For this duel, I’m bringing 3 Floyd’s Zombie Dust back into the fray. So far they have fared well on the site, which should come as no surprise to the craft beer fans out there. Zombie Dust has long been heralded as truly fantastic pale ale. Today it will go up against a lesser-known, but solid competitor in Karben4’s Dragon Flute. Karben4, based out of Madison, WI, has been in operations since 2012 and features excellent lineup of craft beer. They also feature this stunning portrait of their owners, Ryan, Zak and Alex.
I mean, how can you look at this photo and not root for these guys to have every success in the world? But that’s enough talking, let’s get to the duel.
HopDuel Survey
| Better label | 3 Floyd’s Zombie Dust |
| Better aroma | 3 Floyd’s Zombie Dust |
| Better taste | 3 Floyd’s Zombie Dust |
| Better finish | 3 Floyd’s Zombie Dust |
| Winner | 3 Floyd’s Zombie Dust |
Tell us about it
Karben4’s Dragon Flute has a very impressive, long lasting foaming head with excellent lacing. If those were categories, Dragon Flute would have come away with a couple wins, but when it came to aroma, Zombie Dust was the clear choice. In the taste and finish categories, Zombie Dust just has too much going on to ignore. From it’s piney citrus aroma to its dank, quietly bitter finish, this is an outstanding beverage.
In the end, it’s a clean sweep for 3 Floyd’s Zombie Dust. This is a challenge to the dueling format, each category must have a declared winner, and sometimes one beer is just so strong it makes the competitor look weak. That definitely isn’t the case here, as the Karben4’s Dragon Flute is a delicious beer, worthy of being in this duel. In fact, the flavor profiles of these two beers are very similar. So if you’re ever looking for an alternative to Zombie Dust, the Dragon Flute presents an excellent choice.
HopDuel 