Three Floyds Gumballhead Review

Name: Three Floyds Gumballhead
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale/Wheat Beer
ABV: 5.6%

Now for the last Three Floyds beer from my beer which I received a few weeks back. This time around, it's Gumballhead, the brewery's Wheat Ale. The beer's name comes from Gumballhead The Cat, which is an Underground comic series by Rob Syers and Skin Graft Records. It's hard to describe what EXACTLY Gumballhead is about but from I've read, it's about an anthropomorphic cigarette-smoking cat whose average day is like a cross between that of Frank Castle and Tyler Durden.

I've actually had this beer before at Jack's Tap while I was living in Chicago. At the time, I was really impressed with how good it tasted but I don't remember much else. The only other thing I remember about Gumballhead was that my co-worker at the time raved about how it was his favorite beer.

Gumballhead pours a very hazy yellow color with a decent amount of visible carbonation and the head is soapy white in appearance.

The nose starts out with some fairly strong citrus hops and an equally strong malted wheat profile. I'm also picking on some fairly strong grapefruit notes in here too as well as some lager yeasts which sit on the back end. Even though it's been a couple years since I've had this, I never noticed how similar it smelled to a Pale Lager.

The flavor is pretty citra hop forward at first but the malted wheat backbone gains some momentum here to the point where it slowly starts to overtake. There is also a minor but encompassing grassy and yeasty taste at work here too. The aftertaste is a bit on the dry side with a light but sweet tangerine flavor.

The body is moderately weighted that is light in terms of thickness. The carbonation is pretty moderate which gives it a nice crisp texture.

Gumballhead is held to high regards in the craft beer community for being an explementary example of the Wheat Beer style and having this beer only reinforces that belief. Everything from the robust hop profile and well-balanced maltiness makes this an absolute pleasure to drink and one of the best wheat beers out there right now. Even those who aren't huge fans of the Wheat beer style will no doubt find something to enjoy about with this beer.

Three Floyds Gumballhead - 9.25/10

Three Floyds Backmasking Review

Name: Three Floyds Backmasking
Style: Oatmeal Stout
ABV: 5.9%

Backmasking (n) - A recording technique in which a sound or message is deliberately recorded backwards in a track that is meant to be played forwards.

Backmasking, one of the very reasons Snopes is in existence today. Several major bands have been accused of using backmasking to subliminally manipulate the unaware music lovers. From Judas Priest to Led Zeppelin; From Pink Floyd to Weird Al Yankovic; These are just a few bands that have either been accused of backmasking or have partaken in it.

So leave it to Three Floyds Brewing to create a beer that pokes fun at this cultural phenomenon that, only 30 years ago, had parental advocacy groups convinced that the musicians were trying to corrupt the youth of the nation. With this in mind, you have to admit that the beer label is hilarious.

Backmasking pours a pitch black color with a brown head that has a thin creamy appearance. It's hard to tell if there's any carbonation in here but the lacing is very abundant.

The aroma starts things off with a very strong chocolate malt scent and some robust oatmeal notes. There's also a fair amount of roastiness on the back end of the nose along with some light dry hop notes. What I like about this beer is that you can actually smell the individual oats, something which I always look for in any oatmeal stout I have.

The flavor is fairly representative of the nose. For starters, you have a strong chocolate malt and oatmeal foundation but there's also a fair amount of lactose  in the middle of the palate. As for the aftertaste, it's primarily a bitter hop and roasted barley finish.

The body is fairly heavy in terms of weight and has some fairly mild carbonation. It also has a very smooth creamy texture, which helps add to the drinking experience as well as making it a bit easier to handle.

Backmasking may look intimidating, but this is actually a very smooth, flavorful, and well put together oatmeal stout and it's probably one of the best oatmeal stouts I've ever had. If you happen to see this, I would very highly recommend checking this out.

Three Floyds Backmasking - 9.25/10

Three Floyds Calumet Queen Review

Name: Three Floyds Calumet Queen
Style: Kolsch
ABV: 5%

Next up on my Three Floyds care package that I'm finally getting around to reviewing is more of an off-beat offering, at least in my opinion. The beer in question is Calumet Queen, the brewery's kolsch style ale. Up until getting this, I had only seen this beer on Beer Advocate and was always curious to see what it tasted like.

