And your ears shall hear…

If you’ve been living under a rock, or out in the sticks, you may have not heard of the great tasting brew that is Gumballhead.  I had my first encounter with this hydroponic tasting treat at Sheffield’s here in Lakeview about a year ago and fell in love.  Not only does Sheffield’s have some of the greatest tasting barbecue on earth, but they have the most beers on tap (and in a bottle) that I have seen in a long time.  They also have a bar in the back room of this establishment that is akin to the Genius Bar at the Apple Store, where you can go and get all sorts of information about their beers, all while tasting them.  Since that day I have been infatuated with the taste of Gumballhead, and that has prompted me to try many of the other incredible beers produced by those famous boys at Three Floyds Brewery .  I have run through their gamut of beers, including the Alpha King, and my personal favorite these days, Pride & Joy.  They have many thick beers as well, that take more time to drink, and definitely are not for the faint of heart, a.k.a. the Miller Lite drinker.  The point to all this beer talk, is that apparently Gumballhead has become a hot commodity and is now being sold for $12.99 a 6-pack at some places in Chicago.  One bar owner told me that the distributors are only allowing them limited access to the Gumballhead, and trying to push off the rest of the Three Floyds brand instead. I haven’t seen a 6-pack of this beer on the shelf at our local Binny’s in over a month, and they say the same thing every time I ask: “We cannot not keep that stuff in stock!  As soon as we put it on the shelves, it is gone.”  They usually tell me that they can only order a few cases at a time because of the demand, and that I should probably try the Pride & Joy, or the Alpha King!  Now you see why the ‘King and the ‘Joy are my two best runners up.  Are you starting to see a pattern here?  Crazy huh, but no joke.  Three Floyds has taken Chicago by storm!  It has become so popular now that different restaurants are pairing all of the ‘Floyds beers with their own menus, and selling this as a “Three Floyds Dinner.”  Some of these dinners range between $60-100 dollars, and are served with with everything from crab cakes to french fries.  Last month, there was even a trip organized by one of the local bars to the Three Floyds Brew Pub in Munster, Indiana.  Does any body want to go…

As you can see from the picture, I broke down last night and drank my prized Alpha Klaus Christmas Ale that I was saving for a Labor Day Celebration, or a toast to the end of Summer.  I did this because when I went to the store on the way home from work, they actually had Gumballhead!  But to my surprise, it was $12.99, and there is not a 6-pack of beer on this earth that I would pay that for!  So, like any stubborn hardcore fan would do,  I went home and drank my private stock so that the man would have to lower his price on the ‘Head.  Merry Summer, Happy Christmas folks!