Review: Over Corrected

Well, it's not Gumballhead, but then again, never having tasted Gumballhead, I wouldn't know even if I had hit it spot on.  What started as a great and easy brewday ended up turning slightly when I put a t-shirt over the carboy to keep the sun from skunking the beer while racking and aerating.  I didn't even see the 1/2 gallon of StarSan in my fermenter when I started racking, and it wasn't until it was done that I realized what happened as the snake of foam slinked from the opening.  Then, as fermentation progressed, I added 1# of sugar to try to get the gravity back up and over shot it.  The dilution from StarSan, too much sugar, and the fermentability of that sugar created a drier beer than I had hoped for, resulting in 6.5% ABV instead of the 5.5% that Three Floyd's created in their beer.  Oh well, it's drinkable, and enjoyable.

Look:  Pours a slightly hazy burnished orange with a thick, persistent, 2 finger off white head that leaves great lacing.


Aroma:  Smells of tropical fruit punch, grapefruit, tangerine, peach, pineapple, floral and spicy hop notes in the background, light herbs and pine cone.  A light sweaty sock aroma is there as well that is kind of off-putting.


Taste:  Tastes of big fruit, pineapple, mango, grapefruit, bitter orange peel, peaches, tart, light honey.  There is a sweaty finish that, like the nose, is a little off-putting.  Floral alcohol.


Mouthfeel:  Dry, bubbly, light tartness, bitter bite, alcohol warmth, slightly off in the finish.  Balanced.  The bitterness is spot on for style.


Overall:  For awhile I worried about this beer, the StarSan, the ABV, the FG, the off finish.  It is becoming more drinkable with a few weeks under it, the finish is not as abrasive as it once was, and the sweaty character is dying down as well.  It is hard to tell if the sweatiness is an aspect of the StarSan or maybe the Amarillo hops as I have heard that some of the sought after hops today can have that character.  I'd really like to rebrew this beer to see if I can get it right and make a good judgement on Amarillo.  The bitterness is perfect for a nice drinkable American Wheat, and the hops are heavy on the nose and tongue.  Lots of fruit without any fruit.  Not a bad beer, but not a great one either.