The name originates from the "Calumet Region" which is synonymous with Northwestern Indiana. Munster, which is where Three Floyds is located, is in Northwestern Indiana.

Calumet Queen pours a very pale yellow color with a mild haze to it, but otherwise fairly clear. Visible carbonation is pretty mild with a very thin white head.

The nose is fairly pale malt forward, a fruity grape (not grapefruits) scent with some barley notes and some light yeasty notes.

The flavor has some pale malts and some hop bitterness upfront. There's also some grape notes and some pilsener malts on the back of the palate.

The body is very light but the carbonation is a bit more on the moderate side. Nonetheless, it does feel very crisp and fits the overall flavor profile quite well.

In short, Calumet Queen is a nice offering from the brewery that proves to be reasonably flavorful yet sessionable beer. It's a good nice summer seasonal that's worth checking out should you get the chance.

Three Floyds Calumet Queen - 8/10

Three Floyds Jinx Proof Review

Name: Three Floyds Jinx Proof
Style: Dortmunder Lager/Pilsener
ABV: 5.1%

Next up on my Three Floyds Brewing care package is a little something called Jinx Proof, which is the brewery's Pilsener/Dortmunder Lager (depending on who you ask) style of beer. The beer gets its name from a Washington D.C.-based tattoo parlor, who I assume also did the artwork for the bottle though this is just speculation on my part.

This is also the first time I've had this beer in over two years. Many of my readers know that I was once a resident of Chicago and finding Three Floyds at the bar wasn't all that uncommon, such as The Fat Cat along Broadway Ave on the Northside, which is where I had this beer on-tap. Now that I have a bottle for myself, it's time to give this beer a proper review.

Jinx Proof pours a very hazy yellow color with a pretty thin white head. There isn't anything here in terms of lacing and some moderate-level visible carbonation.

The aroma starts out with a mix of pale and pilsener malts, some citrus hop notes, yeasts and a bit of lemon zest. Sure enough, it does smell like a cross between a Dortmunder and Pilsener.

The flavor, much like the nose, starts out with a strong pale and pilsener malt base with a stronger lemon zest presence and some mild yeasts before ending with a bitter citrus hop aftertaste. Judging from the taste, it's pretty easy to see why its classification has fallen into two categories.

The palate has a very light body and some moderate carbonation, which gives it a very crisp feel. Paired with the flavor, it's quite fitting.

Jinx Proof is by no means the beer that Three Floyds will best known for. However what we do have here is a nice flavorful lager that many beer drinkers will no doubt find something to enjoy about it. This is a beer that is best described as a "crowd pleaser," but you can rest assured that you're making a good choice by drinking this.

Three Floyds Jinx Proof - 8.5/10

Three Floyds Alpha King Review

Name: Three Floyds Alpha King
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 6.66%

Recently I received a beer mail from Jared in Indiana, who was kind enough to send me a Three Floyds Brewing care package, along with a couple of extra goodies which I will get to later. The first beer I'm going cover is Alpha King, their American Pale Ale which is considered by the brewery and many others to be their flagship beer. It is also considered by many beer lovers to be the best APA (American Pale Ale) in the country, ranking right up there with the ranks of Zombie Dust (another Three Floyds beer) and Toppling Goliath's Pseudo Sue.

Now in terms of the brewery's APAs, I've never had Alpha King before I have had their Zombie Dust before which I have mentioned in a few previous posts that I regard Zombie Dust as my all-time favorite APA. Let's see if Alpha King can claim that title.

Alpha King pours a very hazy orange color with a low amount of visible carbonation. It possesses a very foamy head but pretty soapy lacing.

The aroma is very piney hop forward with some light grapefruit notes and an emphasis on the caramel maltiness. There is also some mild but noticeable hints of citrus and floral hops in here as well.

The flavor flips it around as it's very citrus and floral hop forward with some grapefruits, yeastiness and some solid caramel maltiness; All of which are very vibrant in their own way. The aftertaste is a resin piney hop bitterness, which was most prominent in the nose.

The palate has a very moderate weight to it but with some mild thickness to it and some light carbonation. It goes without saying that this is a very easy drinker.

You know, after having Alpha King, I'm strongly considering making this my new favorite American Pale Ale. It's flavor is rich, extremely vibrant yet the palate makes it very drinkable all at once. Having this beer makes me wish that I had the same availability right now, just like back when I lived in Chicago. Any beer lover absolutely owes it to themselves to try this out!

