4 ounces trying to give a fair shot and honest opinion. After 20 ounces, im left with a bitter taste in my mouth. Going to go wash it down with some Makers Mark or Sam Adams Winter Lager. C-
ReplyDeleteI'm with Mark on this one. Not exactly what I was expecting from an IPA as it was almost light and crisp and only 5% ABV.
ReplyDeleteStill it was pretty good for what it was and I loved the aroma. I could've sat there and just smelled it for a while longer. All in all, another good brew but still waiting for something awesome. Grade: 6.5
I love me some IPA, and this is as easy-drinking and accessible (meaning, not overwhelming) as they get, bringing down the ABV and IBUs while retaining a satisfying balance of hoppy happiness and citrusy wonder. I prefer my IPAs much bigger and hoppier, but this is a great session IPA that's sooooooo easy to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteNo joke: My cousin Murdoch and I were in Harrisonburg a few months ago and found ourselves outside of 3 Brothers, knocking on a locked door framing a "closed" sign. Guy comes to the door and I give him a sob story about having driven down from NoVA and this is our only chance to try their beer and the waitress at Jack Brown's said they'd take care of us here and yadda yadda. Guy feels sorry for us and lets us in, and we sample everything we can. Drove away after buying cases and growlers of almost everything we touched. (Hint for next year's 24DoB: The Admiral.) Best brewery experience I've had in years.
These guys love what they do, and they are good at it - and The Drift is yet another great example of that. It's satisfying, interesting, and easy-going. Bring me another!
Tried and failed to post twice...grrrrr
ReplyDeleteMy favorite so far and it's local! Great choice! Perfect session IPA
ReplyDeleteThe folks who bashed the Maryland beer need to be very disappointed that this was the Virginia offering in this 24 day drinkfest because it's 1 nil Maryland and we haven't gotten to Flying Dog yet! At first I was excited to try a new brew especially with an extra 4oz, popped the top to a decent hop aroma and poured away. That is when the excitement faded, I once tried bottled water with caffeine added to it, now I can say I have tried a can of water with hop and bitterness added.
ReplyDeleteSierra Nevada should get us back on track next
Andy, please show Donnie the light and explain to him the thing about crabs!
DeleteMaryland would have us all believing their the only ones who make beer..
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s/their/they're/g
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This beer was highly drinkable. I really enjoyed it. But I'm not sure if this beer should be classified as a session IPA or if it should just be called a pale ale. If its a pale ale I think I would give it an A-; as a session IPA I think it gets a B. It doesn't have the dry hopped presence of some of the really good sessional IPAs like Founders All Day, Lagunitas DayTime, or Stone's Go To. Those beers have the low ABV but still hold their own with the intense floral character. Glad it was in the mix and introduced me to another VA brewery.
ReplyDeleteJust not into IPA's. The initial aroma was very pleasant, as were the first few sips, but in the end the bitterness of IPA's always gets to me. Just lays sourly on the tongue (well, mine anyway). Looking forward to the next dark, malty beer.
ReplyDelete(Sorry for the late post.) Love this one! I was skiddish at the thought of a session IPA (read light beer), but I was pleasantly surprised. The initial strong citrus character was awesome and the flavor belied a session beer. I've been sipping on this for the last hour and have enjoyed it from start to finish. This one goes on my list of keepers.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever had a girl that looks enticing but not great? So you try it and iniatially and she is ok. So you try her again and it's still just ok. So you try it again and again it's just ok. This beer is the same. It's just ok and like an ok date I am on the prowl for something better.
ReplyDeleteWell, a day late due to a very nice beer sampling evening at the City Tap House (DC) http://www.citytaphousedc.com .
ReplyDeletePopped the top of this and immediately the citrusy aroma hit me. Thought it might be too much for me, but this grew on me. Not a bad session, generally not my favorite style but this will be very refreshing in warmer weather.
"Would accept another"
Little late with this - had a party at the house - other libations to be had. Took me all day to feel up to drinking again. But here I am. I liked this and and was mentioned the 16 oz size is a real bonus. So far this one was the best. On to the next....
ReplyDeleteI'm a day behind - drinking this now. Nine 12/13-yr old boys are here and I'm trying to numb every sense I have. I enjoy it but sorta sweet like the others. Next is the Sierra and after that I'll probably try a tall Crown and Coke. Or heroin.
ReplyDeleteSo I transported this all the way to Delaware. But then I spent the evening in the Dogfish Brewhouse and concluded that even a "session ipa" was the last thing I needed last night. Fear not, I drank it this morning after a quick little 26.2 mile jaunt. Very fruity smell to it. Someone said grapefruit, Ro said apricot. I know that happens from time to time in the IPA world, but I'd prefer it didn't. But after I got used to it, not half bad. Probably wouldn't buy it but I did like it. So I finished it and moved on to the free beer tent.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy IPAs and this was no different. While there are plenty of other IPAs that I would rank above this one, I liked this one. The grapefruit taste and aroma was very pleasing. I would drink it again.
ReplyDeleteWork and Finals are kicking my ass, so I'm running behind. I drank this and day 6's Sierra Nevada back to back. I have to say I had higher hopes for the 3 Brothers Drift, but to my surprise the Celebration was more enjoyable to me. I had trouble with the after taste on this one. Maybe if I paired it with food it could have been a whole different experience.
ReplyDeleteI did not like this beer at all. I think I'm developing a type...this isn't it. Too much bitter grapefruit taste and it makes your tongue feel fuzzy. Hold on maybe that's an allergic reaction...
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