Three Floyds Gumball Head Wheat Ale

A bit about GumballHead: An American Wheat Ale, Gumballhead is named in honor of the underground comic book cat created by Rob Syers. Initially a seasonal summer beer, now brewed year round due to demand. This beer helped redefine American Wheat Beers. Brewed with Amarillo Hops and a generous portion of American red wheat, Gumballhead has a complex hop aroma with notes of grapefruit, lemon zest, marmalade and peach. These flavors combined with low bitterness make Gumballhead a refreshing American Wheat Beer that doesn’t suck.

I actually knew of GumballHead the Cat before I knew of Three Floyds, having ordered some Skin Graft Comix in my job as comics buyer at Shinder's Readmore Bookstore, in the '90's. He's one badass kitty cat. And here are my words on the first tasting of this one, when it was only available in bombers, and I had to trade for it, way back, nine years ago, June of 2004:



Poured into a tall weizen-style Oberon glass, with great anticipation.
Color's a hazy, ripe peach, head is thick, creamy cushion of meringue.
Aroma, plainly put, gorgeous! Sweet and lovely hoppiness, tingling and enticing the nose and welcoming the tongue to embrace...beautiful! I got my beak awfully wet drinking it in, and didn't want the sniffing to stop! Amarillos, they say, eh? Love my Amarillos!
Lush wheat texture greet the lips and washes over the palate, comforting and terrifically tasty. Hops continue to dance on the palate, and fruity flavors dominate. Taste gets a touch sticky and very palpable in the mouth, bringing an end to my questions about the curious appelation, sweet and gummy indeed!
(Still wonder about the crude cartoon of the smoking cat on the label, but it's never normal at the House of Floyds, is it?)
Medium bodied, persistent citric finish, inestimable drinkability...hook me up to a keg and let's see, eh?

Great beer here, but then, I've never been disappointed by the Floyds boys.

----
it's just as wonderful, all these years later.