Three Floyds Gumballhead

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

I don’t know that I was all that thrilled by this, which is not to say that I wasn’t impressed by it, only that it hit me in odd ways. First, for appearance there isn’t anything too shocking going on--just a bit of simple white yeast floaties and a basically yellow body, not much head. O.k., move on. Appearance rarely makes or breaks a beer. As I sat with Lumpy at my kitchen table, we both reacted at how clearly the hops leap out of this, strongly citrus, mostly grapefruit, and I had a sense of some anise later on. The flavor had lots of citrus, too, of course, prompting comparisons with IPAs and APAs, but I found some bubblegum notes that tickled my fancy whenever I thought my tongue had latched onto it. I couldn’t hang on--it is difficult to hang onto anything with ones tongue, I guess. Very dry, with a hint of pepper and tea leaves, and the hops are notable--I certainly can’t pick out amarillo hops from a blind taste test but I am inclined to attribute much to their influence, especially some grassy strains. I was most disappointed by the palate; for me it was too limp, though it had some moderate body. I thought it really needed a carbonated life (not exactly fizz but at least something zingy). Otherwise it was fine, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea, I mean, glass of beer.

Bottle; Nose of a pale ale with lots of hops and a little citrus; Looks more like a wheat; hazy gold with a medium yellow-tinged head; flavor is hoppy with some citrus and a pale ale bitter hop finish. Now the question; Do I rate to flavor or style?

draught at brewtopia - I detect no characteristics of a wheat beer in this - kind of tastes like a pale ale - in fact, this tastes suspiciously like Alpha King - I’m beginning to think that the common criticism that all FFF beers taste the same holds a little bit of truth - HAD AGAIN FROM A BOMBER AND WAS MUCH MORE IMPRESSED - DIDN"T TAKE ANY NOTES THIS TIME, BUT I REMEMBER IT BEING QUITE CRISP AND REFRESHING.

(22 oz bottle: Obtained in trade with bkelley68, thanks Brian!) First off, an important point: I obtained this in a trade, and let it age for 13 months. Not only has this beer held up well, it’s absolutely delicious! A wheat beer, huh? Uhm, okay, whatever you crazy dudes at Three Floyds say. Technically, it may be a wheat beer, but it tastes much more like a lightly hoppy and very fruity American Pale Ale to me, with wheat being the underlying malt base. Very fruity (apricot and pear), sweet, lemony, mildly hoppy tasting, moderately bitter, did I say fruity yet? Wow, extremely fruity. It was probably hoppier when fresh, but frankly, I wouldn’t want this to be any hoppier, so I think aging has helped that aspect for me. Certain elements of this beer, mostly the fruits, are reminding me of a dessert wine (specifically, Raymond Eloquence), but obviously with considerably less sweetness and viscosity. The nose is also very fruity, again reminding me of a fine dessert wine. Body is medium, with a balanced and long-lasting palate. Very easy to drink, but don’t confuse that with being light on flavor. Very hazy, dark golden color, with a medium size white head that settles to a broken film. However, lacing is solid, with large patches of foam covering the glass. I’m no Three Floyds shill, but goddamn, this is really a delicious beer. But to call this an American Wheat is rather misleading. Or, I guess there’s a different perspective -- perhaps brewers of American Wheats should use this as their benchmark.

Bottle Thanks to hopscotch: (All the people who thanked me for this bottle should thank him as well) Hazy golden with white head. Extremely hoppy aroma for a Wheat beer. Full of mango, orange marmalade and peach. Yowza! Very creamy texture. Fruity and hoppy flavor. Not much indication of wheat malt in the mash. Full of tropical fruits (mango, peach) and a smooth mildly bitter finish. Extremely hoppy for a wheat ale, but not much else to say about it than that. Overrated, slightly.

The beer relinquishes all ties with the 22 ounce brown bottle and takes up residence in my special wheat beer glass a limpid amber color, the head is modest in size, creamy in texture and a very light tan color, as it dematerializes the lace formed is a thin veil to hide the glass. Nose is spicy, citrus crisp with a nice underlying floral tone, very fresh and clean to the senses, the start is a light to the taste buds feel of the wheat and malted grain, spun sugar sweet, the top is fair to middling in its feel. Finish is ineffable in its acidity with the hops agreeable in their spicy presence, the aftertaste desert dry and long lasting, another fine beer from a fine brewery.

Same ol’ stuck-up 3F too much hops no style. The taste and the aroma are both dominated by grapefruit, with only the slighest wheaty finish in the taste. Only slightly hazy pour with very little head. I understand that the American Wheat style is supposed to be less spicy and more hoppy than its german counterpart but 3F blows this so out of proportion it becomes no different than a standard american IPA (or, well, APA, in 3Fs case). The wheat character is so suppressed it is basically unnoticable unless you were looking for it. I know you aren’t supposed to rate to style, and I usually don’t, but this kinda pisses me off, especially since all the reviews below me are gushing about how this is basically such a great IPA. Isn’t the whole purpose behind style percentiles to show people what the best in the style is, so we can actually have scales for styles whether people rate to them or not? Cause I can imagine many being pretty pissed off when they finally get their hands on the #1 American Wheat and find out it really isnt a wheat at all, it’s just a normal ol’ IPA.... *cough cough*

Bottle pours a slightly hazy golden color, medium rocky head, pancake batter lacing, and with virtually zero carbonation.   Aroma is quite hoppy, slightly lemony, with a hint of pine needles.   WTF, This is an American Wheat?!?!   Up front I get a slightly lemony tartness, along with hops.   That is quickly followed by a slightly biscuity/malty flavor, finishing with a floral flair.   This seems more of a quasi Pale Ale/American Wheat.   Decent body and mouthfeel, just didnt know what to make of this strange concoction.   Points off for not being really true to the style.   This really needs to be classed differently.   Other than that, its still quite enjoyable.   Thanks goes out to CaptainCougar for the trade!