Three Floyds Alpha King - 9.5/10

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp 2014 Review - Part 2

Tonight, I'm continuing my journey through Sierra Nevada's Beer Camp for 2014. So far I'm fairly intrigued with some of the entries I've seen this far and it'll be interesting to see where we go from here.

Torpedo Pilsner Hoppy Pilsner (5.2% ABV) - Brewed in collaboration with Firestone Walker Brewing. The flavor is very bitter hop forward with some lemon zest, pilsner-pale & biscuit malts, and some yeastiness. The bitter resin hop taste lingers on the back of the palate. Pretty light bodied and easy to drink. Pilsners have never been known to me as being of the hoppy variety but this one works quite well and it's rather flavorful. I would definitely have this again if given the chance!

Verdict - 8.5/10

Yonder Bock Tropical Maibock (7.7% ABV) - Brewed in collaboration with Cigar City Brewing. The flavor has the typical caramel maltiness and honey sweetness that I'm used to. However what sets this apart is the strong tropical mango and agave fruitness at the front of the palate as well as some floral hoppiness. This is unlike any other Maibock I've had before and I love just how robust and vibrant the flavor is. It's too bad that this is a one time beer because I would definitely be keeping this in my fridge on a regular basis.

Verdict - 9.25/10

Chico King Pale Ale (6.5% ABV) - Brewed in collaboration with 3 Floyds Brewing. Pours a surpringly dark orange color. The flavor opens up with some caramel malt sweetness followed by some floral hops, mild grapefruits and resin hop bitterness. The aftertaste is pretty dry as well but it's very easy to drink. It's a slightly different take on Sierra Nevada's original American Pale Ale and it works out quite well. In fact, I'd even go as far as to say I prefer this over Sierra Nevada's normal Pale Ale.

Verdict - 8.5/10

Maillard's Odyssey Imperial Dark Ale (8.5% ABV) - Brewed in collaboration with Bell's Brewery. A pitch black colored beer with a very foamy khaki colored head. Very roasty flavor with roasted barley at the front of the palate with some chocolate malts, bitter hops and a roasty dark chocolate and slightly earthy aftertaste. Nothing too spectacular, it's just a good tasting Black Ale that anyone whom enjoys the style will certainly find something to like about this.

Verdict 8.25/10

I like the variety that I'm getting from this, more so than when I first started looking at this 12 pack. I still have 4 more beers left to go before concluding this series. If my schedule permits I should have the rest of the series done by Sunday. I hope you are enjoying reading my thoughts and comments on these beers. 

Cheers

- Nick

Surly Blakkr Review

Name: Surly Blakkr
Style: Black IPA/Imperial Black Ale
ABV: 9.99%

For this review, I bring to you a collaboration beer courtesy of Surly Brewing, 3 Floyds, and Real Ale Brewing: Surly Blakkr. Surly & 3 Floyds have done a collaboration beer before with Urine Trouble but I think this may be the first time they have worked with with Real Ale.

All 3 brewmasters with the aforementioned breweries are big metal music fans, which is the inspiration behind this beer. Even the name and beer label artwork look like they belong on a Norwegian black metal album cover. Even the name, Blakkr, comes from the Old Norse word which means "black."

Blakkr pours a black color that turns into a barely noticeable crimson red when held to a light along with a khaki-colored head. The lacing in this beer is also pretty good

The aroma is quite unique to say the least. I'm picking up on notes of mangoes, citrus hops, dark fruits, and mild chocolate malts. For a black ale or IPA, depending on who you ask, this is rather fruity smelling with only a minor but noticeable chocolate/roasty characteristic.

The flavor starts out with some strong citrus hop, piney hop notes, and mango notes; Followed by some roasted barley, chocolate malts and a citrusy aftertaste with just a hint of a resiny bitterness.

The palate possess a fairly heavy body but with some very light carbonation. It's got a pretty smooth texture and it's very easy to drink. Perhaps a little too easy for it's own good when you consider the strength of this beer.

It goes without saying that this is very tasty, well-balanced and a must have for any craft beer fan or anybody looking for something a little different. Since this is the closest thing we'll get to 3 Floyds here in Minnesota for the time being, I don't expect to see this sitting on shelves for too long so pick this up while you still can!

Surly Blakkr - 9/10