Three Floyds Gumballhead

Brewed by Three Floyds Brewing Company
Style: Wheat Ale
Munster, Indiana USA

Pours a mildly hazy orange with a fluffy two finger head that fades slowly to a very thin, spotty cap. The thin ring that’s left behind leaves quite a bit more lace than I expected. Smell; mmm....hops, and lots of them for a wheat beer. Pine and citrus smells come floating out of my glass, as well as some mild hints of caramel malts. But where is the wheat in this wheat beer? Taste; those piney and citric hops are right there in your face, but I like it. The sweet malts definitely make a nice appearance, once you let this warm up a bit. The wheat is more felt than tasted, and lightly at that, which gives this a close to medium bodied mouthfeel. This reminds me more of an APA or IPA than it did of a wheat beer, but despite the lack of any wheat flavors, I still like this offering from Three Floyds. I just wish it felt and tasted more like a wheat beer.

Doesn’t smell like a wheat but I’m okay with that-almost hoppy in the aroma. The taste is nothing like a wheat beer either, so it seems that it shouldn’t really be allowed in this category. The taste is hoppy and grassy, but has a tainted aftertaste that really brings it down late.

Shared with Bullet2urbrain. As mentioned, it tasted a little more like an APA than what I was expecting. The large presence or hops seemed out of the ordinary, as I am not the hugest fan of the wheat style. There is a hint of wheatness very very late in this one.

22oz Bottle, Shared With DeuceDeuceOU. a good beer, but strikes me more as an American Pale rather than a Wheat. still a delictable beer and well worth drinking.

Bottle, at Kookfest, September 2006. To call this the best American Wheat I have ever tried is rather faint praise, since that is generally, in my experience, one of the most boring styles around. Its probably my favourite American Wheat because its not really remotely like all the others I have tried (which isn’t that many to be fair). More like an APA really. Juicy fruit and tangy, aromatic hops in equal measure. Maybe some estery notes. Nice.

Small head that diminishes quickly. Light, pale yellow. Fairly typical wheat, perhaps a bit grainy.

Bottle. Pours a cloudy amber color with a large white head, nice lacing. Aroma is floral hops, grapefruit, grains. Flavor is grapefruit, pine, wheat, malt. Palate is medium, lots of carbonation, bitter, hoppy finish. Not your ordinary wheat. Loved it but didn’t have a ton of wheat beer characteristics.

I’ve had this beer a number of times, but have never (obviously) reviewed it. I’ve only had it from the 22 oz bottle and once on-draft at the Three Floyds brewpub. The beer pours a light orange and is lightly hazy. There is a pretty plentiful amount of head, but its resiliency is limited. Aroma is sweet and slightly citrus-y, but not too impressive. Taste is awesome! This beer is fairly light for an APA, but very lively and citrusy. It is bitter without being overpowering. You could definitely enjoy several pints of this at a sitting and not feel like a Macy’s Day parade balloon. The mouthfeel of this beer is great. Is heavily carbonated with light, small bubbles, and is lighter than many other big-time APAs. A very good beer that is worth picking up whenever you can find it.