New Gumballhead Label

I think all of these 'Gumball Head has changed' comments have come up since the brewery installed their new brewing system around a year ago. I'm guessing that the brewers haven't dialed in the recipes yet to the new equipment. (Or they don't want to.) I also think Zombie Dust is off slightly from previous taste quality. Both are still very good beers, but they are just not quite the same.

 

I had some Gumballhead on tap a couple weeks ago and it tasted like Gumballhead, didn't notice a difference. However Zombie Dust to me (and some other geeks i talked to) tastes different.

 

I've drank a LOT of Gumball Head in my day, and I've been drinking it since ~2005. I stand firmly in my belief that the recipe was changed.

 

There have definitely been minor tweaks to the recipe over the years. First off, the ABV is now higher. It used to be in the 4's and now it's 5.5%. Also, the bottled version used to be bottle conditioned and have yeast sediment in the bottle.

 

True! But it also used to be hazy...like an American wheat ale should be. Now it's crystal clear. And the hop aroma and taste are completely different from the way it used to be.

 

I still think it's a pretty solid beer for the style, but I agree that it's a lesser version of what it used to be. I feel like a few of FFF's year round offerings have a similar flavor profile to what they used to have before the equipment ramp-up, but they seem to have a slightly heavier mouthfeel, almost syrupy sometimes. I think they were better when they were still bottle-conditioning them (ex. alpha king). That being said, I'll still drink them over most other beers.

 

It's also very possible, the recipe hasn't changed at all, but the larger production batches and changes in equipment have led to it being a little different.

 

*shrug* I appreciate you emailing them, but I don't believe it. My sense of smell, taste, and vision all tell me otherwise

Anyways, I'll leave it at that.

 

The ones I picked up with the new label are clearly bottle conditioned as I can see the haze making its rounds at the bottom. My batch was bottled on April 29th.

Paranoia is a scary thing.

 

As long as I can keep getting Alpha King in Wisconsin I don't care what the label looks like, although at 11.99 a six pack it's been awhile since I bought any. It used to 9.99...like Gumball Head too, but I'm not paying 11.99 for it. I will still enjoy it on tap if it's available though

 

9.99 to 11.99? Bro, it's 2 damn dollars, you prolly smoke 2 dollars

 

I think you misinterpreted what I stated - I'll still gladly pay 11.99 for a six pack of Alpha King as it is one of my favorites. Gumball Head is not, which is why I choose not to spend the extra 2 dollars on it.